Mother's Balloon: Part Twelve

     Reyela ran into the wind, her bare feet sinking into the moist ground with every lunging step she took. She had left the Worthingtons' house in such a hurry that she had forgotten to put on her shoes. She supposed they would always have them now. They could keep them at their front door, and look at them from time to time in remembrance of the girl whom's heart they won, and then tore apart with their lies and hidden truths exposed. Why had they not told her they didn't like her from the start? And how could she have been so stupid as to not have noticed herself?

     She knew they didn't like her father. Every one of them had made comments on separate occasions implying they didn't think he was a good enough parent. It had gotten to the point where Reyela no longer wanted to talk about her father in front of them, because she was afraid of what they might say. Little did she know that it was not what she said about her father that made them think he was a negligent, but the way she behaved toward her fellow Neopians. They thought he must have been a derelict because his daughter was a monster. An unruly child, ill-tempered and wild. And the worst part of it was, they were right.

     She knew she was angry. Perhaps she was even angry all the time, as Hannah had said. But she had every reason to be angry. Her father was absent, her mother was gone, and she now realized there was no place in Neopia where she was safe. For there could be no place safer, warmer or more like a home than the Worthington farm, and even here she had been betrayed. And it was her fault. It was all her fault.

     There was nothing wrong with Neopia, or the neopets who lived in it. It was her there was something wrong with. It was Reyela.

     All her life she had done nothing but turn people away. Her friends disliked her, her own father wanted nothing to do with her. When she used to ask her father where her mother had gone, he would say she went on a business trip to accomplish something terribly important. Why she couldn't have brought her along with her, she never understood, until now. For eight years her mother had spent every moment of her time with her, and finally she decided she couldn't take any more. She wanted to leave her. She chose to leave.

     Reyela didn't know what to do. She could go on to Brightvale City and make a new life for herself, or she could go in the opposite direction and see what there was for her to find. It didn't matter where she went. No matter what, she would never find her place, for her place was nowhere. She had half the mind to lay down on the grass, and not move for the rest of her life...

     But when she heard the wind chimes, she knew she had to keep going. She was breathless and panting heavily, but the chimes pulled her forward. Once and for all she was determined to find out where the sound was coming from.

     "Mother."

     Reyela followed the sound over the hills and down the stream. The faster she ran the more exhausted she became. The more the sweat dripped down her forehead and the more her feet became caked in mud. For as far as she ran, the ghostly song did not get any louder or quieter. It kept a steady volume, echoey yet strong, sad but enchanting, immaterial but there. It rang through Reyela's ears like a symphony, and took over her mind like a flame of desire that could not be put out unless satisfied. But then suddenly, the sound began to die.

     "Don't leave me, Mother." the red Draik cried weakly. "Don't go away again. I can't find you. I can't find you!"

     Where the stream widened into the Mallard pond, the ground was especially saturated and slippery. At the water's edge, Reyela lost her footing and slid on her stomach in the silken mud.

     "Ohh..." she moaned in frustration and despair. And as she lamented, the chimes continued to fade until the siren song's last note was sung. The wind chimes had vanished, and all that remained was the sound of the mallards, quacking and splashing and playing little games on the surface of the water.

     Letting out a final whimper, Reyela laid her head down on the ground, allowing her face to sink into the mud. She had resigned herself, and was prepared to lay there for the rest of her life. Her only hope was that the mud would one day build up around and consume her, or that the little waves of the pond would someday rise and wash her away.

     "I'm never moving." she swore a solemn oath to herself. "Not ever."

     But after a short while, she pulled herself up, and crawled on her knees to the edge of the pond. She dipped her hands in the water and splashed her face and neck. The water was cold and sent shivers down her spine.

     "Stupid Medis." she muttered, remembering this morning when the Kougra had hidden himself in the pond. She had been so worried about him. It was a miracle he didn't succumb to neomonia then and there, that foolish boy...

     The evening sun shone through the grey as Reyela sat perfectly still at the edge of the pond, watching the baby Mallards and their mother. One of the littlest Mallards must have been daydreaming while the rest of its flock was migrating to the other side of the pond. It absentmindedly wandered away from its family, and ended up in a bed of reeds that was as tricky to escape as the Worthingtons' corn field. It fluttered and quacked and made noises of distress until Charlie, its mother, came to rescue it, followed by all five of the little Mallard's brothers and sisters.

