by Yuriko Hime
“But I don’t understand why here.” She was confused. “I don’t remember this place. But somehow it’s familiar. Have we been here before?” She swallowed. “Have I?”
I placed my hand on her cheek tenderly. “Yes, you’ve been here before. It was a long time ago, back when we were kids. Don’t you remember this? Don’t you remember me?”
She was lost. “I don’t.”
I offered a hand to her when I was back on my feet. “Let me help you.”
“With what?” She was hesitant as she stood.
“It’s about time that you remember Dulce.” I walked ahead of her, feeling a combination of depression and euphoria. Sadness because my father refused to tell me who I was, and happiness because Dulce would finally understand why I never told her anything. It was a bittersweet mixture. I didn’t know if my body and soul could handle it one more minute.
Just as I was about to take another step, I heard Dulce yelling my name. I turned to her and saw everything in slow motion. Her eyes were frantic as she slipped on a rock. Her arms shot forward as if trying to grasp something that wasn’t there. Her hair fluttered softly in the wind, so beautiful and horrific at the same time. Finally, I noticed her lips saying my name in a silent scream as she tumbled down below.
Chapter 26. Back To You
Dulce
The last thing I remembered before gravity pulled me down was seeing Glace’s eyes and gorgeous features. Her face that was typically calm was showing an expression of complete dread. Her eyes were wide with panic. She tried running to me but was unable to grasp my hand. And then everything went dark.
It seemed like eternity when I finally opened my eyes again. My mom was leaning down to me in total panic. “Dulce!” she screamed, her usually soft voice distorted by fear. “Just stay put honey. Don’t move.” Mom ran as fast as she could away from me, while I stared at the darkening clouds. Wetness hit my cheek. It started to drizzle. Great.
Mom was funny. She told me not to move when all I wanted was to do that. The problem was I couldn’t, and with each passing second, I was getting more and more scared with the fact that I wasn’t able to. She came back a few minutes later with two men at her side. “Dulce sweetie,” she said in a phony calm voice. “The men will carry you okay? Try to stay as still as possible.”
I didn’t reply, watching uselessly as the bearded men wearing ugly orange overalls tried to haul me over their arms. Unbearable pain shot up my legs. “Noooo!! Stop it please. It’s painful!” The voice that came out of my mouth was barely recognizable. It was high pitched and small. A child’s voice. Glancing to my mom in panic, I noticed for the first time that she looked different. Younger somehow.
“I know it's painful Dulce, but you have to bear with it. We called for an ambulance already. It will take them a few minutes to get here. We need to get you out of the rain sweetheart.” At her instruction, the men moved me up again.
“Don’t!” I cried. They continued with their action against my will.
A strong sense of déjà vu overwhelmed me when I glanced back at the place where I have fallen. Somewhere, somehow, this has happened before. The hill looked awfully familiar. So were the tombstones that lined the cemetery. And then it dawned on me. Something occurred before this. Something important.
Concentrating hard, I found that I could move my legs. By sheer will, I let loose from the firm grip of the bearded men and stood on the grass. They didn’t seem to notice that they weren’t carrying me anymore and continued moving quickly away from me. My mom with her younger face and body went with the men, oblivious of my disappearance. It was really strange. But I didn’t mind. I needed to find out what happened before I fell off the hill.
I looked down on my hands. They were so tiny that it was almost comical. Dismissing the thought as soon as it hit me, I began to make my way to the other side of the hill where I knew I could easily climb because of the strong foothold. Why did mom and I come here again? Oh, that's right. Dad died a year ago. I insisted on going to the cemetery to visit him.
My little feet carried me upward. I was desperate to reach the top of the hill so I could look at the scenery. I conquered it after huffing and puffing. It was no small feat considering I was 7 years old. Wait. Did seven year olds even think like this? Well whatever. I had a mission. And that was to find out what that important thing was.
