A Unique and Torn Romance

I’m staring up at the bit of blue sky that’s peeking down from between the high tree tops. It’s so dull, but that’s what makes it calming. The moss beneath my fingers soothes my nerve endings. The soft, rotten leaves that my head is lying on make a pacifying blanket that warms me down my spine.

“Mikey!” They’re still far away. Their voices are still low – absorbed by the hundreds of trees between us. They still haven’t found me.
I begin to move my lips to the song that’s playing in my head. I don’t make a sound. I only move my lips to form the words.
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
I moist my lips to make it easier to sing the silent song.
‘Til a landslide brought it down
Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?

“Mikey!” Their cries have gotten louder – closer.
I don’t even know if I want them to find me. I feel pretty good right now – unseen and unimportant.
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing cause I’ve
Built my life around you
Time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too

“Mikey!”
Who did I build my life around? Myself? My past self…?
“MIKEY!” They’re here.
Their footsteps run through the dry, yet moist, corroding layer of dead pieces of nature. But I stand out. My brother found me in that layer.
“Mikey! Oh my fuck, Mikey,” he panics as he runs towards me. I hear him stop – not next to me, but a few paces away.
“Mikey,” he whispers. I can hear the tears and terror in his airy voice.
He thinks I’m dead.
I don’t know if he senses the tiny bit of life that’s still in me or just steps closer to check if I’m truly dead, but no matter what he gets down on his knees and brushes my leaf-filled hair away from my cheek.
“Oh, Mikey!” he cries before he throws himself forward and wraps his arms around me. My sight of the sky gets blocked by his dark hair.
“Mikey. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mikey,” he whispers into my shoulder as he hugs me so tight that it hurts.
But I don’t say anything about the pain. I don’t apologies. I don’t tell him to leave.

“Please, don’t tell mom.” That’s all I say.