Young Writers Society

Chapter 1

Blue Melodies and Old Lighthouses

“Would you stop moping and at least try to be positive?” My dad said looking at me through the rear view mirror.

How can I be positive when I’m being punished?

I sighed. “Couldn’t I have worked at the restaurant instead?”

“You should be honored that you’ll be helping out Mr. Tanaka for these next few months, that lighthouse is a mess.” My mom said craning around and giving me her sourpuss look. “And don’t even think of coping an attitude with us young lady, it’s your fault that you failed science last semester.”

“Well, he’s not that good of a teacher if he accepts community service papers as grades,” I said not looking at my mom, rather staring out the window and watching the whirring cars and street lights pass by.

“I swear, Sora,” My mom said shaking her head. “Sometimes I just don’t understand you. You either have your head in that notebook of yours or up in the clouds, yet you pay attention enough to complain about all the bad stuff.”

I rolled my eyes and continued to stare out the window, eyeing the old lighthouse on the edge of the bluffs that grew nearer and nearer. Even from several miles away, the wear and tear of the oceans unforgiving weather, shown greater in the shabbiness of the lighthouse than any other of the older buildings in town. The lighthouse itself was connected to a small cottage, which was in just as poor a shape. I didn’t understand how anyone could live there, but then again, Mr. Tanaka wasn’t exactly like the rest of us.

“I don’t think I’ll be safe there,” I said, now trying to find any excuse to get out of my death sentence.

My dad chuckled softly. “Those rumors about Mr. Tanaka being crazy aren’t true.” He flipped on the blinker and turned right on a street I had never been down. “He’s just a lonely old man who stays cooped up in his house.”

“He’s not completely alone,” I said, watching the trees in an early spring green fly past the window. “He lives with his niece.” I turned around and watched cherry blossom petals being swooped off the road by the small current of air following our car. “I’ve seen her at the outdoor market a few times.”

“You’ll probably be working with her,” My mom said rolling down her window and resting her arm on door. “I doubt you’ll even see Mr. Tanaka.”

They say trust a women’s intuition. What ever you do, DO NOT, take my mother’s word for it. It’s like that whole part of being a female overlooked her when her x chromosomes were forming inside my grandma.

“I kind of feel bad for Mr. Tanaka’s niece,” I said, watching my dad roll down all the windows with the master control button. A small drift carried in leaves and petals through one window and out another. “She must get lonely.”

Not to mention annoyed. From the rumors I’ve heard in the halls at school, not only was Mr. Tanaka mean, but he was crazy too. He thought that he’d found a secret portal that lead into a dream world. The older kids at school said that their parents had told them this because they witnessed it.

The incident happened about fifteen years ago, a year before I was born and my parents hadn’t moved here yet. Our town is famous for holding an annual Spring Festival, celebrating new life and new beginnings. It was during the sakura (cherry blossom) parade that Mr. Tanaka came yelling down the street, crashing through the brass section and caused the whole parade to come to a halt. He was yelling at the top of his lungs, for the whole town to hear, that he had seen another world and was so close to reaching it. I remember a group of juniors telling me, “And ever since then, he’s been in that lighthouse, trying to find the portal again.” Talk about not having a life.

There were also other rumors floating around as well. I’ve heard some people say that he used to live in an asylum and escaped, so he hid away in the lighthouse. Some were so outrageous and far-fetched, that it was easier to believe that Mr. Tanaka had indeed found a portal to another world.

My mother scratched her head. “What was her name? June?”

“No,” My dad said. “I think it was Peppy or something like that.”

I was about to put my two cents worth in when suddenly my back pocket started vibrating. Thankfully, because the wind was hitting the jagged edges of our open windows, my parents didn’t hear it. As stealthily as I could, I pulled out my cell phone and saw that my friend Ami was calling, probably about the whole concert situation. I looked up and saw my mom flip down her sun blocker that had a mirror to the side. I quickly put my phone away, in fear that they might try to take that away too.

My dad slowed down the car and came to a stop in front of a rugged dirt road. My mom stuck her head out the window, trying to get a better look at the address on the moss-covered mailbox, making sure it was correct.

“Is this the right place?” My dad asked.

“Maybe,” my mom said. As they debated on weather or not my dad had taken a wrong turn, a gentle breeze passed through the car, with sakura petals riding its currents. I tried catching one, but it tossed itself out of my grasp, then strangely swayed back to me and danced around my hand as I attempted to capture it. Just before it escaped through the window, I pinched it by the tail in-between my fingers. As soon as I had caught it, it fled from me when a powerful gust broke it free from my hold. It made me think of a song my friends and I were writing, Free As the Wind.

