Jasper opened his eyes to a hiking trail. The same one he visits, pines intermingled with firs, aspens, and cypress, accented with flowers on the ground ranging from hues of purple to blue to white. It always stayed the same year-round, and he never grew tired of it. Usually, a hiker carries water, snacks, and bug spray, but Jasper likes carrying books. He had one on him, but it wasn’t one he would pick out for the hike. Up, down, and around the path took him. A cloud drifted by bringing shade, it was close enough to the mountain to feel attainable, small enough to hold onto.
He continued the hike through beautiful nature.
He stepped forward as he always did, so much so that he’d done the hike with his eyes closed before. As beautiful as the vistas of mountains and a nearby stream and a far-off waterfall, his destination was a simple pasture, simple if you didn’t know who was always waiting for him.
And there she was, looking up before he appeared around the bend and even before his steps became audible. Her circadian rhythm aligned with his, except twice a year when he has to change his clocks. But today he was eight hours early, this happens about twice a week, but only on the weekdays near the end of the school day.
“I take it school got boring again?” she said.
“Excruciating, you’re blessed you don’t have to go. How’s the book?” he said.
She put it down on the log and straightened her sundress. “It’s good, but…”
Jasper tilted his head.
“But it needs more action and some romance.”
“Anything you like about it?”
“I understood some of the technology this time around,” she said. “Such as the time traveling and their cell phones. A character named Nathan reminded me of you.”
“I take it he saves the day and gets the girl.”
“Nope.”
“What?” He said.
“He already had a girlfriend, a pretty one, and he always complimented her which is a defining trait of his.” The snicker she received told her it was fantasy. “I’m serious!”
“I’m glad you liked Nathan, and I’ll look for a book for you.” He sat down next to her. “See anything interesting today?”
“Just some birds.”
The wind blew her long, light brown hair into his face. It didn’t hit him though, the hair phased through him. “No elk?”
“Not today. Check this out.” She stood up onto the trunk, stood on one foot, and spun around sending her dress in a twirl like a gymnast. Her back leg lifted over her head as she leaned forward, and a hand met it to keep balance. As he stared up at her, she slowly lowered her face keeping position, got her lips close to hers, and then sprung back onto her two feet. “Been practicing.”
Jasper stood up and gave it a try on the ground. Him being the least flexible person on the planet may be true, as he couldn’t even get his back leg halfway up his body. She appreciated the effort. From what she’s read, women have a leg up (she laughed at the literal thought) on flexibility.
Her feet landed next to his. “After me.” Jasper tried to mimic her arms, a hand near her waist, one arm stretched out a bit, and as she stepped forward, he stepped back. “Now raise your hand.” She spun under it as he did so. The flow of each other grew as he remained obedient. Their bodies worked around one another and grew in harmony with each passing move. A hand here meant for him to step to her left as she slid around, a hand here meant for him to do a simple two-step combo accompanied by arm movement. Like a conductor, she orchestrated their movements in harmony with the music of leaves and wind. Her dress and hair spun attracted his senses. And seeing his smile, sleeves rolled up, and his body dancing with elation, stole hers.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Not once had they touched each other, their charge didn’t need touch. Eyes locked on, her bottom lip under her teeth, and he reached for her cheek. He wanted so much to hold onto her waist, to guide her by the back, to lift a leg to balance a dip and continue the dance to escalate to its natural conclusion, and his thoughts didn’t stop there.
It was tragic, watching him reach out. She wasn’t against it, she always wanted to rub her hands through his wavy dark hair. She stepped back. “So what’s going on?” She hated doing that to him, but she hated watching his heart break even more. Like their dance, it was all on a fine line.
Sometimes, trying to touch her was a move he’d forgotten he couldn’t do. “You mean at school?”
“Sure.”
“A lot of talk about homecoming and the football team. I’m not sure about anything else. I don't pay attention.”
Jasper was always loyal like a puppy. Waiting for his owner to get home and nothing else in his environment mattered. But Jasper was human, she didn’t want everything to be about her. There’s only so much staring at the stars a couple can do. Or is there? “You should go to homecoming.”
“Nah.”
“Not even with a group of friends?”
“Don’t have any.”
That was hard for her to believe. It was true, but she knew it was because he didn’t want or need any friends.
“Well, if you do go, take and print out some photos of your dancing for me.”
He began to dance erratically like an idiot, his arms moved independently from his legs as if the two halves were listening to different songs. “Like this?” Then he started pelvic thrusting.
“No, God.” If there was a word for embarrassment, funny, aroused, entertained, and disturbed all rolled into one, she didn’t know it.
“I’m just messin’.” He took his usual stance, standing straight with a hand in a pocket propped up by a thumb sticking out.
Those blue jeans and rolled-up sleeves revealed defined forearms and a few blue veins and his dark brown eyes shined down on her. Wow.
He looked up into the distance, miles away a man-made landmark looked down upon them, as if a shepherd kept watch over them. A lighthouse, even in the light pollution of the sun the flicker of the light shined every few seconds. “If I make some more friends would you go to the lighthouse?”
It’s been a few months since he’s brought up visiting the lighthouse. The thought of leaving the meadow terrified her. Reassurances from Jasper that lighthouses are to guide and help ships at sea to not hit shore didn’t help. She couldn’t say it out loud, it hurt, the thought of not seeing him. Jasper wouldn’t be able to make it to the lighthouse with her, and she wasn’t capable of imagining that. “We’ve talked about this. We don’t know what’s out there.” The leaves on a tree in the back of the meadow changed colors, from green to red, then the tree next to it, and a wave of red hues cascaded around the meadow and back to green again. “There’s only so much I can do.”
That effect didn’t affect him. “Well, that light has never turned off. I think it means we’re not alone here as someone has got to maintain it.”
She coughed to change the subject and spun to the book he left on the log. “Is that book in another language?”
Jasper had it from the start of the hike. It was strange to her for him to have one. “Yeah, it’s in-”
His head sprung up from his desk. Beige brick walls replaced lush green Aspen and pines, soft dirt became tile, and wind pitched to student murmurs. And worse of all, Sonya’s face swapped with an older man’s with a beard and wrinkles, and that older man bore over Jasper with his eyes piercing his soul.
Shit, Jasper fell asleep again during his seventh-period Spanish class.
The students laughed as he wiped drool off of his face. “Sorry.”
The teacher faked-cleared his throat.
“Lo siento.”
“Bien,” the teacher said. He guided the class to turn their Spanish books into another chapter and reminded everyone not to use them as a pillow.
He hated waking up. Movies, books, and the conversations he’s had with friends would mention scary dreams called nightmares, he’s never had one, but sitting awake in class kinda feels like he’ll be in one for the next thirty minutes.
Jasper didn’t feel much embarrassment from the teacher slamming his hands on a desk to startle Jasper awake, he had already forgotten it. He walked the halls as if his day-to-day life were the dream, like zoning out while driving a car. His dream, she was always so vivid, so beautiful, and friendly, he had no need to impress anyone else. Was she a ghost, a figment of his imagination? It didn’t matter to him, because one day, he’ll place his palm on her cheek, even if it kills him.