“Wow!” I gushed as I took in the view from the hill. “The cemetery is beautiful! I hope there are no ghosts here.” I sat on a spot and continued looking at the tombstones. It was a strange place indeed. So beautiful yet sad at the same time. A soft eerie sound made the small hair at my nape stand up. Oh my gosh. Was that a ghost? I cocked my head to the side, concentrating so I could hear the sound clearly. A few seconds passed. Someone was definitely crying.
Dusting myself from dirt, I got up from my position and slowly walked to the source of the sound. Please don’t let it be a ghost. Please don’t let it be a ghost, I prayed repeatedly. A girl about my age was crying not far off. She was seated on the grass while hugging her knees, unaware of my presence several feet above her.
She looked cute. But why was she crying? My heart protested at the sight. I decided that I had to help her, whoever she was. “Pssssst!” She didn’t look my way. “Hey you, over there.” The girl heard me and stared upward. Her eyes were red. Rimmed with tears.
“Are you a ghost?” she asked with a small hiccup.
I returned the question, my heart beating fast. “Are you?”
She had a disgruntled look on her face. “No. . .”
“Well I’m not a ghost too.” I beckoned her with my finger. “Come here.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m scared.”
“Don’t be.” I spread my arms wide. “See? It’s not scary at all. Now come here so you can see the view. It’s aweeesoooomee!”
The girl considered before she stood up, brushed herself, and shakily made her way to me. When she reached the top, she took in the view and stayed silent. She looked like she was about to cry again.
“Please don’t cry stranger,” I said, patting her shoulder. She nodded but didn’t speak. She simply chewed on her bottom lip. Wanting to make her feel better, I took her hand and ushered her to where I was sitting previously. We sat side-by-side, me in a crossed legged position while she was hugging her knees. “Why are you crying?” I asked.
She gulped before glancing at me. “Mommy died.” After saying the words, droplets of tears fell from her eyes, down to her rosy cheeks. My hands quickly found her face. I wiped it gently, softly, being as careful as I could so I wouldn’t hurt her further. The feeling of losing someone was familiar to me. After all, my dad died a year ago.
“I know what it’s like to lose someone,” I whispered.
She angrily wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “You do?” She sniffed.
“Yes. It’s my dad’s death anniversary today.” I smiled encouragingly at her. “When he died, I thought I would die too. But then mom told me that I shouldn’t be sad because dad will not like it when I’m unhappy.” I pointed to the clouds. It was dark and hinted of a coming storm, yet the drizzle has momentarily stopped. “Mom said that dead people went up there, and they can see what we’re doing.”
“They can?” she asked with a weak voice. “But when I asked daddy where mommy went, he told me that she went nowhere. He said she didn’t exist anymore.” The girl started to sob again. Her whole body shook.
Not knowing what else to do, I moved closer to the girl and hugged her. “Shhhh. . . Don’t cry. That’s not true. Your mommy is up in the sky right now, looking down on you.”
The girl snuggled to me. She grasped my pink sweater. “I’m scared of being alone.”
Poor girl, I thought, my heart breaking into tiny little shards for her. “You won’t,” I assured her. “You’ll have your dad with you.”
“But he just won't look at me.”
I stroked her dark raven hair, watching in satisfa
ction as she relaxed. I could tell that this girl has been through a lot. And her daddy was mean. “When my dad was still alive and I wanted him to notice me, I would do well in school or help my mom clean my toys so he’d be pleased. Maybe you can do that. Maybe you can do something so good that he’ll have no choice but to look at you.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged and looked at the sky, trying to figure out what she could do to make her daddy happy. “I don’t know. Maybe you can organize your toys.”
She shook her head. “We have our maid Martha to do that.”
“Or you can play an instrument,” I supplied. “My dad used to be happy when I played him the piano.”
She shook her head again. “I already played the piano for him, and he wasn’t satisfied by it.”
I sighed. “Your daddy is so picky.” I tilted her chin so we were face to face. The color of her eyes reminded me of something. “Well, what are you good at?”
She squeezed her eyes shut in concentration. When she opened it again, she had the widest smile on her face. She looked cute because of it. “Mommy said I inherited her talent for acting.” Now she had an excited expression, as if she was about to open a gift on Christmas day.
