In The Trees

I ran through the forest my hair flying behind me and my movement a blur. I was running as fast as I could and I knew every twist and turn by heart. I jumped over the big boulder that was right in the middle of the path. How it got there only the trees knew. I came to our tree. Jake’s great grandfather’s bike was still in it, and it always would be. It was OUR tree, it always would be.

I skidded to a stop and plopped down at the base of the tree. I had run all the way here from school and that was almost a mile away. I wiped away the tears that were rolling down my cheeks and made my way over to the hole.

The Hole was a hole we dug and built a trap door over it. Inside was part of the ladder that was on the tree house and a small box that was weather proof. Inside were the Spongebob pajamas and the green dinosaur slippers. I opened the box and reached around my neck, yanking off the chain that held the locket. I kissed it and held it to my chest as I closed my eyes. Then I threw it in, closing the box then closed the door hiding our memories again. I walked over to the tree and looked at it.

It was amazing how it happened. Jake’s great, great grandfather had only been a boy when the tree was five feet tall. Just about as tall as he had been. He had decided to be remembered for something other then his family being the poorest in town. So he put his bike in the tree and tied it down. Through the years the tree just grew through it and that’s how the Parker family was known. As the ones with their bike in a tree, it was better then nothing. But now it’s long forgotten and no one knows it’s out here. Just like they didn’t know the tree house was out here. And no one knows how that got out here in the first place. But they knew how it was destroyed, Jake died in that tree house. The ladder broke and he fell three stories down to his death. Yep that’s how my best friend died. I looked away from the tree with disgust from my thoughts. How could I be so…not sad?

"Because he wouldn’t want you to be sad", a voice said in my head. I rolled my eyes.
I hated that voice. So I ignored it and thought about the first time I met Jake.

When I was nine my parents sent me to live with my aunt and uncle, I got mad and ran away into the forest, which happens to be this forest. I ran away in my Spongebob pajamas and met Jake while he was in the tree house listening to loud music on his portable radio. Even then he loved rock and metal music and he was only ten.

Why I was ten and in Spongebob pajamas? It’s better then freaking bunnies so get over it.

Anyway, he was running away too and he was in these really awesome green dinosaur feet shaped slippers. We were best friends from the moment he leaned down from the doorway of the tree house and yelled for me to come up before someone spotted me. He said crazy ninjas were out to get him, so I climbed up the long ladder up into that tree house and we sat there talking and laughing like we had known each other forever.

We spent all our days in that tree house and he showed me the bike tree and told me the story. And then one day, in the rain, Jake ran to the tree house getting away from his fighting parents. He was seventeen and a half and he climbed the ladder to the tree house. The ladder was so old that it snapped and he fell to his death. I hope he died instantly. Jake was never good with pain.

I sighed and looked at the bike again.

“I love you Jake.” I whispered kissing my fingers and placing them on the bike handles. He was there. He was connected to the bike. Just like we both were going to be. I gripped the handle bars and pulled myself up climbing up the tree as far as I could get. Then I looked down and took a deep breath. And let go of the tree.

I snapped awake my breath coming in short gasps.

“What’s wrong” Jake asked next to me. I looked down at him next to me.

It was summer. The air was warm and he had pulled his t-shirt off exposing his bare chest, I was in a black tank top and jean shorts and dirt was sticking to my arms.

“Worst dream ever.” I said.

“The one where I die and you commit suicide?” he asked.

“Ya.” I said.

“Don’t worry about it. It happened a long time ago.” He said pulling me back down next to him.

I looked up and saw the looming trees above us. The bicycle was sticking out of the tree we were under and I sighed.

“It seems like yesterday.” I mumbled.

“I know.” He said hugging me to his side.

I faced him and snuggled up to him as our bodies faded away and our souls were back in the tree. We would forever be here, living in seventeen year old bodies forever, and never hating it.

Because it was our tree, our hearts and souls etched into the bark and the bicycle. It was all ours.