“I say we go check it out, just in case,” my dad said turning the steering wheel hard to the right. Before I could get back in my seat I was being thrown up and down on the bumpy dirt road.

“This road hasn’t been used for ages,” My mom said, clinging to the handle above the door. I fumbled with the seat belt because it kept jumping out of my hand every time we went over a huge bump. The wind wasn’t helping much either, for it continually blew my hair in my face while I was trying to put my seat belt on.

I’d rather walk than have to put up with this again.

Once I had finally got my seat belt on we were already at the top of the hill, in the dirt lot only a few yards from the lighthouse. I groaned, for many reasons, but the two main one’s were: one, I had just wasted my time and two, we were here.

The house was more depressing up close than it was far away. It was also a lot bigger than I thought. From my room I could overlook most of the town and in the distance, see the lighthouse that appeared to me to be small. Just the structure of the house made me think of the big manors in scary movies.

Almost everywhere you looked the plaster was peeling and shingles were practically jumping off the roof. The wood looked liked it had undergone some serious termite problems; even the plants were wilting and dying. A broken swing hanging from one chain sat lopsided on the porch.

“I’m not gonna lie,” I said, watching my parents ogle at it. “That thing’s a piece of crap.” It took a while for what I had just said to register in my mom’s head.

“What a horrible thing to say,” she said unlocking her door and slowly opening it. “It’s not that bad.”

My dad did the same. “I have to agree with Sora,” he said stepping out of the car. He slammed the door shut and looked at me through his window. “Common, get out of car.”

I shook my head. “No way josé.”

“Stop acting like you’re twelve and get out of the car!” My mom snapped. My dad and I exchanged frightened looks. He nodded at me, signaling I better do what I was told. I sighed, unlocked my door and climbed out.

“Honestly,” my mom said walking towards the house. “You’re both acting like children.” I waited for my dad before I even thought about taking a step forward.

“I don’t think an F is worth this,” my dad said walking up beside me.

I didn’t reply, my stomach was too tight for me to say anything. I could hardly breathe. As we neared the house, I began imaging what could possibly lie waiting beyond those doors. The sky had somehow gone from a deep blue to a pale gray. I saw that the only things that thrived here were seagulls, which had thousands of nests built up in the cracks of the upper stories.

I watched my mom take diligent steps as she walked up the stairs. I followed where she had stepped, because I was afraid one of the boards would break from beneath me and I’d land in a snake’s nest underneath the porch. I turned around and saw my dad still standing on the walkway.

“Aren’t you coming?” I asked.

My dad shook his head. “I might break the stairs.” What a pathetic excuse. Even I could come up with something better than that.

“Hmm,” my mom said studying the doorframe. “I can’t find a door bell.” I brushed past her and grabbed the doorknocker in the center of the door. The door rattled every time the golden knocker came in contact with the fragile wood. We sat there for a few moments in silence.

Without warning, the door burst open with a small woman panting, her dark red hair in complete disarray. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” She said trying to stuff loose ends of hair into her bandana. “I was all the way in the west wing. Please come in.” She opened the door as wide as it would go and motioned us to come inside. My mother did so without question, but I sat there, staring at the interior. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I didn’t have a long time to find it because my dad came up behind me and nudged me inside.

“My name is Kim,” She said closing the door. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please,” my mom said, putting on her polite smile.

Kim bowed. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.” I watched her disappear down a hall before I even moved.

“This is nice,” my mom said walking around a rocking chair. I stuck my nose in the air and inhaled the scent of freshly baked cookies. The inside wasn’t half as bad as the outside was. I was expecting the couches and chairs to be covered with plastic and the woodwork to be coated in dust when actually it was quite the opposite. Everything was clean and polished; it all looked and felt brand new. I nearly slipped on a Persian rug as I walked over to my parents. The only thing that was a little dull was the wooden floor.

My feet practically sank into the carpet even with my shoes on. The couches were made of leather and were evenly placed around an elaborate fireplace, with a small fire giving off what seemed to be the only warmth in the house. Not until I stepped in the vicinity of its warmth did I realize the house was a little drafty. A large bear pelt sat in the middle of the floor. I looked over and saw another small room beside an entryway to another hall. On the wall next to the spiraling stairs was a bookcase jam-packed with not only books but also magazines and unusual trinkets.

“It is pretty nice in here,” my dad said reclining in the plushy chair. “It’s a little drafty, if only there was a little light in here.” The drapes were tightly drawn and absolutely no light filtered in. The only light source was the fire kindling away. I kept eyeing the staircase and the upper balcony. There I saw another staircase leading to what seemed to be a third floor. For some reason that’s all I could seem to think about, going and seeing what exactly was up there. And it was weird because I never really thought of myself as the curious type.

