♦

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦

Prologue

♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦§♦

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

♦

I was really young when Kyle showed it to me. We were young and curious, and we sought to find different ways to make our lives more exciting, more ways to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the mundane world, a world governed by all the cruel parents who never ceased in enforcing strict regulations. The two of us wanted to be away from it all, and we took every chance we could.

I think it was during recess when Kyle found it, but it hadn't been until the next day when Kyle took me there himself. He led me away from the other kids and to a small, covered trail that led away from the schoolyard, and into a wooded area that seemed to have no end.

"It's dwark," I had told him, but he had insisted we keep going, taking my hand as he led me in.

I don't remember the exact thoughts that had gone through my mind, but I have several hunches. I'm sure my feet against the twigs beneath us caused me panic, perhaps making me believe that we were being followed, but I doubt I wanted to turn back, not while Kyle was still with me….

And then we were there: a small clearing, with the sun shining through the hole in the canopy, and the grass growing unevenly. In the center of the clearing was a small hill, with a patch of flowers at its top.

I had looked around wildly, perhaps expecting to see a cool animal, but I found none. "What are we wooking for?" I asked him, confused.

He led me to the center, pointing carefully at the flowers there. They had been blue in color, quite pleasant looking, yet there so few of them. It my mind it made no sense; why was something so nice looking lacking in number?

"See these?" he said, lightly touching one of the petals. "We're going to be those one day."

"We're going to be flowers?" I asked.

Kyle shook his head, pointing to the uneven grass. "That's the rest of the world. Dead. No flowers." He turned to the flowers once more. "This is us. Alive. With flowers."

And then I had understood, and even as I nodded my head profusely, I found myself staring at the blue flowers. They were so peaceful, yet it seemed so fragile, so weak, yet so beautiful….

We left quickly to make it in time for school. Yet my mind lingered on those blue petals for hours and days, and when I looked at Kyle, I knew he hadn't forgotten, either. One day we would no longer be ordinary people. One day we'd leave the grass where no leaf bloomed….

But until then we were here. And I truly envied the day that flower would bloom once more.