     Reyela sighed as she beheld the happy reunion. She was glad for the Mallard that its family had come back for it, but in her secret heart she would have been equally satisfied if they had left it behind, to be trapped in the reeds forever and ever. Petpets were better than neopets, that was for certain...

     Suddenly there was a noise, like a twig cracking under the weight of someone's foot. Reyela's head snapped back, and there was Medis, panting like he had just run a marathon, walking slowly up behind her.

     "Hey." he said softly. "I thought I might find you here."

     Without as much as a greeting, Reyela turned her back. But not before the Kougra had noticed the dirt that was drying on the front of her body.

     "Reyela!" he cried out. "What happened to you?"

     "Well, that's a stupid question, isn't it?" she said calmly, her eyes focused on something far across the pond. "What hasn't happened to me? Don't sit down. Your clothes will get all dirty, and then you'll look like me."

     Medis heeded not Reyela's warning. He sat down beside her at the edge of the pond. He knew when he got up he would have mud all over his backside, but that was all right with him. Some people were worth getting mud on your bum for.

     "What are you doing here?" Reyela asked, her gaze still fixed on the water before her.

     "I live here. This is my family's property." said Medis, in reference to an earlier conversation. Reyela continued to stare, and Medis heaved a silent sigh.

     "Reyela, I know it looks to you like my family was talking behind your back, and you're right, we were. But it was only because we were worried about you. We wanted to know what kind of place you were coming from. What you've said about your father... I don't know, I guess we just got the wrong impression. I'm sure he's a wonderful man..."

     "He is, Medis." Reyela spoke suddenly. "But he isn't a father. Your pa is what a father is supposed to be. My father... It's like he doesn't even know me."

     "How could he not know you?" Medis said as more of a statement than a question. "How could someone who's watched you grow up, who's been there for every birthday and holiday, who cooks for you and provides for you, and who's taken care of you all your life not know you?"

     "You don't understand." Reyela looked at the Kougra with despairing eyes. "We can be sitting in the same room together, and it's like," she sighed wistfully. "It's like we're not."

     A lone Horus hooted somewhere in the distance. Didn't it know it was too early for it to be out? The dark clouds must have fooled it into believing it was later than it actually was.

     "Reyela, when you're sitting in the same room as your father, and you're father's not talking to you, what do you do? Do you ever try to start a conversation yourself?"

     The red Draik pondered this for a moment. Perhaps she was searching for the right words to use. "No," was the word she decided on. "I can never think of the right things to say."

     "And when your father comes home from work at night, and neither one of you are doing much of anything, do you ever ask him to play a game with you? Or tell you a story, or... go for a walk or something?"

     "No." Reyela replied hesitantly.

     "Why?"

     "I suppose I've always been scared to." she admit for the first time, to the Kougra and to herself.

     "I'd imagine it's the exact same case with your father."

     Reyela's eyes opened wide. She had never considered this before. "What do you mean?"

     "You were really close to your mother, weren't you? She did everything for you, and you did everything together, am I right?"

     The red Draik nodded. "Mm-hm."

     "It sounds to me like you and your mother were so close that you and your father never had the chance to form a proper bond." Medis placed his hand gently on Reyela's shoulder. "Do you think that could be true?"

     When Reyela turned to him again, Medis was alarmed to see that the girl was crying.

     "What am I supposed to do, Medis?"she said in a sudden fit of sobs. "What am I supposed to say to someone I've barely spoken to my entire life?"

     "Well," Medis thoughtfully ran his hand through his tuft of hair. "You cold start by telling him you love him. My parents tell my brothers and sisters and I all the time. If you tell him you love him, maybe it'll make him less scared to talk to you and start acting like a father."

     Batting the tears away from her eyes, Reyela looked up to the sky. "If only I knew my father loved me. If I could just know, that would make everything so much easier."

     "He does love you, Reyela." the Kougra insisted."I promise you. But you have to try."

     Reyela wrinkled her nose. "What do you mean 'try'?"

     "I mean you have to show him you care about him. You have to put forth the effort Reyela." He picked up a small, smooth stone and tried to skip it in the pond. It didn't skip but rather sunk, sending glimmering ripples out in every which direction. "There was once an old Moehog lady who sat outside a grocery store, begging for spare change. Many Neopians came and went from that store, and most of them passed the old Moehog by. Some of them flat-out ignored her when she asked for their neopints; They were not generous people, and were not willing to give up their money so easily. Some neopets ignored her because they did not believe she was truly poor, and then some neopets looked at the Moehog — They saw her and passed her by. Some smiled, or gave sympathetic nods, but they would not give her any change, possibly because they felt awkward, or possibly because they didn't want to accept the fact that there were less fortunate people out there, who had been humbled down to nothing and were forced to beg for neopoints to stay alive.