A few minutes later, while I was imagining about all the secrets Mr. Tanaka kept sealed away in the upper stories, Kim came scurrying back as fast as she could with a tray in her hands.

“It’s going to be nice having a helper,” Kim said, pouring hot tea into all of our cups. “My uncle can be a little demanding sometimes.” I took a small slip and nearly spit it back up. This tea is horrible! It tastes like leafy juice! That’s the first thing that’s got to go. I continued to cough because the taste was so, strong, for lack of a better term. When I was asked what was wrong, I said it went down the wrong way. I watched my parent’s reactions and they seemed to think the same thing I did. My dad pretended it was too hot but my mom, being the more civilized one of the three of us, put on her best poker face and said it was delicious.

“So, what was your name again?” Kim asked.

At first I didn’t know she was talking to me so there was a long, awkward pause before I answered. “Oh, My name is Sora, Akado Sora.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Kim said with a weak smile. Her face was small as was the rest of her. She was only about an inch taller than me; I’m guessing she’s only in her early twenties. “And you’ll be working with us for community service reasons?”

I nodded. Please don’t ask why.

“How come?”

“Because,” I began, trying to think of what words to say in what order, so it wouldn’t come out in a mess and make me sound stupid. “I kinda failed science last semester.” Wow, that was easier than I thought. By the look on her face, I could tell she was thinking of a way to reply.

“Oh,” Kim said. “Well, after I get you going on your chores that you’ll be doing daily,” What a way to change the subject. I slouched over in my seat, feeling the embarrassment practically choking me. “I may ask you to do something for me every once in awhile. Other than that just go through your schedule till you’re done and then come find me.” Kim turned to my parents. “I plan to keep her busy while she’s here.” If I could I would have groaned.

They continued to talk but I wasn’t really listening. I was aware that I was zoning out, and that’s what my mom fails to understand. I can listen if I want I just choose not to. Just as I thought I was about to fall asleep my back pocket buzzed, only it was audible for everyone to hear. They all looked at me but before they even completely turned their heads towards me I began clearing my throat.

“Sorry,” I said, thinking of something to say. “Had to clear my throat?” Why?! Why did that have to come out in a question form?!

My dad chuckled and my mom scowled. “Thank you,” she said getting up. “We’ll come and pick her up around six.”

“Six!” I blurted without thinking. “That’s three and a half hours!” I just keep making it worse, don’t I? One of these days I’m going to blurt out the wrong thing in front of the wrong people, like now. My mom gave me a harsh stare (she always hated it when I was impolite). I covered my mouth but I had already said it. I remember my dad always telling me to think before I speak, which I never do. He always said it was going to be the cause of an early deathbed, because I could never keep my mouth shut. Well, I hope everyone is aware of my freakish tendencies and awkward notions.

“Ok, well, we’ll see you,” Kim said standing up and motioning them towards the door. She was probably doing the right thing by getting them out of there before I let anything else slip. Or maybe, she was going to torture me by making me wear goofy maids outfits and wear a bandana like she does.

“See ya,” my dad said before he shut the door behind him. Kim locked the door, and I didn’t think anything of it until she started latching locks all up and down it’s edges. Am I the only one that thinks that’s peculiar?

Kim saw me staring at her when she let out a small laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m not kidnapping you. But in case you’re wondering, there’s an escape door in the kitchen leading to the side gate.” She let out a deep sigh. “Ok, follow me into the kitchen, I made some cookies earlier this afternoon, so we can discuss what you’ll be doing over a snack.” I followed her as she began walking towards a little entryway.

“We’re not having more—” I stopped myself. The rest of my sentence would have involved the words: tea, of, your; just not in that order. Kim turned to me as she kept walking.

“More what?” I felt like hitting myself in the face and saying to myself, ‘Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!’ It finally clicked in her head before I could try to cover another one of my mistakes. “Oh, you mean the tea!” Kim pushed aside two of the saloon doors you see in western movies leading into the bar, only in this case they lead a bright yellow kitchen. “That tea was bad I know, but it’s the way my uncle likes it, and I had to send some up to him.” She pointed to what looked like a laundry chute until I saw the strings sitting in the shadows beginning to move. In a few seconds a little wooden slate holding an empty tray with a teapot and glass. When it was came to rest on the bottom shelf a little bell rang. “Whenever you need to give something to my uncle you give it to him through the dumbwaiter.”

“That’s cool, I guess,” I said. “But why don’t you just walk up there a give it to him?” To me it was sad that Mr. Tanaka was so crazy he didn’t even want to see his niece.

