Tale of the Monarch Butterfly

Wait for me

Happiness flowed through Autumn, that warmed her skin like the rays of an early summer sun. Her customary cautious grin exploded into a radiant smile while reminiscing those consecutive 6 days she felt so free, feet still and smiled so dearly.

At the moment Autumn and Sage are savouring the flow of the air, the finer details of the trees, and the stupefying echoes of the nature that seems to nourish their souls as they head towards the entrance of the mountain.

Even though Autumn has no desire to disturb the melody the nature has offered them or even confront the doleful reality, she cracked the enthralling silence between them.

"Sage you know that today is the day my parents will pick me up right?" Autumn uttered with her eyes that resembles the earth reflected an unbidden melancholy while also fixated to the path that will eventually take her to nana's house. 

In the spur of the moment she heard the abrupt halt of his footsteps behind her. At that moment little Autumn was in verge of crying knowing there is no certainty that Sage would still be there the next time she comes back. All got mixed up to Autumn's system, pure sadness and fear that she don't know how to comprehend. Without any hesitation she shut her eyes once again and faced the boy she don't want to lose.

"Sage I'll come back to you! I promise we'll gaze together again to the magnificent fall of autumn leaves. We'll play and have some fun again! So please wait till autumn comes again, wait for Autumn ok?" Autumn said to Sage as she hears the rustling dried leaves, feels the soothing wind against her skin while a lone tear escaped to her covered eyes.

Not so long she hears the little bells that somehow always sends relief that Sage is still there, that she wasn't alone. Slowly, Autumn takes off her blue handkerchief to read Sage's message. She got used to it knowing they played and talked in this kind of way for whole 7 days. Autumn's eyes were once again blessed to the beauty of the forest while facing the sea of stairs that always has those trees that has this amazing synchronized dances to her very eyes.

She then looks down to the piece of paper that is lying at the last step of the stairs and for some reason she still felt a little sting that Sage wasn't there.

Silly me, of course you can't look to him, Autumn says to herself while plastering a bitter smile as she unravels the words that lies in the piece of paper.

"Sage will wait."

At that moment everything seems crystal clear to Autumn all the sadness and doubts dissolved just like cotton candy in water. Without any hesitation little Autumn faced forward and happily ran back to her nana while softly whispering to the sweet autumn air "Sage, I'll come back."

***

With eyes throughly scanning the whole area, Autumn suddenly became a ninja with mouth shut, hiding in the bushes and constantly tip toing trying to imitate his favorite anime naruto. Wishing that nana don't see her coming from the mountain she was forbidden to go to.

But before Autumn can even react ants flowed around her foot like water at first but in minutes they were splashing over her shoes and heading towards her just like the villain swiper. They were nothing like the harmless black ones of home either. By comparison they were weaponized, armour plated with large sharp mandibles and robotic legs. They moved almost too quickly to be tracked and took offence with everything around them, including poor little Autumn.

Normally she would have run some time ago, but nana was out there, casually sipping her chamomile tea. One movement, one scream, one involuntary gasp and it was all over. She felt the sting of the ants in her feet and they weren't stopping at her ankles. Her mind was on fire while regretting the fact that she hid in the bushes. In seconds the air was rent with her scream, she ran with no sense of direction. But in minutes warm hands were restraining her... Nana.

Without relectance Nana sweep of the ants that crawled to Autumn's feet. And soon Nana heived a deep sigh of relief.

***

"Why are you on the bushes? And where did you go this time?" Nana asked calmly while slightly squinting her eyes on her lovely granddaughter that was already sipping her chocolate drink.

Sweat already trickled down to Autumn's forehead with her heart that is pounding so hard in her chest. She already know that Nana will eventually find it out that's why right now Autumn just stared to her feet that slightly plays with the cold water of Nana's pond.

"You did go to the mountain, did you?" Nana asked while her eyes are fixated to the mountain where she played and had fun with Sage. "I'm sorry Nana," Autumn said while hugging her Nana at the back. She know its her fault for not listening to her Nana.

"But Nana did you know that there is a kid there? His name is Sage, and we are already friends Nana," Autumn muttered while facing her Nana with a proud smile without the hint of sadness awhile ago. "A boy? Nana asked with curiousity deep in her tone.

"Yes Nana but Sage can't be seen, talked or even be heard by a human being, that's why I made solutions Nana!" She responded with a big plastered bright smile to her face.

"Hmm is that so? But Autumn..." Nana hanged her sentence while looking back to the colorful sky. "Are you sure you won't regret it? I mean what if Sage truly disappears according to the limitations you said he had? Are you ready for that?" Her grandma asked while Autumn was quite taken aback to Nana's question, she never pondered it in the first place. But unexpectedly something that is more intriguing, widen the curiousity in her puzzled mind.

"Don't worry you don't need to answer it right now and don't worry I think I can trust your friend Sage," Nana said with her sweet reassuring smile that always send relief to Autumn.

"But... Autumn always remember that beautiful things just like mayfly ends easily... because nothing lasts forever and that's reality my dear Autumn so cherish it," Nana added while its clear that her eyes reflects sadness as she continue to gaze to the sky. But it also clear that Autumn was befuddled.

Why did Nana said nothing lasts? What is reality? Autumn pondered and asked herself with the questions she can't answer.

With no doubt, Autumn is still in a complete daze when suddenly in her peripheral view she caught a familiar white subaru car while still having this perplexing question that continually dominates in her mind. How did Nana knew that Sage can disappear just by interacting with human beings when she didn't even said the word disappear?

Dear Diary,

I still don't get it! Am I just mistaken? Or does Nana already knew people that are similar to Sage's case?

Bewildered in its finest,
Autumn Marigold

To be continued--

Its been a long time, sorry for the very late update:")