A Touch of Innocence

I wrote this over three years ago in a different blog I had in college and I was going through some of my old posts and I realized I still really like this little story. There is another story that goes along with it so I may post it in a day or so, but for now, I hope you enjoy this short story I wrote back in 2009. It's about a little girl and a little boy who are young and carefree and just beginning life.

They stood at the edge of the field, staring at the vast open space before them. Holding hands, not yet reaching 5 feet tall. Her red dress was swaying in the wind, his black hair was getting in his eyes. The sky was blue--the kind of blue that takes your breath away. Tiny pure white clouds dotted the sky, the sun shone brightly over the expanse before them. There were trees far in the distance, marking the edge of the forest they were never allowed to enter. But right in the middle, looming over the rest of the vegetation in the field, was a lone tree. It was old, curvy, and at the point of decay. But it was tall, majestic in appearance, aged by harsh winters and pelting rain, scorched by the hot summer sun. This tree was the guardian of the entire field.

She liked to think the other trees were watching it while it sang out its wisdom and praise. He pretended that tree was leading the rest of the forest in battle. There was no one for miles in front of them, only their houses behind them. No one but that tree. Without that tree, they would have gotten lost exploring the field many times. They always went back to the tree, seeking it out during their adventures. This place was their playground, their kingdom, their life.

Today was the first day of summer. School was over, life was about to begin. They breathed in the air around them, tasting the pollen and dust. With one glance back at their side by side houses, and one at each other, they began to ran. They ran as fast as they could, hands swinging in the wind. As they whipped past the wildflowers, the colors blurred together. Blues, violets, greens, yellows...they swirled together, almost indistinguishable in the rush of adrenaline. Their laughter broke through the wind and they collapsed at the base of the tree, breathing deeply. The air was so pure and clean, it filled their little lungs and brought more laughter to their faces.

The day, the summer, their lives had just begun and they would always look back to this day as the most innocent time in their lives, unaware of what was to come.