“That’s rule number one,” Kim said walking around the island and opening the fridge. “No one’s ever allowed up to the third floor, ever.” She pulled out two cups from a cabinet and poured milk into them. “I know it must seem strange, but my uncles a busy man, and he doesn’t have time to bother with people or to even come down here and make himself food.”

She handed me a cup and sat down on one of the stools, I saw the platter of cookies on the counter. “So, he doesn’t even come down here?” I asked.

Kim nodded. “That’s why I moved here, to take care of the house while he kept himself locked up in the lighthouse.”

“He lives in the lighthouse?” I set my cup down, licking off my white mustache.

“I’ve said too much,” Kim said shaking her head. “The only thing you need to know is when the bell rings, that means the pulley is moving down and he probably wants something, he usually writes it down on a slip of paper.”

“Is that part of my daily duties?” I asked.

“No,” Kim said. “You don’t have daily duties. I’ll just tell you what I need help with or what you can do for me.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”

Kim smiled. “But you have to promise this will stay between us.”

“Fine by me,” I said. This was going to be way easier than working at the restaurant.

I spoke too soon.

My first job was to pull out all the dead plants in the garden and plant new ones. Kim told me to wear clothes that I could get dirty from now on, which didn’t put me in any better of a mood. It only meant that I would be doing stuff like this all the time. At the moment I was in my favorite pair of jeans and a white shirt with a red cross stretching to all the sides. It was already four o’ clock and I barley gotten started. The sun had rolled out from behind the clouds and beat down on me. I looked up, and almost felt depressed at the sight of the pale sky. This whole place just had a weird feel to it. Beads of sweat were already building up on my brow.

Oh, great. I didn’t bring deodorant either.

Just as I was about to pull out another dead plant, my back pocket buzzed again. This time, since no one was around, I answered it, and with no surprise it was Ami on the other line.

“Hello?” I put my phone on my shoulder and pressed it up to my ear while I got on my knees and continued to pull out the dead plants.

“Where are you?!” Ami shouted. “We’ve been waiting for you before we started practice but you haven’t shown up?” I tried to say something but she continued to ramble. “The festival concert is in three weeks! We don’t have time for this, Sora!” Sometimes Ami reminded me of a sister that I never had, mainly because she’s a yeller.

“Chill Ami,” I said tugging on the bare branch. “I told you guys already that I have some community service stuff to do.” Immediately I stopped and pulled the phone away from my ear before Ami replied.

“WHAT!” she screamed. “When are going to be done?”

“Not until six,” I said, putting the phone back to my ear. The dead twig came free.

“Ouch,” Ami said, “That’s gotta suck.”

“No kidding,” I wiped the sweat rolling down my face with my sleeve. “But I gotta get back to work, go ahead and start without me. We’ll figure something out later.”

Ami sighed into her speaker. “Fine. Talk to you later.” She hung up. I stuck my phone back in my pocket and out of paranoia, glanced up at the windows to make sure Kim wasn’t watching me. She never really covered disciplinary junk so I assumed she was either going to wait till I tripped up or she was cool with it.

The sun didn’t seem to have moved an inch. I looked at my clock on my phone and saw it had only been five minutes since I started. Go figure.

“This is so,” I grabbed hold of a tall, bare stick and yanked on it was hard as I could. “Stupid!” I could feel it slipping from my grip when suddenly it’s dead roots gave and I was sent tumbling backwards, doing back summersaults down the small hill. One moment I saw the sky, and another I saw the gravel and dead grass. Everything was twirling in different directions and my feet wouldn’t stop flying over my head. It honestly felt like someone was pushing me backwards. When I thought I was going to roll backwards again, a skinny tree stopped me from going any further.

Even after I had rolled down the hill I never did let go of the dead plant. I held the stick tightly in my hand. “Grr, you stupid piece of wood!” I snapped it in half. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” I threw the two pieces on the ground and crossed my arms.

“Hey now,” without warning, what I thought was a tree suddenly moved and I fell flat on my back. My eyes widened as I found myself staring up at a boy with a smirk on his face. “Don’t blame the stick for what you did.”

In ten seconds flat my cheeks were up to flaring point and my ears felt like they were going to spontaneously combust. When he lent me his hand but I refused it and got up myself.

“Who are you?” I asked, trying to act like I wasn’t embarrassed rather I was still angry. He had blonde hair and a face that I felt like I had seen before. He didn’t have any defined features, so I didn’t know what it was about him that stuck out to me. I knew he didn’t go to my school because I had never seen him before, and of only three hundred kids, he’d be hard to miss.

