Ally Lichen's Friend

9. Sunflowers

Ally certainly felt safer with another witch by her side as she traversed the Tanglewood. That didn't mean that the journey was any more enjoyable though.

"So where are you coming from?" Was Madge's first question.

"Vista cove." Ally replied. She tried to think of something else to add. She thought of how big the sea was and how vast the night sky was, and troublesome yet entertaining light sprites and the smell of tea mixed with the smell of the wind and endless thrum of the waves in her ears. But all of that sounded rather silly to say out loud. She wasn't even sure how she would say it. Madge probably didn't want to hear it anyway. She was just making small talk.

"Cool." Madge nodded, pulling Ally from her thoughts. "Anything interesting there?"

"A lighthouse." Ally tightened her grip around her knapsack straps. "I...I work at the lighthouse." She wondered if, in her year of being relatively alone, she had forgotten how to talk with girls her own age. She wondered if she had ever known. Perhaps she hadn't. Perhaps she had only ever known how to prattle on endlessly about herself.

Madge's eyes lit up. "Really? I've never seen a lighthouse before! Well, actually, I've never seen much of anywhere beyond the Tanglewood before. I don't mind it, but I'm eighteen now, you know? I feel as though I should... go out into the world. I'd like to get a job. Meet people. Have my own adventure. Is that why you left your home?"

"Not exactly." Ally's eyes fell back to her brown boots and Flicker weaving between them without any danger of tripping her. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Madge questioned.

Ally shrugged. She knew Madge didn't want to be bothered with her issues, and anyway, she didn't feel like explaining all the events and emotions that had led to her moving to Vista cove. Not to a near stranger anyway. She didn't know this girl hardly at all, and she never would. Their paths would diverge once Ally reached her village and they would probably never see each other again.

Silence fell between the two girls.

Or as silent as a forest in autumn could be.

Squirrels chittered, leaves crunched underfoot, and the breeze ruffled the color-laden branches above them. Colors that glowed in the sunlight, as though they were gilded with gold. Brilliant red and rich yellows, like cranberry pie with a golden-brown crust.

The sun had risen higher since Ally's fall into the mud, and while the air was still cool, and the breezes quite cold, musty beams of light now penetrated the air. A soft tickle of warmth danced across Ally's cheeks every time she stepped through the patches of dappled forest light.

Madge fit right into the vibrant autumn world, with her mustard-colored sweater and short auburn skirt, thick gray leggings protecting her from the cold.

"Did you dress to match the leaves?" Ally asked. Then she wondered if that was a strange or rude question to ask.

"I did!" Madge beamed at her, then did a little skip and twirl, her skirt spinning around her knees, slightly impeded by the axe still hanging at her side.

Why was she still carrying the axe?

"I like it. You look nice." Ally resisted the urge to cringe away from her own words. Maybe John Millner was right. Maybe company at the lighthouse wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Thank you," Madge replied, then hesitated. "I like your boots."

"Thank you," said Ally.

The ground sloped uphill now. The trees were a little fewer in between. The sky above was a brilliant blue, strewn with smears of white cloud as though painted in watercolors. Ally drew a deep breath, smelling woody, warm earth. The effort of trekking upwards sent warmth through her body.

Flicker let out a mew and bounced up ahead of the two of them, disappearing over the top of the rise.

"Flicker!" Ally called, then paused to catch her breath, frowning. "He better not disappear on me again." She muttered.

Madge turned back to her. "Is he hard to find?"

Ally raised an eyebrow. "He's a ghost."

"Tochè." Madge laughed, the sound bright in the deep forest.

When the two of them crested the top of the hill, however, Flicker had not disappeared. In fact, he was sitting proudly, waiting for them, his tail curled neatly around his transparent paws and a smug look on his whiskered face. Behind him stretched out an open field, filled with the tall stalks and bright faces of a particular yellow flower.

"Whoa!" Crowed Madge.

"Sunflowers." Said Ally. A smile crept over her lips. She stepped forward, Flicker close at her heels, into the ranks of the flowers. They were all turned devotedly towards their master, the sun, which continued to rise into a midday sky. "They're my favorite flower." Ally reached up to brush her fingertips against the silky yellow petals.

"Really?"

Ally glanced over at Madge, who seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"Yes." Ally said. "They are."

"Sunflowers are my favorite flower too!" Madge clapped a hand to her chest, grinning. "My mother doesn't like them very much. I don't know why. But we both like sunflowers!"

"Yes. We do." Ally laughed a little at Madge's enthusiasm.

"We can be the Sunflower Girls!" Madge's grin split into a laugh of her own. "On our journey through the Tanglewood together!"

Uneasiness swirled suddenly in Ally's stomach. Being 'The Sunflower Girls' felt like a bit of a commitment to make to someone she had only just met that day. "Why do we need a name?" Ally asked, unable to keep some of the sharpness out of her voice.

"Well, we don't need a name." Madge conceded. Her smile lessened as she took in Ally's muted expression. "I just thought it would be fun. Lots of adventuring teams have names, and we're sort of a team, aren't we?"

"I think it's a bit silly." Ally turned away and swallowed. She felt mean. "It's something a seven-year-old would make up."

"What's wrong with seven-year-olds?" Was Madge's comment.

"Nothing's wrong with them," Ally still kept her eyes on the ground, "but you see, we're not seven."

"Maybe not." Madge passed by Ally, walking further into the field. "Sometimes I wish I still was though." The sunflower leaves rippled in her wake.

"Me too." Ally murmured. Flicker meowed. He stood on his hind legs and placed his front paws on her knee, looking up imploringly.

"I'm alright." Ally bent down and scooped the cat into her arms, where he nestled his ghostly head against her shoulder.

But would you not be better off alone? Whispered a shadow in her mind.

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Thank you so much for reading this far! If you enjoyed it, please vote, add, or share with your friends! I would REALLY appreciate it.

If you have some constructive criticism, please comment. This is the first draft and I would love some feedback.

- Millie Florence

millieflorence.com