     Now, in a carriage close by was a young girl, a pink Kacheek who was waiting for her mother to come out of the grocery store. The Kacheek girl saw the Moehog and wanted to give her something, but she had no money of her own, and her mother had taken her neopoints into the store to buy food for her family. So the Kacheek began to search the carriage. She searched high and low in the hopes of finding spare change to give to the Moehog. When she found nothing she started to cry, and the Moehog lady saw her and asked why she was crying. The Kacheek told her it was because she had wanted to give her some neopoints, but she had none. When the Moehog heard this, she smiled and told her she had given her more than any other neopet had.

     'Your kindness will keep me warm tonight, and your compassion has made me full.'

     That's what the old Moehog said to the Kacheek." Medis shrugged his shoulders and tossed another pebble into the pond. "All you've gotta do is try, Reyela." he told her. "Show your daddy you care about him, and it'll be worth it in the end. You just have to try, Reyela."

     Whether it was the message the Kougra was conveying to her, or the way he spoke to her with such kindness, compassion and empathy, Medis' words meant more to Reyela than any she had ever heard before. They penetrated the wall that had formed around her hardened heart. And though she wanted to laugh, she found herself crying harder. Medis put his arm around her, and Reyela sobbed into his shoulder, inhaling deeply the scent of hay and friendship that was not and could not be broken.

     They stayed that way until the sun had sunken below the tips of the pine trees. Realizing how late it had gotten, Medis proposed they return to the house.

     "I know it's been tough for you. Tougher than any of my family could ever understand." He gave her his hand, and helped her get up off the slippery ground. "You've gotta believe me when I say they didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm not asking you to forgive them, but I know it would mean the world to them if you'd see them one last time."

     Reyela looked across the pond at Charlie and her six precious children. It was supper time for them apparently, and they sat in a row pecking treats off the surface of the water, in a huddle of green and white, all together.

     "I'll go back with you Medis, only I'd be surprised if your family ever wanted to see me again. I've been so horrible, and I shouldn't think they would like me showing my face in their house again."

     "That's nonsense!" the boy exclaimed in almost a laugh. "Everyone's so worried about you. And besides, we're gonna be eating cake soon. You don't wanna miss out on chocolate birthday cake, do you?"

     "No." she smiled. "Absolutely not."

     Medis grinned Reyela's favourite impish grin. "Come on, let's go back."

     The red Draik waved goodbye to the mallards before turning to leave with Medis. One of the babies looked right at her and quacked. Reyela was sure it was the one who had been left behind in the reeds.

     Just as Medis had promised, the Worthingtons were all very happy to see her.

     "I'm sorry, Reyela!" Bettina ran to the Draik and embraced her as soon as she walked in the door.

     Hannah did a double take as if she were seeing an apparition. "You're back." She brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes as if she couldn't believe what she saw. "I can't believe you're back!"

     Mrs. Worthington practically crushed her in her arms. "Reyela, thank goodness! We were just about to form a search party for you and Medis. We were so afraid!"

     Caleb looked as though he wanted to hug her as well, but when he noticed her filthy clothes he decided against it. "Sweet Fyora, why are you covered in mud?"

     "I slipped." she admit, rather sheepishly.

     "It's soggy out there." added Medis, backing her up.

     When Mr. Worthington caught Medis' eye, he nodded as if to say 'congratulations'.

     "I don't know what you said to that girl," he would say later that night, when all was said and done. "But whatever you said it must have been just what she needed to hear. I'm very proud of you, son."

     When apologies had been exchanged, and a sigh of relief seemed to fall over the room, it was decided that it was time for birthday cake, as Reyela would be leaving soon. The kitchen lights were turned off, happy birthday was sung, and a beautifully iced chocolate cake was placed on the table — One that Reyela was shocked to see had more than one name written on it.

     "Happy birthday Bettina and Reyela?" she read aloud, so overcome with happiness that she felt certain she was either going to burst into laughter or tears.