“My name is Chei,” He said looking at me closely with those beautiful green eyes of his, which only made me more subconscious. “You have a little smudge on your cheek.” Chei pointed to my right cheek. I glared at him, hoping that if I forced myself to be angry with him I’d totally over look the fact that he was mildly attractive.

“Oh yeah,” I said crossing my arms. “Well maybe I wanted it there.” Don’t ask why I said that because even I myself don’t know. But I do have some advise: If all else fails, be stubborn.

Chei raised an eyebrow. “Have it your way.” He turned and started walking towards the house. I pulled down the sleeve of my hoodie and tried to wipe it off. Who does this guy think he is?

“Stupid stick,” I said walking back over towards the “garden”. I stooped down and began tugging on another weed. My mind was so preoccupied with Chei and where I might have seen him that I didn’t really think about what I was doing (like I ever do). I was in that state where your mind and body are in two different places; the body is just doing whatever it wants while your mind is completely captivated by something else.

“What are you doing?” I looked up and saw Chei leaning on the wooden railings of the porch, only a few feet away from me.

“Why are you watching me?!” I asked. “Don’t you have better things to do? Why are you even here?” I could feel my face become warm again.

“I came here to help,” Chei said, as though that cleared up everything. I gave him a long hard stare, but not because I was mad. One thing that stuck out about him was that he had a constant smile on his face. But there are a lot of people that do that, even I do most of the time. So why did he seem so different?

Chei climbed over the railing and jumped down right beside me. “I think whoever gave you those gardening tools gave them to you for a reason.” He grabbed a shovel and began digging out a small withered bush. “See, they make life a lot easier.” Even though it may seem like he was trying to be a smart – aleck, his voice was gentle and modest.

I swiped it out of his hand. “You must be the hired help Kim was talking about.” I didn’t even hear him drive up. Looking over his shoulder I searched around for a truck or equipment but there was none. Chei cocked his head and looked at me with question. I sighed. “Does, redo the plaster, ring a bell?”

“Why are you so mean to me?” Chei asked. “Have I done something to make you angry?” My ears felt like they were having hot flashes and even in the warmer weather steam must have been visible rising off of my head and neck.

I didn’t realize I was staring at him until he waved his hand in front of my face. “Are you ok?” Not entirely.

“Uh,” I was trying to compensate for my lack in suaveness. “I’ll go tell Kim you’re here.” I quickly got to my feet and headed for the door. Sheesh, that was a close one.

“It was nice seeing you,” Chei said before I opened the door. I turned my head, he smiled at me but I didn’t know how to react.

Does he know who I am? Have we met before? We must have because even after the way I had treated him he still acted nice towards me. I gave him a weak smile in return before stepping inside the house.

“Kim!” I called. “The hired help is here—”

“Shhh!” Kim came veering around the corner. “No yelling. My uncle hates to be disturbed.”

I laced my hands over my mouth. “Sorry,” I whispered. “The guy to redo the outside plaster is here.”

“Already?” Kim paced over towards the door that was cracked open. She turned. “What happened to you?” I knew right away she was talking about my muddy clothes.

“Long story,” I said. It really wasn’t but I didn’t feel like telling her a stick out-witted me.

Kim shrugged and reached for the knob. When her hand was an inch from it, a gust of wind blew the door open, carrying in flower petals and leaves. As the wind continued to pour in from the outside, Kim’s baggy clothes became giant sails that pulled her back into the stair well. Like a gentle stream of water, I could feel the currents wrap around me like someone’s arms, whipping my hair up into the air, hugging my skin. A small petal lightly kissed my cheek. At first it was frightening but fear was quickly erased from the picture.

Turning my ear to the wind I could hear the distinct sound of a flute, so delicate that if a word were spoken it would shatter the fragile melody. It sounded so familiar, like from a distant dream, that words began forming around the notes and created a song. I was afraid to breathe, fearing it would break me of this trance. It almost felt like I couldn’t, because all I wanted to do was draw in the passions and lock them away in my heart. It was too much like a perfect dream to let go. Slowly, I lifted my hand up to touch the breeze, hoping that it would want to do the same. I felt like I was being cherished by a great love, the kind that makes you shed a tear, too much of it to understand. If my heart swelled anymore it would burst.

I don’t know if my mind created these vivid feelings on its own, or if they were coming from other source, but my heart was soaring higher than the clouds.

Suddenly the wind came to a halt and it felt like my wings had nothing to be carried by, so I was quickly dropped back into reality. My one encounter with a greater force was torn from my grasp. I clenched my fists, making sure there wasn’t anything left to hold on to. When I opened my eyes I stared outside, wondering if what had just happened was real. I opened my fist and to my surprise, there was a small pink petal cradled in my palm.

“Whoa,” Kim said shaking her head. “That was weird.”

