Dash’s Lullaby
I only woke because the yacht stopped moving, the waves no longer crashed against the sides and the ocean beneath me was still, calm even. Arden was flicking through a notebook, it was covered in dust and his hands were shaking as he closed it.
He stood, with a crooked smile on his face. His freckles creased as he scrunched his nose. Arden’s tattered pants stopped in the middle of his knees. The khaki was darker in place’s were the water had splashed at him. I kissed his lips quickly.
“Good morning Ardy” I whispered.
He stroked his fingers down the side of my face and kissed my nose.
“I found us an island, Poppy.”
I closed my eyes, grinning. I could feel his stare; I could see he would be scrunching his freckled nose. His green eyes sparkling, because he had impressed me, he had made me happy. Once I opened my eyes he picked me up, threw me into his sinewy arms. He carried me outside, into the open, where the harsh wind had died. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I looked out into the island. The white sand glittered in the sun, waves crashed against the rocks. Green water sparkled and colourful fish darted underneath my yacht.
Arden rowed to shore, which wasn’t far away, while I swam, I thought I need the exercise anyway. I hadn’t really swum for a while, not for a long distance that’s for sure. Whilst I beat Arden to the shoreline I remember how when I was a kid all I wanted to do was swim, I’d planned my whole life out. Training, racing nation comps, then the Olympics. I’d intended to be in the Olympics by the time I was seventeen, and I was fourteen now. I evoked the day every dream I had faded away, but I’d rather not think of it, so I kept my pace up, wildly flailing my legs.
I was glad to get to the shore, to finally touch the sand I’d waited for. The tree’s led into what seemed like a jungle, teeming with plants I’d never seen before.
But what amazed me the most was the copper haired boy standing with no shorts on and a dazed look on his face. He tilted his head at me, he reminded me of a dog, a very confused dog.
He lifted his eyebrows, he was probably only about seven but when he smiled he looked older. His lips seemed like he enjoyed biting them.
“I’m Poppy”
“I’m Dash.” His voice was hoarse, rough even. It sounded slightly like my father’s did; only Dash’s voice was a lot more innocent.
“You’re naked Dash.”
He smiled again, the top row of his teeth looked too big, almost like an adult’s.
“I know that.”
“Just telling you, in case you forgot.”
He nodded and waved me forward. I looked out onto the ocean; Arden was almost at the shore. I stepped towards the strange boy, with his face speckled in grains of sand.
When I was close to him, he lifted my shirt so he could see my bellybutton.
“Good.” He giggled. “My mother told me to watch for aliens.”
“Hi.” I heard Arden’s voice from behind me and instantly smiled.
Dash took my hand quickly.
“You love that boy.” Dash’s said, it wasn’t really a question but I answered.
“Yes, I do.”
Dash pulled his hand away from mine and stuck it in front of Arden.
“I am Dash.” He motioned at his hand with his eyes.
“Hi Dash, I’m Arden.” He hesitated but shook the boy’s hand
.
Dash quickly pulled his hand away and asked Arden, politely to take his shirt off. Arden looked confused, but did what he was told. As soon as the boy saw Arden’s bellybutton he smiled.
“You’re not an alien, that’s good.”
There was silence, only for a moment though.
“Dash, I thought I should tell you,” He looked shy. “You’re not wearing any clothes.”
Dash groaned with a smile on his sun touched face.
“I know that.” He snapped.
“Just making sure, Kid.”
Dash looked hurt when Arden called him ‘kid’ and it was almost like Arden noticed. Arden messed up Dash’s hair, not that it was neat to start with, and apologized.
A child giggled in the distance and Dash, whose name suited him very well, ran towards the sound.
“Marlow!”
His back, covered in sand, almost glittered as he darted from the sun’s hot glare into the jungle.
“Marlow, look, I told you the strangers aren’t aliens.”
I almost giggled at the thought. Running through the tangle was the boy I’d waiter for my whole life, an eccentric, someone I could love unconditionally, it was almost as though he was my brother.
I saw the girl as soon as she appeared from the vegetation, with Dash dragging her by her hand. He smiled as I stared at Marlow.
“Whoa!” Arden’s voice rang in my ears.
Her long black hair almost reached her bottom, she was not fully naked and her brown eyes glittered in the sun. Her lips were not thin, they were crimson and plump. Marlow’s nose was covered in freckles. Her checks were almost transparent; she was very pallid compared to Dash.
“Hi.” I whispered.
“Hello.” Arden smiled.
She looked shy, standing here with her legs slightly turned in, her fingers in her mouth and her blue bather bottoms a little too big for her. She wasn’t wearing a shirt, but at least she wasn’t fully nude. Her stomach was plump too but the rest of her was very small, her legs were slender and her fingers were gauntly, like mine. She looked younger than Dash.
After I’d finished inspecting the child I walked closer to her, bending to her level and whispering.
“You’re beautiful Marlow.”
The child giggled, her eyes sparkling copper now.
“I love you too.” She said, quite proud and then she kissed my nose unrepentantly.
I smiled and turned to Dash.
“Dash, you’re stunning too.”
He didn’t thank me; he just looked shy for the first time since I’d met him. His blue eyes were huge in contrast to his small face. I smiled again, I loved this child and it was right at that very moment that I knew it.
“Dash,” Marlow whispered. “Show her your guitar.”
