The Sycamore Tree

Softly, the fallen leaves rustled in the wake of a small breeze. The trees were dead, and the sky grey. Quiet hung over the wood in the chill of that late autumn afternoon.
Carefully, between the trees, a shadow flitted. Light contrasted against the zigzag pattern of the naked sentinels. A spirit stole around their fragile branches. Abigail shifted to the right, just so. Her silver streaming hair shimmered in the waning sunlight. Like ripples in a river quickly dive and swirl, her ghostly form shimmered and reflected in the air.

Young, golden laughter broke the stony silence. Abigail stopped. Glancing quickly around, her eyes spotted an adolescent couple vivaciously trudging through the forest.
The boy was tall, gangly and awkward. He had a sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks, a crazy mop of rusty blond hair, and a broken pair of glasses balanced precariously on his nose. Nervously, he readjusted his glasses, and habitually pulled at the sleeves of his denim jacket.
The girl was lithe and beautiful, with long flowing blond hair, and startlingly blue eyes. She was awkward too, but the freckle stricken boy would never notice. Her scarf was snuggled close to her porcelain neck and chin, her nose and cheeks pink in the biting wind. Holding hands, they timidly giggled as they wandered further into the maze of trees.

Abigail was intrigued. Rarely did anyone sojourn this far into her backyard, and she needed to know why. Curiosity was what kept Abigail from dwelling on the piercing loneliness of her current state throughout the seasons and through the years. Often, she would perch high in the trees and watch the forest critters steal amongst the undergrowth, or watch the wolves stealthy stalk their unsuspecting prey. Above all, the bears were her favorite. Their ambling and laconic ways so cleverly hid their tremendous speed and strength. Without a sound, she stole closer.

The boy pulled at his sleeves. They were never long enough to adequately cover his wrists. The girl leaned in and whispered something in his ear. A blush broke out across his face, and his ear warmed at the words. “Cadence!” He halfheartedly reprimanded. “If your dad heard you talking that way!”
“He never will.” She brazenly proclaimed. “Because if you tell him anything I shall have you hung from the trees by your ankles!” She nudged him playfully. “Anyway, I’m never going back to that place.”
“What are you talking about?” He asked, confused.
“I’m running away tonight, and I’m never going back.” She raised her chin in the air. “That’s why I brought you out here. To say goodbye.”
The boy stopped walking. “Goodbye? You can’t be serious! You don’t have anywhere to go!”
“I’m going to live in this forest.” She announced.
“How will you survive? You’re being ridiculous! You didn’t even bring anything with you!”
“Well, Jeremy. I’ve thought about it, and I don’t really need anything. I’m going to strip naked and become a Wiccan. I will live off the land, and dance with the bears and eat berries for the rest of my life.”
Jeremy’s face turned redder still. He stammered, abashed. “That’s insane!” His voice broke. Genuine concern flooded his green eyes.
“Yes, silly.” She smiled carelessly. “I’m just messing with you! Honestly! You need to learn how to take a joke! Lighten up!” She laughed aloud. The sound was like silver church bells and singing birds. “Holy crap! You actually believed me?”
Jeremy couldn’t make eye contact. He pushed up his glasses in frustration. “It’s not funny! You’re supposed to be...”
“Supposed to be what?”
“I don’t know... good and stuff.”
“Good?  I always have to be good. My dad won’t let me do anything! And your mom is even worse. That’s why you’re such a prude.” She winked. “When was the last time you did something you wanted to do? Just because?”
“I’m not a prude!” He was clearly flustered.
“Prove it.” She winked. “Do something... distasteful.”

Abigail leaned in. This was the most interesting thing to happen since the bears were hunting salmon earlier in the fall. A flock of geese flew noisily overhead. All three looked skyward.