Ok, reality check. If Kim and I had seen and felt the exact same thing, that can only means one thing. I’m not hallucinating!

“Aw man.” I turned around and saw what Kim meant. Cross my heart, there were literally layers of flower petals and leaves everywhere all over the living room. Some had found a way to wedge themselves underneath the rug on which I stood on, and others were still lightly falling to the ground. On the furniture sat mounds and piles.

Kim gaped and held her head at the sight. “This is going to take forever to clean up!” I noticed the wind had blown out the fire in the fireplace.

Chei. Immediately I spun around and dashed out the door, leaving leafs shifting in my wake.

“Hey?” Kim called behind me. “Where are you going?”

If it’s possible to utterly stop, dead in your tracks without backpedaling, I think I had managed to do it. My eyes widened at the sight that sat before me. I questioned my sanity and pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Kim walked up behind me and from her silence she was thinking the exact same thing.

“Oh my,” Kim put her hand over her mouth. “Where did this all come from?”

The dirt lot that was so forsaken it made a desert look welcoming was gone. In its stead was a field of flowers in full bloom. Time sat still, allowing us to take in the full-blown reality that hadn’t quite settled into our minds. There wasn’t a single spot you could look without seeing a beautiful display of bouquets sprouting from the ground, except the cobblestone pathway. I didn’t know which one was more numerous: the colors or the flowers. There were so many I couldn’t even name all of them, even colors I had never seen before. At least not in nature.

Now don’t start thinking that this being a little strange hadn’t crossed my mind, but why ruin a moment by pointing out the obvious?

Blossoms of all colors and Lavender were scattered through pale-white Daisies and Blue Bonnets. Do-hickie flowers and what-cha-ma-call-it blossoms with shades and hues that looked like they were from a fantasy movie lit up the darkest places. They all looked like they were exotic orchids that only blessed the most secret of places with their presence.

A deep purple flower with big petals that wilted was sparsely visible amongst the rainbow around them. The type that really caught my eye against the reds, pinks, and purples was a reddish orange orchid. It looked like a lantern hanging towards the sky. Though the flowers surrounding us were so extravagant they were unnamable, the simple petal in my hand I clearly recognized as a sakura petal. The cherry trees were starting to bloom.

Stiffly, I began walking down the steps, my eyes frantically searching the meadow for Chei. When I stepped into the field, the flowers coming up to my knees. As I began walking forward, the wind seemed to divide the flowers out of the path of my feet. I held the petal tightly in my hand; it seemed to be my only tie to reality as I descended into the land of dreams.

Maybe Mr. Tanaka wasn’t so crazy after all…what am I thinking! Of course he’s crazy! He thought he found another world. But does that mean I’m crazy too? Am I just imagining people and events, and none of this is really happening? Or is it this place that casts spells on people, clouding their judgment and amusing their imagination.

All the questions swirling around in my head were making me dizzy. And on a side note, I am aware of how many questions I ask myself.

I stroked the silky petal in my hand. Just like physical pain, its smoothness was enough to know I was still all and well in my head.

“They’re beautiful,” Kim said almost as though if she spoke, they would all disappear. I turned around to see a tear fall from her eye. How cliché could you get? “This is absolutely amazing.”

Looking past her, I saw that rose bushes were growing all around the walls of the house. Reds, deep purples, and pinks decorated the stale white like an empty canvass and completely transformed it into a welcoming manor. Moss with unusual orange and yellow flowers reaching all the way to the top of the lighthouse seemed to cover the shame of its age.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Cheeeiii!” My voice rolled over the hills and tree canopies with no reply. I swallowed hard as a breeze brushed up against me.

Where did he go?

I began walking further into the field, scanning the flowers as though at any given moment he would pop out and the day would conclude with a happy ending. Unfortunately, in reality’s world not a lot of things make sense even when they’re right in front of us (or conclude with happy endings). Usually I liked leaving things a mystery, but not at the cost of someone’s life.

“This can’t be real,” I turned around and saw Kim standing on the last step, too afraid to descend into the flowers. “I must be – hallucinating, dreaming, something.”

Well somebody always has to be negative and burst someone else’s bubble. In this case mine.

I kneeled down and felt around for a small pebble in the soil. While Kim’s gaze was down towards the ground I chucked one at her as hard as I could. I snicker softly when it nailed her square in the nose. She stood there for a few moments, her mouth wide open, and her mind slowly waking up and saying to her, “Yes, you were hit in the head by a rock.”

I cracked a smile that I hope didn’t look too impish. “Are you awake now?”