“You can be an actress!” I squealed. “Your mommy will be so happy in the sky when she sees you on TV, and your daddy will be proud of you. You’re a genius!” The girl broke the embrace and sat confidently, her small shoulders squaring. When she looked back at me, I was surprised to see her frown. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
Her shoulders slumped again. “But I’m scared to be on TV. They will laugh at me.”
“No one will laugh at you,” I said in a firm voice. “And if ever they did, I will punch them in the face. People shouldn’t laugh at people who follow their dreams.”
“You will?” A smile began to spread on her face. Her eyes twinkled at the thought.
“Yes of course. I’ll do that for you. We’re friends now right?” I offered her my right hand, urging her to shake it.
“Yes.” She shook my hand hesitantly. “But I don’t know your name. I can’t keep calling you stranger.”
I pinched her cute rosy cheeks. It was a good thing that she didn’t complain and just stared hopefully at me. Like a puppy. “I’m Dulce Gavin. What’s your name?”
“I’m Glace McKenzie,” she replied, not taking her hands off mine. She squeezed. “McKenzie is my mommy’s middle name. I don’t know why they never allowed me to use my daddy’s surname.”
“Don’t worry. I like McKenzie,” I said with a smile. “It goes well with your name.” I stared at her hand. She was still holding mine tightly. Teasing her, I brought it up and kissed it lightly.
“What was that for?” she asked, her ears turning a subtle hint of red.
“It’s for meeting you today. You made me so so soooooo happy Glace.”
She released my hand. “You made me happy too. Thank you.” She looked shyly at me.
“No problem. By the way, where is your daddy?” I glanced left and right, trying to see in the distance. No one was in sight.
“It’s my mom’s funeral.” She scratched her neck. “I kind of snuck off. The guests were annoying and dad wasn’t talking to me anyway. I figured I might as well go away. Where is your mom Dulce?”
“She’s at my father’s grave. I snuck away too. I mean, I already said hi to dad’s grave and left beautiful roses so. . .” We stared at each other mischievously. Both of us were very naughty children. Glace began to laugh, and oh, how nice her laugh was. It was like a hundred small bells tinkling together, signaling the start of something exciting. The expression on her face lighted everything, including her eyes. “You’re cute,” I said out of the blue.
She stopped laughing, her eyes dilating as she took the words in. Lowering her face shyly she said, “You’re beautiful too. You remind me of Wendy in Peter Pan.”
“I don’t want to be Wendy,” I scoffed.
Glace’s eyebrows shot up curiously. “Why?”
“Because Wendy grew up and got married to another person instead of Peter. I won’t be like that.” I stood up and ran all over the place, not an ounce of fear in me, even whilst we were on top of the hill.
“Careful!” Glace warned, standing up nervously.
I halted right in front of her. “If I find my Peter Pan, I will never let go of that person, even if I grow old.”
“What if you’re the type of Wendy who got married to Peter then?”
“That could work too.” I kissed her nose quickly. Her ears turned red again. It was a darker shade.
“So uhm.” She squatted on the ground and plucked a chunk of grass from the hill. “Can I be your Peter Pan?”
I kneeled right next to her. “You mean like that girlfriend and boyfriend thing but in this case girlfriend and girlfriend?” She cleared her throat and nodded slowly. “Sure,” I replied. “But we need to make it official.”
“What do you mean Dulce?” She sat fully on the grass now.
I took a ring from my finger. “Let’s make it official with this.” I held out my hand, asking her silently to give me hers. She obliged with a smile. “See this?” I asked as I showed her the ring. “This is our thing ok? I’m giving it to you.”
“Okay,” she said excitedly. If only she could have jumped up and down, she would have already done so.
“Do you Glace McKenzie take me Dulce Gavin as your awfully wedded girlfriend?”
“I think it says lawfully Dulce,” she mumbled.
“Shush! I’m the wife here. Don’t correct me.” I pinched my eyes at her.
“But I’m the wife too,” she complained.
