Story Chalenge 3

Title: The Secret Of The Maples
Author: K-na
Rating: PG-13
Content Warning: a bit dark
Disclaimer: This isn't Clay related and I write it for entertainment only and receive no monetary gain or compensation.

   Balmy air surrounded Jewel as she walked down the curved path lined by tall maples that seemed to dance in the evening breeze. The setting sun turned the sky a particular color of pinkish purple that could only be seen at day’s end, but she didn’t notice its magnificence. She had walked this path so many times, passing swing sets and vacant park benches. The warm summer breezes blowing through the maple leaves made a “swoosh” sound as if whispering something in her ear. Every evening they told her the same unrecognizable secret, but she had stopped trying to decipher their secret language a long time ago. She didn’t have time for that anymore. She had a job, meetings to go to, and a reputation to keep. But now those things had lost their meaning. Her last hope was this quiet park where she could clear her mind every evening.
   As she passed the last maple, the last park bench, the path ended, and a transparent lake appeared. This lake had been there for a long time. She had visited it on many occasions, even swum in its cool waves. Ready to be absorbed by its comfort, she sat down on the soft grass and closed her eyes, as she did during every visit. She listened to the water splash against the bank. It too had a language of its own. The breeze blew through her hair, cooling her face. For this one moment, every day, Jewel felt free.
In her mind, she remembered the days when she came here as a child, and imagined bringing her own children here. She had promised herself to come here every day for the rest of her life, no matter what. At least she had kept that promise.
   Jewel smiled, relaxing on the grass and continuing to listen and feel the magic of the night. But suddenly, the wind blowing against her face turned unsettling. It was as if the heavens were blowing a cold breath on her skin. Jewel shook her head, her laugh breaking the silence. This was ridiculous. She was the only one here. It was just the wind. She was just overstressed. Taking a big breath, Jewel closed her eyes and settled back into her tranquil state.
     Just as she was beginning to snooze, the whisper of the trees and splashing of the water combined and became a new language she understood. Her eyes shot open. Jewel gasped. She hadn’t heard this voice since many years ago. Why tonight did she receive this gift back? She looked around her, trying to concentrate on the words. Maybe they would finally tell her how to be happier. “Jewel….” They murmured.
   “Yes?”
   “Jewel,” They whispered again, quieter now. But just as quickly as she had caught on to what they were saying, the words were lost. She looked around, trying to find the source, but as she turned to her left, her concentration broke completely.
   A young man was sitting next to her. He was staring toward the lake. He hugged his knees, just as Jewel had been doing, and leaned forward, resting his chin on them. He was tall and slender with broad shoulders. His features, at least the ones Jewel could see, were very handsome. He seemed peaceful, but still Jewel felt the urge to leave. This had never happened before. She had usually been alone in this sacred place, and the conversation of the maples had always been a private one. It was just too much for one evening.
   He sat motionless for what seemed like an eternity. Then suddenly the man turned to face her. As she finally looked into his eyes, Jewel discovered that they were the same clear blue-green color as the lake. Was his the voice of the forest? She gasped. As she stared, the whisper of the trees and waves returned, now sounding almost like human language. She looked at the man’s lips, pink and formed into a crooked smile. No, he wasn’t talking, so where were the voices coming from?
   She clasped her eyes shut again. What on earth was happening? She tried to block out the voice, but also to concentrate on what its saying. “Oh dear God...” she said. She was beginning to panic. She opened her eyes, praying that the man was gone, but he was still there, staring blankly at her, only this time his hand was stretched out, welcoming hers. As her panic grew, she tried to move. She failed. Her breathing quickened as the voices became louder. All she could do was sit there. Tears came to her eyes and she cried out. Only her cries weren’t heard. The more she screamed, the more the voices muffled her desperate pleas for help.
   The man sat motionless with his hand stretched out to her, the crooked smile still on his face. “This must be the end,” she thought to herself. She hadn’t done so much in her life. She had wasted so many opportunities to get close to people. She had failed. With tears streaming down her face, Jewel slipped her right hand into his. She had nothing else to lose. He gave it a firm squeeze, giving her a sudden feeling of peace.