Kim blinked. “That wasn’t so much painful as it was surprising.” At that moment, the sun retreated behind the corner of the porch, casting a short, diagonal shadow through the field. The sky hadn’t really started its process of changing colors, although I noticed it was a lot bluer than it was before. I took a step back so I was in the shade, when I nearly stepped on a pure white flower whose petals were unfurling right before of my eyes.

“That’s a moon flower,” Kim said, her voice much calmer as she stepped into the flowers. “They like shade.” She made sure to take delicate steps so as not to step on any that were opening all around us. As the flower in front of me continued to open, the petals unveiled something nestled in the center. It was a folded piece of paper. I bent down onto my knees and took it out just as Kim arrived at my side.

“Sora,” I said, reading my name on the outside fold.

That’s not freaky at all. I’m sure everyone at least once in their lifetime finds a letter addressed to them in a flower that appeared out of nowhere.

I looked up at Kim who appeared to be just as baffled as I did. She kneeled beside me. “Open it.”

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with it. I can’t exactly say what was happening was normal. A part of me was saying, “Open it!” and the other was saying, “Do you really want to do that?” The note wasn’t closed or sealed; it was simply folded in the middle. Again I looked over at Kim. She looked like any moment she would rip it out of my hands and open it herself.

Careful not to let go of my little pink petal, I flipped up the top fold. It read:

“You who dwell in the gardens

with friends in attendance,

let me hear your voice.”

A feather was sealed to the paper beneath the writing.

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Kim asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.” She’s the grown up, why did she ask me? I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. My mind can’t take much more of this. I was becoming weary of all these strange happenings following one after another after another. Sure they were cool and all but seriously, I need a break. Not to mention we have a MIA on our plates too.

“Well?” Kim said. If she was expecting a complete Sora commentary on this one, I sadly let her down by standing up in silence and walking back towards the house.

Miraculously I was able to tune out all the paranormal events that had occurred and went through my day like I normally would. Maybe I was in denial, but it sure was nice to get a break for being bombarded with surprises. Though the one thing that I just absolutely could not shake and would not leave me alone was Chei. I think that was the only way I could overlook all the bizarre incidences, by thinking of him. For some reason, whenever I thought about him, it felt like a deep sigh of relief. Like the pressure in my chest could finally be let out. There was just something about him that irritated my memory like a sore. The question of where did I know him from never ceased to torment me. Several times, when he was about the only thing preoccupying my mind while I was carrying a bag of leaves outside, Kim had to literally save me by pulling me onto the porch when I was absent-mindedly about to walk off it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the living room and used up an entire box of trash bags from all of the leaves. The guy that was to initially come and redo the plaster called and said he couldn’t make it today so he’d swing by tomorrow. I could hear his voice on the other line. It wasn’t Chei’s. I tightened my grip on the cup in my hand and starred at the floor.

So if he wasn’t the repair guy, who was he? And what was he doing here? Why did I feel like I knew him from somewhere? Why did he disappear? I groaned and clung my head.

I glanced over at Kim who said an occasional, “Yeah,” and, “Uh-huh,” while I was debating with myself weather I should say something or not. For all we knew he could have been some whack-job that happened to look like someone I’ve met before. Even though that theory made some sense I wished it not to be true.

While I was in the kitchen, sweeping up the leaves that had found their way in, the telephone started to ring again. Kim came dashing and nearly slipped on the leaves I hadn’t swept up yet. She caught her balance on the counter.

“Who is it?” I asked as Kim was leaning over the caller ID.

“Don’t know,” she said. “Usually the only people that call are solicitors.” She picked up the phone. “Hello?” There was a pause. “Oh, hi Mr. Akado!”

Immediately I started to panic. I must be in trouble because he didn’t call my cell phone. That’s when I realized they didn’t know I had it on me. I let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Ok, I’ll tell her…ok, bye!” Kim hung up the phone. “They just wanted to tell you to meet them down by the mailbox in thirty minutes, so they don’t have to drive up the dirt road.”

I nodded. Before Kim left the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder and our eyes met.

“Are you ok?” she asked. “You’ve been real quiet every since we found that note.”

Ok, this is it Sora, now’s the time to tell her about Chei.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. We sat in an awkward silence until I finally found enough of my voice to say, “Oh it’s nothing. I’m just tired.”

As the sky began turning shades of pink and purple, the clock ticked away and the time for me to leave had finally come. Even though I wanted to say something about Chei I couldn’t find the words. We had finished picking up the leaves for the most part. Kim said she was going to tidy up the loose ends.

“I hope your parents don’t get upset because your clothes got a little dirty,” Kim said pointing at my brown-blotched jeans.

I guess it doesn’t matter if I get upset about it, even though I was the one who paid for them.

