“Why didn’t you tell me you could talk to trees?” Seela demands to know. The pink flower behind her ear contrasts her brown hair, face marking, skin, and feathers so elegantly, creating a mesmerizing pop of color, brightening her whole existence.

“I guess it just slipped my mind,” I shrug, but I’m not sure if she can see, since her laser-sharp eyes are completely focused on flying.

“How does that- never mind,” she interrupts herself, “More importantly, you’re absolutely positive that she said to stop protecting her?”

“That is what she told me,” I confirm.

“...Okay,” she hesitates, “I’m glad. It’s just- I don’t know what my great aunt is going to say. This has been our whole life.”

I hadn’t really thought of that. The tree might be excited to see people again, but what about Seela and her great aunt? Will they be ok without a mission, a purpose? Seela seems concerned about her great aunt, but it’s obvious that she’s deflecting- she doesn’t want to acknowledge how much her life feels in vain. You can hear it in the hesitation when she speaks.

Can I give her purpose again?

~~~

“So, I can finally retire?”

“Um, yes.”

“Woo-hoo!” great aunt birdy shakes her feathers out and takes a celebratory swig of her flask. She seems to be taking the news better than Seela expected.

“So, what are you going to do?” Seela nervously asks her great aunt.

“Well obviously,” great aunt birdy looks at her, with her chin high, “I’m going to relax on the beach. I’ll take a joy flight around the world, and let them know to come party. That the island is open. The rest of the world is pretty much desert. I’m sure things will get real lively, real quick.”

Seela is too stunned to speak.

“The real question,” great aunt birdy now points a wing at Seela, “is what are you going to do?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Seela is still too stunned to speak. In fact, she’s even more stunned than before.

Quick, say something.

“Wanna come with me?”

The question exits my mouth without a single thought.

Seela, who still hasn’t figured out how to speak again, looks even more stunned. Great aunt birdy also looks at me. She looks me up and down, which I’m used to with her at this point. Then, she looks at Seela, and Seela looks at her. Great aunt birdy smiles a big smile. Seela is frozen stiff.

“I think,” says great aunt birdy, “that’s a wonderful idea. You should go, Seela. See the universe. Make some friends.”

The increasingly flustered Seela stiffly rotates to me.

How does she make the most awkward motions seem so graceful?

She finally manages to speak, “I’ve never even left the island before. I don’t know what use I’d be to you. Besides, did you forget that I tried to kill you? I haven’t even said I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine, I already forgave you pretty much right after I woke up,” I laugh, “besides, I don’t have a boat. You and that basket would be a perfect alternative!”

“Wait,” she shakes her head, “why don’t you have a boat?”

“I pop bubbles,” I shrug.

Great aunt birdy screech laughs, “what were you two even talking about on the trip to the tree? The weather?”

Seela’s eyes go big in realization, as she points a wing at me and says, “oh! Like at the tree when you popped the bubble to get to the flowers!”

Great aunt birdy, through unceasing screeching, manages, “you saw her do it and were still confused?”

“Hey!” Seela turns to her great aunt, pointing the same wing to her, “Shut up!”

“Hey!” great aunt birdy stands up, almost mirroring Seela’s posture, pointed wing and all, but with that old lady slouch, “It’s rude to point!”

“Uh,” I just want to remind them that I’m still here.

“Hold on!” they both say to me, at the same time.

I guess they remember.

“Just go with her. Go travel, explore,” says great aunt birdy, gesturing towards the door with her wings.

“But what about you? Will you be okay here by yourself?” says Seela, not moving her feet.

“Like I said,” says great aunt birdy, “from here on out, I am on vacation. Worrying about me now is stupid. I’m relaxing.”

“But-”

“No,” the old lady says, “no but. You want to go. I see it in your eyes. Go pack. You can take the travel basket.”

Seela looks at her great aunt, then at me, and then at the ground. She closes her eyes, and puffs a breath of air. Then she turns fully to me, with a small, shy smile.

“I’d love to come,” she says, “let me go pack the basket.”