“I’m the super wife,” I retorted and gave her a look. She nodded in compliance. “I repeat. Do you Glace promise to be my Peter Pan forever?”
She bit her lips before saying. “Yes I do Wendy.” At her words, I slipped the ring on her finger, causing her to smile widely in awe.
“May the elephants stomp on you, and all the tooth fairy ignore you when you break this promise. You may now kiss your girlfriend.”
I stared expectantly at her. She gaped at me for a few seconds before leaning closer. Raising her childish hands to my face, she cupped my cheek and whispered. “I will kiss you again when we grow up. By then I’m going to be ready.” Her soft lips touched mine, making the whole galaxy explode in my stomach. It was sweet, simple, and short. Exactly how a first kiss should be- at least that was what the person on TV said. But that didn’t mean that I never reached Pluto, Mars, Jupiter, and back to earth in those few seconds.
“Okay,” I said shakily, watching as she leaned back. “We’re official now. I promise never to love anyone else. You too okay?” She nodded. The sky rumbled menacingly. “I think we need to go.” I sighed in sadness as I got to my feet. She helped rid my jeans from grass and dirt. I glanced at her white dress for what seemed like the first time. There was a stain there. I leaned to her and took a deep sniff. “You smell like coffee Glace.”
She looked down on her dress. “Yeah, the guest accidentally spilled some on me.”
“Now I’m going to think of you whenever I smell coffee. Your eyes are coffee colored too.”
She scratched her head. “I suppose you’re going to like coffee when you grow up huh?”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“Dulce?” she said in a small voice. “Please don’t forget me.”
I smiled endearingly at her. “I won’t. Don’t worry.”
“But what if you did?”
I shook my head stubbornly. “I will always remember you. We’ll find each other when the right time comes. Until then, you should chase your dreams. Fly to Neverland Glace. Someday, we’ll fly there together, I promise.”
She still wasn’t convinced. “What if I found you and you’ve forgotten about me? Should I remind you?”
“Don’t do that. If it looks like I have forgotten you, it will all be pretend. It must be that I will be playing a joke on you
or lying convincingly. It’s that or I don’t want you anymore.” Her face fell. “I’m just kidding.”
“So is this goodbye?” she asked sadly.
“I thought you read Peter Pan?” I quoted my favorite lines. “Never say goodbye, because saying goodbye means going away, and going away means nothing. Besides, they always say that true love waits, whatever that means.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re very smart Dulce. You’ll make a great wife. My wife.”
“I know right,” I said proudly. Everyone said that about me. “Let’s hug before we go.” She engulfed me in an embrace. I inhaled deeply and bit my lip. She did smell like coffee and cream which would always make me think of her. “Go first.” I broke the hug.
She looked like she wanted to cry again but stopped herself. With a small wave, she began to head back from where she came earlier. Glace gave me one last look before she completely disappeared. But I wasn’t worried. When I grow older, I promise to find her again. I stayed there a couple of minutes more, even daring to go to the edge of the hill. “Wooohooo!” I screamed, raising my hands up to the sky. I made a pivot, hoping to get back to my mom.
There are certain times in life when you know that you made a mistake somewhere, and you just want to correct it. That was exactly what I felt when I slipped on something, losing my balance right at the edge of the hill. With a scream, gravity pulled me down.
When I opened my eyes, my mom was leaning down to me in total panic. “Dulce!” she screamed, her usually soft voice distorted by fear. “Just stay put honey, don’t move.” Mom ran as fast as she could away from me while I stared at the darkening clouds. Wetness hit my cheek. The sky gave off a slow drizzle. What was I doing here? Was I talking to someone a while ago? I thought as mom came back with two bearded men in ugly orange overalls at her side.
Chapter 27. Grown-up Fairytale
Dulce
“Wake up. Please answer me.” Someone shook my shoulder. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. Glace was right in front of me, a worried expression on her face. Her eyes widened in happiness when she saw that I was awake. She looked up at the sky momentarily as if saying a silent thanks to whoever was upstairs.