I waved goodbye to Kim at the bottom of the porch steps and watched her close the door. Even as I walked I could hear her locking all the bolts. I inhaled the evening air that always seemed more magical to me than any other time of day.

It was only until I was by myself did I remember about the note that was tucked away in my pocket. I still didn’t have a clue what it meant, or why there had been a feather stuck inside it. I stopped midway out of the field and pulled out the piece of parchment. Rereading the words over and over, the only part that made any sense whatsoever was the fact that I was in a garden.

“Why would you want to hear my voice?” I said, honestly to whoever was listening. Sure I’m the lead singer in my band but I don’t even think I’m that good. Ami and Jade say I’m great, but they’re the only ones that said so. Then again, they are the only ones who have heard me sing.

The wind brushed against my skin and ruffled my hair.

It was times like this where I just let my worries go and indulged in the world around me; the world that you can only see when you no longer think of yourself as a person standing in a field, but as a person standing in a work of art. I’m not sure if you ever go into one of these states but I sure do, a lot. For me it’s like an escape route out of my troubles.

I felt like I was in a dream, standing in an Eden, with nothing to do but admire the beauty around me. The sun had finally set behind the horizon and the moon revealed its splendor as it rose from behind the tree line. A few stars were visible and the breeze from the ocean was so gentle it felt like silk brushing against my skin. If only life could be like this all the time, so serene.

I guess my mom was right. I do have my head up in the clouds. A girl can dream can’t she?

A rustle in the flowers broke the stillness. I turned my head to where the sound was coming from but saw no movement.

“Chei?” I asked. “Is that you?” Not until I felt the joy of having someone else with me did I realize paradise isn’t paradise if you’re lonely.

The rustle continued softly until it seemed to spread out all around me. From the corner of my eye I spotted what I thought to be a person crouching in the tall grass when I realized that the rustle was the sound of petals opening up.

The lantern lights I had mentioned earlier were opening up. A soft, dull, glow lit up the center. At first I thought that was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Boy was I wrong.

As I stood there, probably looking like an idiot because my mouth was wide open with my face contorted with confusion, absolutely awed to see streams of fireflies and butterflies pouring out of the lantern flowers. Their wings were like jewels against the dark evening sky.

Since our town was small and far away from any other major cities, the stars shone ten times as a bright and in numbers. Even with the sky not completely dark I could already see thousands of them clustering together. Now add the fireflies and butterflies and you got yourself quite a picture.

A butterfly flew past my face as the wind tossed small blossoms around it. The fireflies scattered into the garden creating what looked like a miniature city, lights on every petal. I didn’t bother pinching myself, wondering if I was dreaming or not because frankly, if I was I didn’t want to wake up.

My mind suddenly kick jumped and the ability to think returned to me. As quickly as I could I whipped out my phone and began taking pictures. I wasn’t sure how much longer this was going to last or when I was going to wake up so just to make sure, I’d have evidence that I wasn’t hallucinating when either possibility happened.

I didn’t realize how snapshot happy I was until a warning popped up on the screen saying I had no more memory left. Putting my phone away I looked around me as the phenomena continued as if I wasn’t there. It’s surprising how much or how little it takes to bring the child dwelling deep inside you to come out in full bloom. I spread my arms out and spun around as fireflies danced around me.

Not watching (or caring) where I was going, I suddenly lost my balance and fell into a plush bouquet of flowers. Even the dewdrops seemed to glow as I rest my head on my arms.

I looked up at the lighthouse, how the vines twisted in the most peculiar way that made it seem intentional, that I spotted a ghostly white man standing in the window, looking down at me. The smile was wiped of my face and I quickly sat up, not sure whether it was a person or a ghost. He didn’t move but only stared, then after a minute or two disappeared into the shadows. So much for serenity.

Goosebumps covered my entire body. Who was that?

If that wasn’t strange enough, my eyes began to feel heavy, like invisible weights were hanging on my eyelashes. Now wasn’t the time to take a nap. My body didn’t listen to me. I struggled to keep my eyes open but it was like fighting the urge to eat if you had gone days with food and someone put a full platter right in front of you.

I lowered myself onto my back and watched hazily as tiny spores floated past me. I lurched forward and sneezed abruptly, then fell back to the ground. A butterfly landed on my nose and sat there, lifting its wings up and down as if it were trying to hypnotize me. Apparently someone really wanted me to fall asleep.

Unfortunately their plan was working. The gentle swaying motion of the sapphire wings was like watching the sky unfold and fold up again. A smile appeared on my face as I felt like my body was being lowered into a warm, steamy bathtub.

Slowly I shut my eyes but I fought one last time to keep them open. I could have sworn someone was standing over me.