The Healing Embrace

Prologue

The violent sound of nature threatened every mortal residing in Haling Cove town. Tree branches shook wildly against the wind, straining to escape the sudden harsh weather that had descended into the wood, while cold gusts of air flew in from all four directions, trying to rip the old tired trees from their foundation. Above the distorted image of land, stars decorated the sky like bright ornaments on a Christmas tree. The light from the full moon dotted the rippling pond beneath it. Rays of light shone through the dark spaces, a symbol of the hope that may be found during the hardest times. The glittering pond was stuck in the middle of the ever changing shape of Oak Woods. The loud roar of lightning easily overpowered the croaks of the frogs. As deadly as it was beautiful, the storm intensified the scene's loveliness by breathing life into it. The inside of the woods depicted a chaotic human brain full of jumbled thoughts while the outside seemed to hide these imperfections under a hard exterior.

The "No Trespassers" sign did little to prevent people from entering the dark woods. Even though the boundaries of the land had been secured with a fence wrapped with barbed wire, it was still small enough to leap over.

He was sitting in his usual spot. Having discovered his "paradise" at the age of six, he started a ritual with his brothers and sister where he would bike to the woods every day and spend at least 30 mins in-between the trees. As they grew up, his siblings became occupied with their life and decided that they were too busy for a silly immature routine. He didn't quite agree with them.

He sat on the twelfth tree from the pond where the scenery was always the same. The alignment of the trees was special at his twelfth tree. His surroundings depicted the shape of a square, as the tall trees around him represented the bars in a cage. Although he was not a prisoner, he simply appreciated being surrounded by those who made him feel safe.

He waited for a couple of minutes before he saw a familiar shadow making her way towards his tree.

She didn't look up.

She never did.

She had found her paradise just like him but was always under the misconception that she was alone. She walked slowly towards the small body of water with her weak shivering legs and sat down in her spot.

He had been observing her since the day she moved to the town. The first time he saw her she looked like a normal girl wanting to be left alone, but days grew into months which grew into years and he started to understand her. She reminded him of his young self whenever she would play with the water in the pond.

He questioned her actions at times because she acted differently. She made him curious. She was nowhere near perfect and he knew that. Although when she walked with the grace of a dancer and felt the water in front of her like the flick of a painters brush, he knew there was something special about her.

Today was no different as he stared down at her from his position. He wanted to comfort her but he was aware of how uncomfortable that would be. As much as his mother had drilled into him about being a gentleman, he could never bring himself to move a muscle when she was around.

He saw her move her head closer to the water which resulted in her dark brown hair to cover her small face. She placed her thick black rimmed glasses on the rock beside her and folded her legs underneath her.

He looked down at his hands, knowing this was the part he dreaded the most. She was a puzzle which he had not been able to figure out. It had been about 5 years since she started coming to this place. At first he was angry, but slowly he started to accept it knowing he couldn't bring himself to do anything to her.

She was stubborn but at the same time he could see the small amount of vulnerability that she unknowingly presented to the world around her.

She was confusing and colorful. He could see all of her colors.

Red, yellow, blue, green, yellow, and white.

He could tell people had tried to analyze her like a spreadsheet which made it easier to read her. She wasn't an open book but nothing he couldn't handle.

He suddenly remembered a trick his younger brother had taught him and after a few unsuccessful tries he finally solved the puzzle in his hand. He almost fell off of his tree branch due to his inability to contain his excitement. Even though he could never fully solve the Rubik's cube, the amount of joy and content he felt after solving one side of the puzzle never diminished.

He looked at her departing figure and smiled softly.

She was his Rubik's cube.