The First Flight ❀ COLIFER

The Four Words

ALMOST FOUR YEARS LATER...

Jen's POV

Schreee, shronk, shreee, shronk, shreee, shronk...

I kept pushing myself off against the damp sand, back and forth, without lifting my gaze from the ground. The only thing I could hear was the screeching sound of the swing, and the rustling of leaves from the tree not that far from me.

When a cold breeze sent a shiver down my spine, I let go of the chains of the swing and slowly stopped pushing myself off. But my gaze only lifted when I heard the high-pitched squeals near the slide; a few seconds later, a little boy came running around the front and started climbing up the slide.

I watched him for a few seconds, until I'd made sure he got to the top safely. It took him a while, but eventually he got there.

He was completely caught up in his own little world. His cheeks were bright red, there was a smile on his face and he wasn't concerned about anyone or anything else. I envied that.

All I did lately was worry.

I worried about the projects I was working on, I worried about cars driving too fast on the freeway, I worried about people coming up to me and asking questions I didn't want to answer. I'd even started worrying about planes crashing down, and that wasn't a good thing since I had to get on a plane pretty much every other week.

I sighed, looking back up at the sky. There was not a single strip of white; the clouds were just one big, grey mass.

Another shiver went down my spine. I wanted to reach for what was in my pocket, but I couldn't.

It was the biggest thing I was worrying about.

The little boy had discovered the water fountain now, but he was frustrated that he couldn't figure out how to push the button and drink at the same time. He kept messing up, but he also kept trying, over and over again.

Eventually he would figure it out. Because that's what kids do; they don't give up. Because they haven't learned yet what it's like to give up.

I pulled up my coat to guard myself from the chilly breeze, and then I couldn't avoid it anymore. I reached for the pocket of my coat and pulled out the little paper.

On it were the four words I'd read more than a million times. Well, I guess they weren't really four words; they didn't even form a sentence. The paper got crumbled up and smudged over the last four years, because I'd held onto it like it was my most precious possession. And it was.

Because it was his last promise.

April 12th, 2022. Park. 

I stared at the words, reading his handwriting for the millionth time. It was only when I noticed that my hands were starting to shake that I put the note back in my pocket.

This was my biggest worry. That he wasn't going to be here.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the cool Vancouver air. I watched the boy as he crouched down to investigate the sand around the slide. He was so incredibly small, the way he was sitting there with his little dark blue coat halfway down his shoulders, and I'd never felt more love for someone than when he turned around and his entire face lit up.

I winked at him. He raised a brow in response, something he'd been doing non-stop since he discovered that he could do that a few weeks ago, and when he was satisfied with himself he turned back to the sand.

I didn't hear the footsteps. That was the reason why I froze when the swing next to mine started screeching.

Shreee, shronk, shreee, shronk, shreee, shronk.