   Jewel became calmer, her breathing slowed, and her sobs became quieter as this peace embraced her body like a wave of love. Now that she was calmer, she could make out what the voices were saying again.
   “Live while you can.”
   “Live while you can? What is that supposed to mean?” As she asked the man this question, she noticed the difference in his eyes. He no longer looked through her as if she was transparent as the lake. Instead, he had a mournful expression in his eyes.
   “Who are you?” she whispered. But just as the words left her lips, Jewel felt a pain as sharp as a splinter in the palm of her right hand. She cried out, but the next thing she knew, she was alone. Jewel looked around frantically for the mysterious man. She didn’t remember him leaving! Had she blacked out? Jewel looked up at the sky. The sun had already set.
   As she looked down at her watch, she noticed a small maple leaf, perfectly formed, lying in her right hand as if it had been put there purposely. There were no maple trees less than twenty yards away from her. It couldn’t have fallen. But the stem looked as if it had been torn off a newly bloomed tree. Thoughtfully, Jewel twirled the leaf in her fingers like she had when she was a little girl. With the leaf in her hand, she decided to start home.
   That night Jewel couldn’t sleep. Who the heck was that guy?” she asked herself. What did the message of the trees mean? Why was she now losing sleep over it? Jewel turned on her side, facing an empty bed. This always made her sad. Why was she always so lonely?
   “Live while you can.” She whispered to herself as she flipped on her back. “Live while you can” Staring up at the eggshell-colored ceiling, Jewel thought about her own life. She wasn’t really living. She had no close friends or family, no one to love, nothing that exciting to look forward to. But the voices, she hadn’t heard them since she was young. Had they appeared again to get her back on the right track? Jewel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What ever it was, it had told her what she needed to know. With that contented thought, Jewel drifted off to sleep.
   The next morning, as Jewel sat reading the morning newspaper, an article caught her attention. “One Killed in Accident at Maple Park.” Next to the article was a picture of the victim. Jewel gasped in horror. It was the same man she had seen. As tears came to her eyes, Jewel made a connection between all of the events of the previous night, a thought that put a shiver down her spine. The man she saw wasn’t living when he appeared to her. He wasn’t dead yet, either. He had become a part of the forest, the place where he died, this explaining his eyes. He had given her a gift: the chance at life that he had just lost. Jewel closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. “Thank you,” she sobbed.
   Getting up from the table, Jewel took her appointment book from her purse, and taped the leaf to the first page. “LIVE” she wrote underneath. From that day on, every time Jewel opened her appointment book and people would ask what the leaf meant, she would kindly smile and say, “It’s a secret”

Ordinary Day
by
Venesa Carlton

Just a day, just an ordinary day
Just trying to get by
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but
He was looking to the sky and
As he asked, if I would come along
I started to realize
That everyday he finds, just what he's lookin' for
Like a shooting star, he shines
And he said

Take my hand
Live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right
In the palm of your hand

And as he spoke, he spoke ordinary words
Although they did not feel, no
For I felt what I had not felt before
And you'd swear those words could heal, and
As I looked up into those eyes
His vision borrows mine
And I know he's no stranger
For I feel I've held him for all of time, and he said

Take my hand
Live while you can,
Don't you see your dreams lie right
In the palm of your hand
In the palm of your hand

Please, come with me
See what I've seen
Touch the stars, for time will not freeze
Time will not freeze, can you see

Just a dream, just an ordinary dream
As I wake in bed
And that boy, that ordinary boy
Was it all in my head
Didn't he ask, if I would come along
It all seemed so real
But as I looked to the door
I saw that boy standing there with a deal, and he said

Take my hand
Live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right
In the palm of your hand, oh
In the palm of your hand, mmm
In the palm of your hand

Just a day, just an ordinary day
Just tryin' to get by
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but
He was lookin' to the sky