And almost immediately Dash grabbed my hand and Marlow took Arden’s. His little fingers curled around my own, gripping me like I was all he had. He smiled as we ran, though it felt like he was slowing for me. I wanted to stay, to admire the jungle we were trampling through but it was very obvious that Dash desperately wanted to show me his guitar, maybe he could play it.
I don’t know what I expected of his home, maybe his parents were dead and he lived on the floor of this jungle. I certainly didn’t expect what we found; it was like a town hidden in the heart of Dash’s island. His blue eyes stared at me inventively. His copper hair hung over his face. I reached for Arden’s hand, my fingers quite gracefully twisted into his. Dash disappeared into a hut, the biggest in the town; he came out with pants which surprised me entirely. He pulled the khaki pants over his thin legs; he looked different with pants, less natural almost.
“Happy?” He snapped.
“Not quite, Dash,” I picked up his hand and played with his fingers. “You can be whoever you want, pants or no pants.”
I was surprised when he pulled his hand from mine and touched my face. He stayed there for a while, half smiling. Then he pressed his thin lips against my cheek.
“You can be my sister, Poppy”
“Okay Dash.”
I knew she was his mother as soon as she walked into my view. Her hair was the same hue of gold. Her face was covered freckles, just like Dash’s. Even her blue eyes sparkled in the same way. She wasn’t naked and for that I was glad, but she was beautiful and it was almost an embarrassment to me to look at her. I felt out of place, strange even.
“Hello.” Her voice was softer than I’d imagined, it echoed through the huts. Several children poked the heads out of windows, itching to see who was here, who the aliens were.
I blushed under the stare of a young boy, about my age, his long blonde hair drooping on his shoulders. He was wiry, but unlike Arden, this boy wasn’t tall. He had brown eyes like Marlow’s, his eyelids were a soft purple from the colour of his veins. He had three freckles on the left of his nose. His lips were a light cherry with even a tinge of blue. Around his wrist was a bracelet which could have said Noé but I wasn’t sure.
I looked at Dash’s mother, with her long hair flowing down her back thought the salt water made it stick to her shoulders. Dash smiled at Arden and I.
“Mum, this is Poppy,” He pointed to me then to Arden. “And this is the boy she loves, Arden.”
I blushed even more but Arden kissed my forehead quickly.
“Poppy, Arden, I’m Millie” Millie smiled, her teeth were crooked but still very beautiful. A coffee coloured freckle, lighter than the rest, was stuck in the middle of the tip of her nose.
I smiled at the freckle.
Millie tilted her head like her son had when I met him on the beach. Her blue eyes looked like she had stolen them from the sky.
“You’re both more beautiful that anyone that has ever visited us here.” She looked shy for a moment and I sat with my mouth wide open. “You think I’m beautiful?” My lips quivering, but I didn’t give her a chance to speak. “Arden is gorgeous, but me? I’m nothing special standing beside you. I’ve never been anything special to anyone besides my brother.”
“I think you’re special.” Arden whispered, his voice soft.
“Me too.” Marlow took my gauntly hand in her own.
“And I” Dash murmured.
“See Poppy, you are very special.”
I felt silly, the tears welled up in my eyes. It was so long since someone actually told me I was special. A lump formed in my throat, I bent to touch Dash’s face, then I kissed the gap between his eyebrows. The bridge of his nose littered in freckles. I turned to Marlow, I stroked her hair then kissed her rosy cheek. Arden pulled me into the cave in his chest, whispering in my ear. He kissed the tip of my nose. I smiled, because his breath smelt like strawberries. I wanted to kiss him, I wanted to touch his thin lips and claw at his blonde streaked hair but I saw Dash’s mum grin, the dimples of her cheeks showing. I walking slowly to her.
“Can we stay for a while?” I whispered.
She nodded, her forehead glittered with sand.
“As long as you like my Poppy”
And she bent to kiss my cheek. It was right now I realised that so much remained, not lost, but overlooked. Like the existence of someone truly special besides my brother and Arden. I stared at Dash and Marlow, their hands slightly touching with two big grins hanging off of their faces. I wondered how I’d disregarded the subsistence of children like this.
“Dash,” I shook his shoulder, maybe a little to hard because he looked at me with his eyes wide open, worried even. “Guitar.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned.
“I have a song in my head, and I want to show you” He bit his soft lips.
No one said a thing as he hummed.
“Mum!” He shouted. “Do you reckon you could get my guitar?”
“Sure D”
I smiled at her nickname for him. When she came he pulled the strap around his shoulders.
“This is Lullaby,” His fingers adjusting to the neck of the guitar. “But it would be cool if you persuaded me to name it Dash’s Lullaby.”
“Was that a hint?” Arden smiled.
“Yes, Silly.”
His lullaby had no words, though it was exactly as a lullaby should be, soothing. I found myself falling asleep in Arden’s arms.
Marlow curled herself up next to me and pulled my arm over her shoulder. She reached her hands up to grab my face and her lips touched my warm cheek.
Notes fluttered through the trees. Marlow pressed against me and Arden’s lips pushed firmly against my forehead.
When I closed my eyes I wondered if Dash would mind if I slept during his song, but next to me Marlow was dreaming.
From then on I knew that Dash was the most beautiful child on this earth and nothing could persuade me to think otherwise.
Sometime during my sleep, Arden wriggled himself from my grip to row out to our yacht, he moved to anchor from the sea bed to the beach, I think he was planning to stay for a while and to be perfectly honest, I wanted to as well.
