(no subject)
“Make a wish,” I whispered to her, folding her miniature hands around the coin.
She looked up at me, those gleaming golden eyes sparkling vibrantly. “I wish you were here,” she said, and kissed me on the cheek.
I laughed and hugged her, nuzzling her lovingly. “That’s silly. I’m already here.”
“Tomorrow, then,” she said, giggling when I tickled her. “And forever.”
“I’m always here.”
“Always?” she asked. “Forever and ever?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. Now make a wish, but don’t tell me what it is this time. And throw the coin into the water.”
“But why?” Her voice held that childish naiveté that mine had never known. “It’ll be lost, then.”
“The coin isn’t what matters,” I said soothingly, letting her sit on my lap. Our feet dangled off the cliff overlooking the waves far below. “What matters is the wish.”
“But won’t the wish be gone too?”
I sighed. “The wish is a part of you, not the coin.”
“Then why-“
“Shh,” I insisted, squeezing her hand. “Throw the coin.”
She paused for a moment, then let it tumble over the edge. I held her out over the cliff to watch it fall, listening to her squeal with delight as I pretended to drop her.
Then it was quiet again. Just the sound of her shallow breathing against my chest and the crash of the surf on the rocks. I fell back with her, lying on the snow and pulling her on top of me to keep her warm. The wind howled quietly, like an animal in the distance; unthreatening and beautiful when it mingled with the ocean, a melody of calming resonance.
If time passed, I was unaware of it. Time was irrelevant here. Everything was irrelevant here, except for her. Her and I. Together again, safe again.
She tugged on my shirt, burying her face in my chest like she always did. “I wish my wish could come true.”
I looked at her, running my hand through the soft fur on the top of her head. “Why couldn’t it?”
She said nothing.
“Oxiandi?”
My hand went to rest on her shoulders but instead landed on my stomach. My heart dropped and I sat up, whirling around to stare into the dark tree line.
“Oxiandi!” I cried, scrambling to my feet and stumbling in the snow, running and running and running. “Oxiandi, come back! Oxiandi!”
My heart was shuddering from the cold anxiety that coursed through me, making my stomach twist in a sickening knot. I kept calling her name, over and over and over and over.
Feet must’ve been getting heavy; I couldn’t lift them high enough to clear the snow and I fell. I laid there, unmoving, letting the icy cold bite into my skin. Desperation dwindled and all I could feel was remorse.
I started crying silently, the ache in my chest unbearable. It was all my fault.
All. My. Fault.
She looked up at me, those gleaming golden eyes sparkling vibrantly. “I wish you were here,” she said, and kissed me on the cheek.
I laughed and hugged her, nuzzling her lovingly. “That’s silly. I’m already here.”
“Tomorrow, then,” she said, giggling when I tickled her. “And forever.”
“I’m always here.”
“Always?” she asked. “Forever and ever?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. Now make a wish, but don’t tell me what it is this time. And throw the coin into the water.”
“But why?” Her voice held that childish naiveté that mine had never known. “It’ll be lost, then.”
“The coin isn’t what matters,” I said soothingly, letting her sit on my lap. Our feet dangled off the cliff overlooking the waves far below. “What matters is the wish.”
“But won’t the wish be gone too?”
I sighed. “The wish is a part of you, not the coin.”
“Then why-“
“Shh,” I insisted, squeezing her hand. “Throw the coin.”
She paused for a moment, then let it tumble over the edge. I held her out over the cliff to watch it fall, listening to her squeal with delight as I pretended to drop her.
Then it was quiet again. Just the sound of her shallow breathing against my chest and the crash of the surf on the rocks. I fell back with her, lying on the snow and pulling her on top of me to keep her warm. The wind howled quietly, like an animal in the distance; unthreatening and beautiful when it mingled with the ocean, a melody of calming resonance.
If time passed, I was unaware of it. Time was irrelevant here. Everything was irrelevant here, except for her. Her and I. Together again, safe again.
She tugged on my shirt, burying her face in my chest like she always did. “I wish my wish could come true.”
I looked at her, running my hand through the soft fur on the top of her head. “Why couldn’t it?”
She said nothing.
“Oxiandi?”
My hand went to rest on her shoulders but instead landed on my stomach. My heart dropped and I sat up, whirling around to stare into the dark tree line.
“Oxiandi!” I cried, scrambling to my feet and stumbling in the snow, running and running and running. “Oxiandi, come back! Oxiandi!”
My heart was shuddering from the cold anxiety that coursed through me, making my stomach twist in a sickening knot. I kept calling her name, over and over and over and over.
Feet must’ve been getting heavy; I couldn’t lift them high enough to clear the snow and I fell. I laid there, unmoving, letting the icy cold bite into my skin. Desperation dwindled and all I could feel was remorse.
I started crying silently, the ache in my chest unbearable. It was all my fault.
All. My. Fault.