Cloud 69

epilogue

 june 7th, 2023:

Another dark, wilted petal was plucked from one of the flowers by an especially strong gust of wind. She watched the petal drift down to the ground, letting out a soft sigh. She examined the rest small bundle of purple flowers, which she held limply in her hand, and found that although it had lost a couple of petals on the way here, they still looked pretty. 

She kept her head down, focusing her attention on the gravel her feet kicked up as she made her way down the path. Despite the beautiful weather, or maybe because of it, there was no one around; the only sounds surrounding her were the whistle of the wind and the swaying of trees in the wind. It was calming, maybe a little bit eerie, and most certainly nerve-wracking. 

She kept checking over her shoulder, startling at every new noise, just in case. However, within her line of sight, there were no noises from anything other than nature, there were no cars other than hers, no footsteps other than hers– nothing other than her. 

She knew the chances of running into anyone were very low, but still, her heart was beating faster at the small risk. 

Another few petals fell when a cool breeze passed by. It fanned against the warmth of her cheeks and pushed her hair behind her shoulders. She was grateful that her hair had grown out again; the bangs and shorter hair had been fun, and certainly helped her endure the California heat, but North Carolina summers are much more mild and the extra warmth wasn't minded on windy days like today. 

She came upon the familiar, large oak tree, which had grown green and lush. It looked almost exactly as it did the last time that she had seen it. It stood out from the other trees around; it was much taller, and older. It was the first to lose its leaves in autumn, and the first to bloom once again in the spring. 

Because it was so prominent and so close by, they had always used it as a benchmark. 

Just before the oak tree, she abandoned the gravel pathway, nearly stumbling upon one of the long out-reaching roots of the tree. She kept her head as she maneuvered her way through the land, the soles of her shoes deep in the overgrown grass. 

Although she knew the way perfectly well, she was in no rush to get there today. In the back of her mind she knew the longer she was here, the greater her chances were of running into someone. And although that terrified her, and she was certain she did not want to run into anyone, she couldn't help the thrill she felt at the prospect of it. 

Along her way, she admired the surroundings. It had been a long time since she had come here, and every time she had, it was solely for one purpose. 

The place in its entirety was beautiful. Far ahead of her, there was a large fountain, surrounded by tall, neatly-trimmed hedges. There were more trees scattered around as well, most of them much smaller than the oak, most either fully in-bloom with pink or white flowers.  

The closer she got to where she was going, the slower she paced herself. Her fingers felt shaky around the small bouquet of flowers, and butterflies swarmed her stomach. She slowed down her pace even more, her eyes returning to the ground. 

She admired different arrays of flowers, and pausing if an odd or rare item sparked her curiosity. There was an occasional photograph or letter, and though it intrigued her, she didn't linger too long in any one spot. She took note of the way that trails of grass were pressed down into the ground, whereas other patches stood straight; unbothered and untouched; she guessed it was a good measure of where people had been recently. 

She knew she was stalling. The closer she got, the greater the urge to pause, to keep admiring her surroundings, to take more time. Anything to take more time.