Pink Snow

For Bailey- you'll always be my best friend.

The spring is slowly dying, uttering its last breath before giving way to summer. The trees are filled with pink and white blossoms along with the light green leaves that have just sprouted a few weeks earlier.

     The fragrance of the blossoms is carried on the wind that breezes through. It wouldn't make sense for a rough wind to come through such a sleepy part like this. Instead soft, warm winds come and bring with them the hope of summer to the little ones. These winds are the ones that chase away the springtime and bring a time of water fights and sunshine, instead of the time of flowers and patience.

     The blossoms shudder before letting go of their hold on the tree, slowly drifting to the ground below. They let the wind carry them to places where they are needed most, to other places with not enough trees to have blossoms or not enough grass to have a sufficient spring.

     It's times like these, when I'm sitting on my front porch, that I remember a time long ago when I would have not even noticed the beauty of the bleeding spring. I sit on my wooden porch, my chin in my hands and my elbows resting on my knees, and my mind races back to a time that is not here and to a person that I no longer am. I sit here on my porch and through my mind races one name- Bailey.

     *

     Somewhere, on the outskirts of Meridell, there is a large field with long, green grass and a tree jutting out of the middle of it like a sore thumb. I can still remember what kinds of flowers would grow in that field and where they were, I guess I have a good memory. But now what I can remember most is where I was on this day; sitting under that tree with a book in my lap and a back bent over so I could read the words.

     My eyes would trace the words in the book and my mind would flip them over deliciously, relishing every word that I took in. I loved to read this way, slowly but effectively so that I enjoyed the whole book, instead of just the key points in it.

     I was in, what some would call, the climax of the book and I was sucked in. I wouldn't even peel my eyes from the paper to watch a curious Snowbunny scamper across the field. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if Sloth had taken over the world and made everything turn into chocolate.

     That's probably why I didn't even hear my owner calling my name the first few times. It wasn't until I had finished a chapter and was stretching my aching back that I heard my name. I sighed, sliding a piece of paper between the crisp pages, and stood up.

     *

     The flowers in front of the light blue Neohome were exotic looking and instantly capture my attention. I still couldn't believe that I was dragged here, when I was right in the middle of a really good book.

     My owner had received information that a new family had moved in a few houses over. Being the kind person she was, she had instantly insisted that I went over to bid them welcome with a plate of green jelly.

     I pushed the doorbell before taking a step back from the house. I was impatient to get this over with, fully hoping that my owner wouldn't click with anyone else lest we'd be there for four days.

     The door opened to show a tall, red Techo. He smiled politely, "Oh. Please do come in." He stepped out of the doorway, allowing us to enter into the house.

     "I just wanted to introduce myself and my family and bring you guys some jelly," my owner said as she walked into the house, beaming at everyone she saw.

     I reluctantly followed behind her, my eyes tracing every line in the house. The front door opened up into a living room, which held three piles of boxes and a couch against one wall. On the couch were three more pets, all looking intensely bored and exhausted.

     The owner was a short girl with short brown hair and glasses perched on her nose. She looked up from unpacking one box and smiled at us. "Oh hello. Jackson why don't you take that jelly to the kitchen for her, thank you." The red Techo retrieved the jelly and disappeared into another room.

     The owner stood up, wiping dust from her pants. She sighed and held out one hand to us. "I'm Cindy and you two are?"

     "Katy and Crystal," my owner said, taking the hand and shaking it heartily. "We just wanted to welcome you guys into our neighborhood. Is there anything we can do?"

     Cindy looked around at the boxes and then shook her head, "No I don't think so. Most of our stuff was lost in the fire. That's why we moved here, our other Neohome is being rebuilt after a fire went through it."

     By now Cindy and my owner had moved to the kitchen, chatting to each other about whatever owners chat about. I sighed, pushing back my fur from my eyes and then shaking my head.

     I suddenly became aware of the three pets on the couch, all staring at me. I became my shy self. My back curved into a slouch, my head sunk a bit, my eyes lowered to the floor, and my blue tail curled around my large, Zafara feet.

     "What's your name?" asked one, the oldest of the three if I had to guess and a blue Gelert. "Is it Katy or Crystal?"

     "Crystal," I muttered, taking a step back from the three. "I'm Crystal."

     "I'm Paige. This is Kylie and Bailey," she jutted her thumb at the two beside her. The smallest one (a pink Kacheek) waved at me and smiled.

     I gave a half-hearted wave back and forced myself to give a small grin. "Nice to meet you."

     "I think you and Bailey would be good friends," Paige said, beaming at me, her white teeth glinting in the light. "Go on. Go play."

     Bailey got up and skipped over to me. She grabbed my thin arms in her little fingers and pulled me to the door. She was about a head shorter than me with the energy of a Wind Up Bouncing Hasee. Her brown eyes twinkled as she pulled me out the door, much against my own will. She was odd and I knew right away that I would hate her, especially since she liked to skip and jump so much.

