A leaf spiraled down from its home in the tree. It was caught by a gust of wind and carried through shafts of weak sunlight. The leaf was a red, but when the sun’s rays fell upon it, it shown gold. It fluttered and twirled in the wind until the wind slowly died away and it fell back towards the ground. Another gust of wind picked up the leaf, and it was joined by another. The two leaves danced an intricate dance. Twirling, and spinning around each other. The first leaf was glad for the company for dancing alone was not as fun, but it felt confused because when it had danced alone it had been able to do what ever it had wanted. The two leaves were soon dropped by the wind. Winds grow board of carrying the same leaves and watching the same dance. And so, the two leaves began to drift towards the ground once again. The second leaf was caught by a wind through and was soon far away. The first leaf watched sadly as its new friend was blown away. Right before the leaf hit the ground; another wind picked it up, and carried it back the way it had come. When the wind finally dropped the leaf, it was by the tree it had fallen out of. The leaf drifted down and landed on the lap of a little girl.
“Look, Daddy,” the little girl said. “The leaf likes me.”
“Come on Rae, it’s time to go home,” the little girl’s father smiled and stood up.
He was a man of average height. He had long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. He had high cheek bones and a long lean face. He had a long straight nose on which a pair of glasses sat. Behind the lenses, a pair of kind hazel eyes shown with love for his daughter.
“Why?” asked the little girl.
“Because, Mommy will be home soon for dinner,” Rae stood up and looked at her father.
“Okay.”
Rae was five years old. She had chin length hair that was a brown so dark it was almost black. It was clipped back out of her face with a purple clip. She had a face that was a little rounder than her father’s. Her face was lightly freckled. Her eyes were a clear gray blue.
Rae stood up and holding a stuffed rabbit in one arm and the leaf in her hand she grabbed onto her father’s right index finger with her little hand.
The two began to walk through the park back to their house only a few minutes away.
Rae’s father looked down at his daughter who looked up at him.
“I’m going to show Mommy my leaf.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it Rae,” he smiled back. Rae began to tell him a story about the leaf, but he only half listened. He was thinking about how the next day his daughter would be starting school. He wasn’t ready to let go.
“Daddy, in kindygarten can Bunny come with me?” Rae’s stuffed rabbit went everywhere with her.
“Rae, Hopprs can go with you,” his voice had a hint of sadness in it, but Rae didn’t catch it.
“Good,” Rae said squeezing the rabbit harder. “’Cause he would be lonely without me.”
By now they had reached the house. Rae’s school was only going to be a five minute walk. The two climbed the front steps, opened the door and walked inside. Rae went straight to her room that she shared with her brother. She climbed up onto her bed and laid her leaf on her pillow.
“There,” she said. “Now it’s safe.”
That evening was a normal one. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until Rae’s father and mother were tucking Daniel and her in.
“Rae,” her mother said. “Are you looking forward to school tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Hopprs gets to come too.”
Her mother’s and father’s eyes filled with tears. Rae didn’t notice that, but she could tell they were upset.
“Are you sad?” she asked.
They smiled.
“No,” her father said. “We just don’t want you to grow up and leave us.
“I won’t,” she said with certainty. “I’ll stay here with you for my whole life.”
Her parents smiled again. “Good night, Rae.”
“Good night,” the little girl yawned.
They left, turning off the light and shutting the door quietly.
“I will stay here forever,” she told Hopprs. “You’ll see.”
Rae went to all of elementary, and began to spend more and more time with friends. She never forgot the promise she had made. Every time she left for a friend’s house, she felt a little more of her promise drift away. Again the night before she was to start sixth grade and middle school, her parents came to tuck her in.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Oh we just realize that you are growing up. You start middle school tomorrow,” her mother said.
Rae’s mother had curly brown hair of a medium length. She was on the shorter side but Rae thought that suited her just fine. Her mom had a rounder face than her husband, but she had the same kind loving eyes as him.
“Don’t worry,” Rae told her parents “I will always be there.”
Again her parents smiled and tears came to their eyes.
“We love you,” her father said.
The next day Rae was up very early making sure she had everything ready for school. A little while later, her family was on their way to the pancake house. Though Rae was excited and nervous for the first day of sixth grade, she was also sad, because it meant she was growing up.
Over the three years of middle school, she still never forgot her promise. Again every time she went somewhere by herself, she felt another bit of the promise drift away.
In the august before Rae started high school, was the only time she had ever felt it disappear completely.
The morning of that day, she had promised her father once again.
“I always want you to be part of this family,” her father had said.
“I will be, don’t worry. Even when I move out, I will always be there. I will never stop being part of this family. You guys are the most important thing in my life. I will never let anything happen to you. It’s okay I’m not leaving.”
Her father had believed her. He had trusted her. That day, she had gone off with her friends to hang out in the downtown. He had told Rae to check in if she wanted to go to a different place. Rae had agreed, but once she was with her friends she had completely forgotten to check in and did everything she had agreed not to do just hours before.
When she got home, she couldn’t believe how hurt her father looked. It was gut wrenching. Rae didn’t even feel mad. She felt just a sense that she had broken not only those promises she had made that day, but the one she had made all those years ago.
Rae is like the leaf. Wanting to dance alone. Sometimes wanting to dance with another. She is blown all over, but in the end will always end up back with her family and home. All leaves say they will stay by their tree forever. They do, until one day that stray too far, and the wind carries them back to remind than that the most precious thing is their home tree, where their identity is, and where they are needed and feel safe.
And in the end, they will always be there.
IM CRYING. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
A typo weak not week
Sent from outer space.
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