[Short Story] Flying.

A small girl was looking wearily at a tree. Her long, ginger hair
floated around her as a breeze came by. Biting her thumb, she looked at
the small figure, which was climbing the tall tree. The figure paused
and turned its head around to look at the girl. The boy’s mouse brown
hair was covered in bits of bark. He smiled a brilliant smile, making
his light blue eyes crinkle at the corners. He returned to climbing the
tall plant.

“Your Mama will get mad, Johnny.” She said as she
removed her thumb from her mouth. Her gaze on the boy was weary. Her
small frown creased her small features.

The boy called Johnny
paused again, he looked down on her. She looked smaller than usual from
where he was. “I’m going to show you, I can fly!” His face glowed as he
said it, flashing his brilliant smile again.

Another breeze came
by, making the boy’s tablecloth-cape flutter around his ankles. His
legs began to push him further up the tree, and his nails dug into the
bark.

“You’re so stupid!” She said. Johnny stumbled a little.
The ginger-haired girl gave a gasp. She stared, frightened as Johnny
regained his composure. Once that she was sure that he was not going to
move, she spoke again. “You can’t fly!”

Johnny ignored this
comment; he began where he left off, continuing his journey to the
thickest branch of the tree. Once he was near a steady branch, he
placed his foot on it and pushed himself onto it. “Rosie is a meanie!
Of course I can fly!” He smiled again, though the smile itself had lost
its charismatic nature. It was a shaky smile.

Another breeze
came by, making the leaves on the tree move, as if waving lazily to the
figure of Rosie below. Rosie was not interested in the trees; she was
fiddling with her dress, she looked about ready to rip it apart in
nervousness as she stared at the boy.

She bit her lip hard; her
brown eyes glistened as she yelled out in desperation. “DON’T DO IT
JOHNNY!!” She cried and cried but did not take her eyes off Johnny.
Johnny looked disheartened at the site of little Rosie, who did not
look like she was going to stop crying any time soon.

“Look,
Rosie. After I fly, we can have a tea party? Okay? A tea party.” These
words only made Rosie’s sobs louder. Her ginger hair stuck to her tear
stained face. Johnny looked utterly confused.

“You will NOT fly, Johnny!” She shouted through her equally loud sobs.

Johnny did not like seeing Rosie like this. She never used to cry. She was always so happy…

“Alright,
alright! Just wait for me OK? I’m coming down!” He said in what he
thought was a reassuring tone, but Rosie only continued to cry. Johnny
began to walk to the trunk of the tree, but something was stuck
underneath his foot.

Next thing he knew, he was flying, he could hear Rosie screaming.