The young boy reached deep into his coat pocket and from it he took a single candle. He stared at it in the darkness and thought how much it reminded him of who he was. The night air was cold and overhead the clear night sky revealed the millions of stars that ever so softly lit everything around him. He thought for a moment, just as he always had and imagined that the stars were like a candle, burning bright, yet waiting to be extinguished in time. “Yes, stars, candles and small boys, they all had an ending,” he thought to himself. He sat quietly in the tree and looked for words that had been lost, as if by mistake, because surely they would not leave on purpose.
As he looked out through the branches of the tree, he could see the light from the Magic Forest, and he could hear the muted tones of singing and laughter. “Maybe that is where my friends are?” he thought once more, “yet more than likely not.” He took the candle and carefully placed it on the branch nearby, and then he lit its single wick so as to bring it to life. Momentarily it struggled to light, but then suddenly it came to life. The flame flickered and danced like a playful child, with the soft yellow glow playing upon the leaves within the tree. He dared not take it from here, because he knew that cold winds which would blow in that place away from the tree may extinguish it forever. Here in the tree it was safe, protected from all that may harm.
As he climbed down the tree, he gave one last look back into its branches and a smile fell upon his face as he watched with glee, the butterfly, ladybug and dragonfly mobiles almost come to life in the flickering of the light. He turned away from the tree and set out in search of his two friends. As he walked, he would stop momentarily to look into the night sky in the hope of seeing a shooting star upon which he may make a wish, and as he did the many colours of the Milky Way gleamed like a giant rainbow dotted with the tiny eyes of children. He smiled then wondered if somewhere his friends would be looking at the same stars as he, and if so, what were they thinking. He climbed the hill and made his way to the cliff top where he sat quietly looking out to sea in search of what it was he had lost.
She climbed the tree quickly, having seen the light from afar. The smile upon her face spoke of anticipation of seeing her friend who she had not seen for a while. She found the candle burning, yet there was no sign of the boy. Climbing the tree, into its highest branches she searched. The Book of Dreams was dusty and there were no recent words written. “Where has he gone?” she thought as she slumped onto her favourite spot in the tree. As she stared at the candle the light flickered ever so gently upon her face, as if it was his smile or the childish laughter she heard so often. She thought about the many times they had talked and all the wonders they had seen, then she wondered how it had been that she had not seen him for so long. Time was no longer her friend, yet he had always said that he would be regardless, and she wondered what sort of friend she had been in return. She bowed her head in deep thought, and then as the tiredness of her hectic life overcame her, she drifted off to sleep and dream.
The ocean sparkled under the stars, and the tiny ripples upon its surface rolled gently onwards, and onto the sand with the momentary sound of a thousand hands clapping at the end of a theatre show, before becoming silent once more until the next ripple came in. As he watched it was like lost children coming home from sea, “but then what of his friends?” he thought. Between each ripple he could ever so slightly make out a familiar sound. “La la la la la,” a playful tune that brought a smile to his face. It became louder with each passing wave that rolled in and as he looked along the beach, he could see her red shoes sparkle and her ruby lips, which surrounded her wide smile. He stood and waved frantically to his friend and in a while she saw him and stopped with her feet buried in the sand. As she stood there, she looked like a rose in full bloom, and on the beach of all places, but then that did not matter, it was her at last. She ran to where he stood and hugged him tightly. Secretly she loved the white haired boy, but then at the same time she dared not say it aloud because they were only children. Maybe if she did then he would return the words that he had longed to utter, but that would wait for another day, when they grew older.
They sat and watched the ocean and as they did, the moon rose from behind them painting everything in soft yellow glow, much like the candle he had left in the tree earlier. The sand dunes that surrounded them lit up like giant finger prints, from a giant’s hand. They talked about many things that they had come to enjoy together, the many thoughts they had shared and the dreams they had, all of which made them smile, and he did love to see her smile. They spoke about their friend whom they had not seen for so long, and their faces reflected a sadness not often seen. She was special to them both in her own different ways and they longed to play together once more. After a while they stood and the white haired boy reached into his coat pocket and from it he took some magic dust, which he cast to the gentle breeze where it sparkled like the stars in the sky. He made a wish and then they made their way through the tall grass, with it brushing against their tiny hands and whispering like a child’s voice, as they walked to the tree. The candle was still burning bright, with the rays of light reaching through the branches. Quietly and solemnly they climbed into the tree, where to their surprise they found their friend asleep, with the quietest of snores coming from her little mouth. Her eyes danced under her eyelids as she dreamed and she had her new pink shark tee shirt on. The candlelight danced joyfully as if celebrating the coming together of the three friends once more.
The two friends looked at one another and nodded, then ever so gently they blew from their lips the gentlest of breezes so the mobiles that dangled now danced in the candle light which flickered even more playfully upon their friends face. They watched in awe as a smile formed and she began to stir, before waking with a stretch and a yawn, and then a puzzled look as she watched her two friends giggling at what had just happened. They ran carefully along the branch and helped her up before giving her a big hug. They were laughing and smiling and just happy to see one another. “So where have you been?” they asked. She pouted as was her usually expression when she was about to disclose something she did not approve of, and then she responded. “They, kidnapped me, and took me away and ……….” Who, what?” asked the girl as she flicked back a piece hair that had fallen from the red bow that tied it. “The growed ups, they took me and they didn’t even let me ask you to come with us.” They smiled, because they thought much worse and were just happy to see her once more. “Maybe next time,” whispered the white haired boy, “or maybe we can go on an adventure all our own next time.” The girls nodded excitedly, because that would be fun.
Together at last, the white haired boy went to the Book of Dreams, and returned with it to write some words in, just as they used to.
As we sit here in the tree,
Bathed in candle light,
We think of times we used to have,
As we dream into the night.
Adventures we are yet to take,
Together as friends three,
As minds will carry far beyond,
The safety of the tree.
The wonders that will one day be,
The dreams that come to play,
They all await for us to take,
Together once again.
So here we sit and here we stay,
Three children friendships bound,
Friendship strong and pure indeed,
The best one ever found.
They knew that their friendship was strong and it had stood many tests. They knew that the girl with the pink bows in her hair had much to do that the grownups did, but they always knew that inside of her was a child and it would always be. The tree was theirs together and they would always wait as one or two for all to come when they could, never judging, but always encouraging so that life was made simpler to enjoy.
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