     Yes, the 'happy birthday Bettina' was written in a candy pink, and the words 'and Reyela' were written in yellow.

     "Fantastic job on the icing there, hon." Mr. Worthington elbowed his wife in the arm.

     "Ow! I hope it doesn't look like you were an afterthought, Reyela. It would have all been done in one colour, but somebody couldn't keep his dirty fingers outta the icing."

     "I-- I don't know what to say." Reyela stuttered. "You've all been so kind to me. Bettina, what would make you want to share your birthday cake with me?"

     "Well, you didn't get a proper birthday of your own." explained Bettina. "It wasn't my idea though — It was Hannah's. I have a surprise for you too, though!"

     "First you have to both make a wish." Caleb reminded.

     "Yeah!" Hannah clasped her hands together with excitement. "Make a wish and on the count of three, you both blow at the same time."

     So Bettina and Reyela made their wishes. They held hands and blew just as hard as they could, and they watched as the fifteen candles —five for Bettina and ten for Reyela —flickered once and then went out. It was a perfect moment in time. Neither girl ever shared what they wished for that day, on that autumn evening that would be remembered for years to come, but one can only speculate that they both had something to do with the people that were around them. The ones who whistled and cheered when the fifteen candles went out.

     "This is nice, isn't it?" Bettina sighed contentedly, leaning back in her chair after finishing her cake.

     Reyela could only nod, as her mouth was full, but Bettina knew she agreed. This was absolute ecstasy.

     "Well then," said Mrs. Worthington, when everyone was finished their cake. "How 'bout you get started on those presents, Bettina?"

     "Open the big one first!" instructed Hannah. "Start with the biggest and work your way down to the smallest."

     "Wait!" Bettina put up her hand like a crossing guard at a crosswalk. "There's something I have to do first."

     She leaned forward, and whispered something in her father's ear.

     "I put it in your room." he answered cryptically.

     "Okay." Without an explanation, Bettina galloped out of the room. "I'll be right back." the Usul yelled over her shoulder. "Don't start without me!" she warned, causing everyone to giggle.

     The minutes ticked past and Bettina did not return. Some of them had second thoughts about waiting for her to open her gifts.

     "I have no idea what that small one is." Caleb thought aloud, picking up a tiny square box and shaking it next to his ear. "Can I just take off the lid and see what it is?"

     "No Caleb." his mother frowned, prying the box out of his hand.

     "Can you just tell me what it is then?"

     At about that moment, Bettina came sliding into the kitchen, holding a large pink cylindrical box tied on top with a white bow, in both hands.

     "Here," she said breathlessly, setting it down on the table in front of Reyela. "This is for you."

     "For me?" Reyela looked from Bettina, to Mrs. Worthington, to Mr. Worthington, to the children. "Is it a present for me to open?"

     "Yes!" Bettina squealed, unable to contain her excitement any longer. "Open it up! Open it up!"

     Reyela felt the silky ribbon between her finger and her thumb. She held onto one of the dangling ends and pulled, untying the bow. She lifted the lid off the box, and the first things she saw were two furry ears. Inserting her hands, she carefully removed a china Usul doll, identical to Bettina's but with green fur around its neck instead of yellow. Reyela held the doll to her bosom, so tightly it could have broken in her arms.

     "Thank you." she said profoundly, overwhelmed with gratitude and joy."Thank you all, so much. I shall treasure her forever."

     "Oh, what a pretty doll!" Mrs. Worthington declared. "She looks just like Liza! Where did you get her? And how?"

     "Bettina bought her with her own money, didn't you Betty?" said Caleb.

     "Caleb helped to buy her too!" Bettina gleamed. "It was real hard to keep it a secret. She's been up in the hayloft since yesterday."

     "The hayloft?" Hannah questioned. "I thought you saw a Reptillior in the hayloft yesterday."

     "She must'a scared the Reptillior off, eh Bettina?" Medis winked.

     "So, what are you gonna call her?" Bettina asked, hoping to stray from the subject of the hayloft. "You have to give her a name, and then she can be your baby, or you can be sisters like Liza and me."

     Reyela studied the doll up and down, as if she were trying to come up with the perfect name. Really she had known what she was going to call her from the moment she unwrapped her. "I believe I will call her Betty, after you, Bettina. My real life sister."

     Bettina's eyes lit up with elation, gratification and surprise. "Am I really your sister, Reyela?"