     I tugged my arm out of her grip when we got outside. "I don't want to play," I muttered angrily, feeling fed up. I could walk home if I had to but I wouldn't play with this crazy Kacheek.

     The Kacheek looked at the ground. "Then who will be my friend? My friends are all at Mystery Island with our burnt down house. Can't I be your friend until they fix it?"

     I was starting to feel agitated. I looked at her pathetic looking face, her eyes that could melt an ice cube and her short, pink figure that made her look really strange next to my tall blue one. I sighed and then shrugged my shoulders, hating myself for being so sentimental. "Just until they fix it."

     *

     One Year Later…

     The doorbell echoed through our house. I was in my bedroom trying on new outfits and applying makeup to my face. My heart started to beat faster as I heard footsteps run up our stairs. My mirror was positioned so that if anybody walked into my room I could see them. I looked behind me in the mirror and saw my door open. In the doorway was a beaming pink Kacheek.

     "Hey Bailey!" I peeped, beaming back at her as I stood up. She gasped and grabbed me on the shoulders.

     "Crystal! Are you wearing makeup?" She studied my face intently, her eyes beaming at me as she said this.

     I nodded, feeling my face start to heat up. "It's a special occasion." I looked down at the floor before looking back into her bright, brown eyes.

     "You look so pretty!" she said with a slight coo in her voice. "Really, you do."

     I pulled my shoulders from her grip before saying playfully, "You're such a liar." I rubbed my face self-cautiously before smiling at her. "When are we leaving?"

     "In just a minute. I just wanted to tell you something." Her smile slipped from her lips and she looked at the ground in front of her. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. I felt my smile slipped too as my heart became heavy with sadness for whatever was ailing my best friend.

     I slipped an arm around her and hugged her gently. "What's wrong?" I asked quietly, feeling my heart start to beat faster with dread. Something bad was going to happen, and I knew it.

     She looked up into my eyes, a tear sliding down her cheek and falling to the ground below. "I'm moving."

     The whole world seemed to crash around me. I could only see her tears as my own vision became blurred with tears. "Moving?" I muttered faintly, my voice shaking. My lip began to tremble as I took a step back from her.

     She nodded, tears splashing onto the floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She stepped towards me, beginning to give me a hug.

     Seeing your whole world fall from around you is probably the most mind-numbing experience ever. I could only hear two words, "No Bailey," as tears dripped from my eyes. This was cruel. To be given a friend only to have her snatched away again and taken off somewhere else.

     I pulled from her embrace and ran out the door. I raced down the stairs, tears streaming from my eyes as I ignored her pleas for me to stop. I pushed the front door open and raced out into the world. The wind blew at my face, stinging me for a split second before calming down. I raced blindly, just trying to get away. The feeling of becoming free overcame me and I felt more tears press to the front of my eyes.

     My foot became entangled in a large root and I fell to the ground below. I curled up in a furry ball and sobbed, my whole frame shaking. I didn't want Bailey to leave, I didn't want to go back to being alone with only books to comfort me.

     An arm touched my back, surprising me. I looked up to see Bailey, also having her fair share of tears. "Get up Crystal." She pulled me to my feet. "You can still write me and visit me."

     I nodded, wiping my tears away with my paws. "Yes," I sighed. "I will, every day."

     The wind blew through, brushing the blossoms off the trees to the world below. "Look," Bailey said, smirking. "Pink snow."

     I looked around. The delicate blossoms did look like pink tinted snow at that moment. Even though I knew I was being silly, I laughed aloud and threw my head back to catch the snowflakes. She giggled as she did the same, grasping my paws in her paws.

     If you could have seen us it would have looked so strange. A tall Zafara and a short Kacheek twirling in circles with their paws entwined. The wind ruffled their fur and sent new bursts of pink blossoms on them. They had their heads facing up towards the sky, their eyes open and brimming with tears. The dancing snowflakes washed their tears away, sending away their fears.

     "Let's go to the concert," Bailey said when it was all over. "Let's have the best night ever." All I could do was nod.

     *

     It's been two years since that evening so long ago. I still sit on my wooden porch, staring out into the field where Bailey and I had danced under the tree. A smile crosses my face as I read her most recent letter. A surprise? Much like Bailey.

     My eyes look over the top of the page and the paper flutters to the floor, my hands are needed to wipe away tears. In front of me stands a familiar pink Kacheek with a large grin across her face.

     "Hey Crystal," she waves at me. "Are you wearing make up?"

     I laugh and nod, getting up to greet her. "Let me guess? I look so pretty? You always were a liar." She laughs and shakes her head slowly.

     "Want to go dance?" Bailey asks, a teasing twinkle in her deep brown eyes.

     If you look out now you can probably see us, two friends dancing under a tree, giggling. We twirl and cry but you cannot see our tears for the pink snow comes and washes them away.

The End