Jeremy pushed his shoulders back and peered into her blue eyes for a clue. “Like what, exactly?”
“I don’t know!” She giggled. “Cuss or something!”
“What? No! My mom would kill me!”
“My mom would kill me!” Cadence mocked playfully. “See? You’re such a mama’s boy.”
“I don’t know! I don’t like cussing.” He kicked at a stick with his toe. “Pick something else.”
Abigail shifted, and put her hand to her chin. She thought for what felt like a decade. “You pick! You’re the one who’s being a girl.”
Jeremy was getting annoyed. “Fine!” He said, “I’ll cuss.”
Cadence clapped her hands cheerfully. “Do it!”
“Okay!” He looked away. “Dammit!” He yelled.
“That’s it?” She asked. “Dammit?”
“I don’t know! What do you want?”

Abigail shifted. The brush and the branches swayed and rattled.

Cadence looked around. “Kiss me.” She said.
Jeremy froze. “What?”
“Kiss me.”
Jeremy was shocked.
“Do it, and I’ll let you off the hook for your lame excuse for profanity.” She stepped closer. “Don’t you want to?”
Jeremy nodded, then swallowed purposefully.

Abigail crept as close as she dared. The two shivered as her cold stole their breath.

Jeremy kissed her. Everything stopped. For a while nothing happened.
Then, slowly, time began again, and the planet started slowly to turn in orbit.

Cadence and Jeremy smiled. “There.” She said, blushing, and trying to be cool. “Isn’t that nice?”
“Yes, I mean, it’s way better than nice. Can I do it again?” He flushed rampantly.
“Not quite yet, Casanova. There’s plenty more where that came from.” She started running away, “You’ll have to catch me first!”
Jeremy stalled, and then sprinted after her.

The young couple dashed amongst the trees, running further and further into the woods. Abigail followed swiftly overhead, not even straining to keep up. After, all on silver moonlit nights, she would run with the dear as they sprang over the rocks and hills, and deftly dove in and out of the valleys. However, Abigail was perplexed. She had never seen a kiss before, and she was shocked and bewildered when she saw it happen. She knew what it meant, and a flicker of sadness like an icy dagger poked her heart. The infinite loneliness of her immortal continuance became painfully clear. She longed for the boy’s foolish warm lips to fumble against hers. She wanted to know what it felt like.

The young children stopped running, out of breath. Jeremy sat haphazardly in a pile of leaves and dirt. Cadence walked up to a sycamore tree, and ran her fingers over its smooth white skin, exposed through the shedding bark. Her eyes widened in delight.
“Jeremy!” She exclaimed, “Do you have a knife?”
“Why?” He rasped. The cold air had taken its toll on his lungs.
She sashayed over to him. “I want to carve our names into that tree.” She smiled, that way we can always remember our first kiss.”
Jeremy smiled. “I like that idea.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a knife, which he carefully unfolded.

Abigail was instantly appalled. She had heard of this kind of thing before, and quickly became wrathful at the thought of those children cutting into her beautiful trees. She tried to hold back, surely they wouldn’t do it, they had to know it was wrong to scar such a thing of beauty.

Jeremy stood and walked over to the tree, running his hand over its smooth skin. He jabbed the blade into it.

The wind around the children howled loudly, kicking up dust and leaves. The branches overhead shuddered. Abigail felt her anger rising.
Jeremy pulled at his sleeves, “Maybe we shouldn’t.” He looked around fearfully.
“Don’t be such a baby.” Teased the girl.
Jeremy reached out to try again.

Abigail lost it. Screaming loudly, she glistened and shook with the wind. A cloud occulted the sun, and the sky grew dark. The children were shocked to see her ghostly form standing in front of them. “Get out of my woods!” Abigail howled. “Or I’ll sic the wolves on you!” She roared. “Now leave!”

Jeremy looked at Cadence. Their mouths were open. They couldn’t move a muscle.
“I! Said! Leave!” The sky grew darker still, and flames leapt up in Abby’s eyes.
The children ran. They flew from the wood, kicking up their heels at a breakneck pace. They never even looked back.

Abigail vanished. The wood was silent again, and the sun warmed slowly in the cosmos. She didn’t see children in her wood again for many years afterward, but she didn’t take very kindly to them after that.

And, yet, she always pined for that freckle stricken boy and his fumbling kiss, regretting never having received one in life.