     "Yes," she replied. "You are all my brothers and sisters. I can't thank you enough for everything you've given me. I really hope that someday I can repay you."

     "That's nonsense, Reyela." Mr. Worthington put his hand on the red Draik's shoulder. "We were just helping a neighbour in need."

     "You will always be welcome here, Reyela." said Mrs. Worthington. "If you're ever back this way again, our doors will always be open to you."

     Bettina opened her presents with the help of her brothers, and sisters. When the gift box lids were off, and the table was strewn with wrapping paper, she ended up with a jigsaw puzzle, a skipping rope, a little pink purse and two matching sweaters: One for herself and one for Liza. Liza tried on her sweater immediately, even though Bettina warned her it would be much too warm for the fall. The jigsaw puzzle was opened as well, and it became a family project to try to put the two-hundred-piece nightmare together.

     Reyela was not much use at jigsaw puzzles. All the pieces looked the same to her, and just when she thought she had put two pieces together, there would be a knob on the wrong side, or a hole too much this way and not enough that way. It was altogether quite distressing, and more painful still was the knowledge that at any minute there could be a knock at the door, and Bill would be there to take her to the city. To take her home.

     "I'm surprised he isn't here by now." Mrs. Worthington remarked."The sun's already going down. If he doesn't come soon, you'll be getting there at midnight."

     "Medis, I hate to bother you," Reyela ventured when Mrs. Worthington finished. "I was... I was just wondering if you would take me to see Jimmy one last time before I go."

     Medis put down his puzzle piece and turned to his mother."Could we, Ma?"

     The mother Yurble gave an understanding nod. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea."

     They went out the back door, even though it made the long walk to the barn a little longer still. The rain had long stopped, and the wet ground was starting to dry, but Reyela and Medis walked as slowly as they could. The wind had picked up since they were last outside, but the breeze favoured them, and it blew in the direction they were going and seemed to carry them along.

     And the two friends talked as they walked. They talked about Jimmy, they talked about apples, and they reminisced the fun they had over the two and a half days that had felt like a lifetime. To Reyela they felt like cherished old memories. She hoped she would never forget them, for as long as she lived.

     "I'm jealous of you, Medis." the Draik confessed as they followed the winding path over a hill and into a dip. "You're always so happy, and I know you have your family to be thankful for, but I'm sure you must have some problems. I know how poor your family is. Aren't you afraid you're going to run out of neopoints one day?"

     "Well sure." said the Kougra casually. "I guess it's always a thought that's in the back of our minds. But doesn't everyone have a terrible thought that lingers at the back of their mind? People make the mistake of spending too much time thinking 'bout things they're worried about." He stretched, and put his hands behind his head as he walked. "It's silly, when you think about it. Some people spend their whole lives worrying that something bad is gonna happen in the future. But what are they really worried about? Basically that one day their lives are gonna be unhappy. But aren't they unhappy already if they've been worrying all their lives? People don't make any sense."

     Reyela laughed. Once again, his simple logic was absolutely right.

     "The problem with most Neopians is that they don't realize how happy they are, or how happy they should be. Even the pets who have nothing going for them. Even they have tons to be happy about."

     "Like what?" Medis realized that Reyela's gaze was fixed intently on him. Her brown eyes were sparkling with attentiveness and interest. It made the biscuit Kougra shrug his shoulders bashfully. "Things like how the sky is blue, and the grass is green, and the leaves turn different colours in the fall." He grinned. "Imagine if Neopia had been created in black and white. Or imagine if your eyes couldn't see colour, or if they didn't work at all."

     Reyela did not laugh this time, or say anything at all. Two days ago, or yesterday, or even earlier today she would have called him ridiculous. But at this moment she understood him. For the first time ever, she felt she knew the secrets of the world. And what a wonderful world it was! What a wonderful world it was.

     Suddenly Medis did something that caught Reyela completely off guard. He started to whistle. He whistled the same song from yesterday — The song that her mother used to sing when she was doing household chores. It was a peaceful and fanciful tune, and Medis whistled it perfectly. It sounded just the same as when her mother used to sing it, and though Reyela's talents were a far cry from Medis', she couldn't help but join in. They walked side by side, whistling to the beat of their footsteps, and the howling of the wind.

