J
acen walked quietly along the deserted old bridge, as thoughts of spring danced through his mind.Winter, his favorite among the four seasons, was nearly over, and already fresh daffodils werespringing from the ground. Even though he preferred the dark and the cold versus the burning sun, hecould not help but be amazed by the beauty that was coming forth.A soft breeze fell over his face. Smiling, he looked to the clouds above. Gentle raindrops sprinkleddown from the heavens. He stood there for a moment, embracing himself in the awe of nature.Below the small bridge, he heard a soft whisper that turned to a sad cry. Jacen leaned over thewooden railing, trying hard to see who or what was underneath. A young child sat there, holding asmall, empty basket in his hands.“What’s wrong,” Jacen called down, but the child did not hear him.Slowly, Jacen wrapped his legs over the railing and lowered himself to the cool ground beneath. Hestood in front of the child – a young boy with bright red hair and freckles, green eyes, and maybe sevenyears in age. Tears streamed down his face. Jacen smiled gently and crouched down to face him.“Hey kid,” he said again, “what’s wrong?”The little boy choked on his tears and looked up with sad eyes. “My Momma sent me out to pick some blueberries. I fell down and lost them all. I can’t go home without any blueberries.”Jacen looked around at the ground, finding no sign of the spilled blueberries. “Where did you losethem,” he asked.“Over there, by that tree.”Jacen’s eyes followed the boy’s gaze. A tall oak tree stood hauntingly nearby, its branches hangingcryptically low. He stood, walked helpfully to it and looked around. On the ground, there was nothing but fresh grass. Curiosity played its part, and he walked to the back of the tree, stopping quickly in histracks. Another step and he would have fallen over the steep ledge that spread out nothing butemptiness before him. He had never been to this side of the woods before and had been unaware of this danger.“I don’t think we can get those blueberries back,” he called out loudly, turning back around.The little boy was gone.Jacen stared coolly around the grounds, letting his eyes scope over the bridge and down the road.There was no sign of him. He had vanished, disappeared from beneath his covered ground.
Maybe he ran home
, he thought, moving back towards the bridge-walk. Then, on the ground, he sawthe boy’s empty basket, damp and empty.“Hey,” he called out, “you forgot you basket!”But there was no answer. The child had gone.Jacen carried the basket lightly in his hand and walked back up the small bridge. The sprinkling hadstopped and the fresh after-smell of rain filled the air. He inhaled it deeply, taking in all that naturewould allow. Overhead, a rainbow formed in the sky.“Renboga,” he whispered. “A rainbow.” A smile curved over the flesh of his lips and he slowlycontinued his walk.***Staring aimlessly out his kitchen window, he watched a breeze blow against the cover on his pool.Soon, it would be warm enough to swim again – a sport he fully enjoyed. In his hands, he toyedunknowingly with the wicker of the small basket, smelling the faint scent of blueberries. His eyesmoved down, gazing closely into its emptiness.“Where’d you get the basket,” Luke said as he entered, breaking Jacen’s concentration.
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