     Before long they had come to another grassy hill. From afar off Reyela recognized it as the hill where she had landed —The hill where the balloon had left her when she first arrived at the Worthington farm. She remembered how appalled she had been when she realized the green land she was floating over was a farm. She remembered being lowered to the earth, and trying to stand after hours of being airborne, and the way her legs felt like jelly, and how she fell on her knees in the soft grass. She remembered the resentment she felt toward the balloon as she watched it disappear into the sky... She wished she hadn't treated it so unkindly. She hadn't known it at the time, but the purple balloon had been a blessing in disguise. She wished she could have thanked it...

     Reyela wondered where the balloon had ever gone. Had it floated off to take another lonely girl or boy to a place where they could be truly happy? It could have been, but she had an odd feeling. An odd, unfounded feeling that the balloon had come only for her...

     And then,

     "Reyela, look!"

     Medis was the first to spot it. On top of the hill, in the exact place Reyela had landed was the purple balloon, hanging miraculously in midair, just as the first time Reyela had seen it. The wind blasted against it, but the balloon remained still, true to its place as if it were a statue, or if it were frozen in time. Even its silver string didn't dance in the breeze, but remained motionless as if it were a calm summer day. It was waiting for her. She was sure it was waiting for her.

     "Where'd it come from? And how is it doing that?" Medis gaped at the mysterious floating object.

     "Medis," Reyela's eyes lingered for a brief moment on her friend, and then she turned abruptly and began to climb up the hill.

     "Where are you going?" he shouted after her.

     "I think it's time for me to leave."

     "But Bill isn't even here yet..."

     "It looks like I'll be getting my own ride home."

     Medis caught hold of her hand. He stepped in front of her, and again, their eyes locked. "Reyela, what are you talking about? What in Neopia is going' on?"

     "Medis," Reyela took his other hand in hers. She squeezed them gently. "Remember when you asked me if I had flown here, and I said no? Well, that was a lie."

     Medis looked flabbergasted. "Why didn't you tell us? Not that it matters, but--"

     "I didn't fly here with my wings, Medis." she cautiously confessed. "I couldn't tell you before because I didn't think you would believe me. To tell you the truth, I didn't know if I believed it myself..."

     Reyela was trying her very best to look happy, but the pain and confusion in the Kougra's face was too much for her to bare. "I'm sorry." she sniffed, tears starting to trickle down her face. "Say goodbye to your family for me. Bettina, and Caleb, and everyone."

     "So you're meaning to tell me that you're going home... On this balloon?" All at once, the look of affliction on Medis' face was replaced by a look of wonder. The purple balloon was shining in his eyes, as was the extraordinary girl who had flown a thousand miles in its windswept clutch.

     "I know I'll be safe." she promised him. "This balloon is magic. It knew enough to bring me here, it can take me home as well. But I'll never forget you, Medis. You're my best friend."

     The setting sun cast its golden glow upon the red Draik and biscuit Kougra as the two children shared a short embrace.

     "Don't go." Medis pleaded, a very desperate and last minute request.

     "I have to go, Medis." said Reyela. "I have to know if my father loves me."

     "Will you be able to hold on with that thing?" he motioned to the china Usul doll that was tucked under her arm. She hadn't put her down since she had unwrapped her. Betty had already become as a part of her body.

     "I'll be fine." Reyela assured him. "I don't think I shall ever put her down."

     "Will I see you again?"

     Reyela did not know the answer to this, so she said the first thing that came to mind. "Promise you'll see me every time you eat a green apple, or sit by the Mallard pond, or come to this hill."

     "I'll see you when I do all those things." the Kougra vowed. "Hey, after this, I'll probably be watching for you every time the wind blows."

     The wind was blowing now. It tousled the Draik's chestnut hair, and gave her a gentle push toward the balloon, telling her it was time to leave. She thanked Medis one final time, and held on tightly to the balloon's silver string. As she rose into the air, she shouted goodbye, and watched through tearful eyes as the biscuit Kougra started to shrink into the distance. A faint sound met her ears: A voice from far away. Medis was trying to tell her something.

     "I can't hear you!" Reyela shouted back, nearly losing her grip on the balloon.

     He called out again, but Reyela could not hear him. The higher she rose, the more muffled his words became, until his voice was completely inaudible, and the tiny brown dot she was holding onto had completely disappeared.

     Clutching her little doll close to her heart, Reyela wept as she floated higher and higher into the sky. She was enveloped in the warm yellow glow of twilight, but the crepuscular light gave no comfort to her. Then the sound of her falling tears turned into the sound of wind chimes.

     Reyela closed her eyes and smiled. She didn't know the location of where the sound was coming from, but she knew it was coming from her mother. Whether she lived on in another place and was sending her a message, or whether it was only her imagination, she would never know, in all the days of her life. But she would always remember the hauntingly beautiful sound of the wind chimes, and the time that she spent at the Worthington farm.

     She would always remember her journey home that night, when the sky was clear and everything seemed a deep cobalt blue. The crescent moon and plethora of stars lit her way through the dark of night, and Reyela was sure she tasted stardust in her mouth, that had fallen from space, and landed on her eager tongue. It tasted like icing sugar, and it put even the sweetness of the clouds to shame.

     Reyela would never for as long as she lived forget the morning when the purple balloon returned her home. It was early, and the sun had not yet risen. The first grey light of dawn was upon the plain where she lived, and there was a kind of mist in the air she could feel the minute her feet touched the ground.

     As soon her feet were both flat on the ground, Reyela fell on her knees in the grass. Her doll landed on the grass in front of her, and she quickly picked her up. She brushed her off, checking for any cracks or chips in her china face and hands. When she turned around, the balloon was already starting to rise back into the air. There was not a single cloud in the sky that morning, so Reyela watched the purple dot until it disappeared into the dawn, and was swallowed up by the heavens, never to be seen again.

     "Thank you." the scarlet Draik whispered to the sky. "Wherever you are."

     The balloon had let her down a bit of a ways from her cottage house. When Reyela felt she was capable, she pulled herself up and started for home. She knew exactly where she was: By the stream, beside the stepping stones, where the balloon had picked her up. The usually murky water sparkled in the early sunlight. Reyela followed the stream to the back of her house. She could have climbed in through a window, but something persuaded her to try the door.

     It was locked, which was understandable for the time of morning. She knew her father was asleep, but for some reason, she knocked anyway. She straightened her dress, boosted Betty in her arm, and she waited. In a moment she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the door. She held her breath, the door swung open, and she was face to face with a green Draik who had the same brown eyes as her own.

     "Hi." The simple word of greeting was all that Reyela could muster.

     "Reyela." Her father stared for a second, and then he clasped her in his arms. "Reyela. My Reyela."

     "Father."

     They fell to the floor, her father wept and she did too, and Reyela knew for certain that her father loved her.

     "Reyela, I'm so sorry, I was away for your tenth birthday. I know you were hoping I'd take you to Brightvale City." The green Draik brushed a straggling piece of hair out of his daughter's eyes. "Is that where you went?"

     "No, Father. But I was at a castle, with the fourth earl of Brightvale." Reyela bit her tongue. It would be difficult to explain where she had been for the past few days. Of course she would tell her father, but she didn't feel this was the time.

     "I'm sorry I woke you." she offered instead.

     "I was already awake. I've barely slept since the day you went away. When I came home that day and found you gone, I thought I would never see you again."

     A gentle breeze blew over the plain. It rustled the autumn leaves and made the tall grass dance for joy. Hanging from the porch was an old set of wind chimes. Its dull metal pieces swayed back and forth in the wind, and when two chimed together it made the most perfect sound.

     "They've been ringing ever since your birthday." her father told her. "It's the strangest thing, that after all this time they should make a sound."

     "I think it's Mother trying to tell us that she's still here." said Reyela. "Some things should be forgotten. But some things shouldn't be."

     "Yes, Reyela." her father mused. "Yes, I think you might be right."

     They stood on the front porch and watched the sun come up, just as they would come to do every morning before Reyela's father went to work. It was the first of many traditions they would start, and also the start of a new-found happiness for a man who had thought all was lost, and his daughter who had returned to him on a purple balloon.

     The End.

     He sat by himself at the top of the hill, gazing at the cerulean sky. It was as if he thought that if he stared long enough he might see her, floating back to his family's farm in the same way she had left. Sometimes he would think he had seen her in the sky. He imagined her silhouette coming out from behind a cloud. She was holding onto the purple balloon, and her sky-coloured dress would be blowing out behind her...

     Sometimes he could swear he heard her laughter in the wind. It was the will of the wind she had come to him, and the will of the wind she had gone. Medis wondered if he would ever see his dear friend again. She would never know how she had changed his life, and for as long as the wind blew, he would never forget her.

     For as long as the wind blew, he would never forget her.