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Songbird
Melody sat in the lush, green field of grass far into the forest behind her grandparents’ house. The soft fall breeze tickled her skin and made her long, brunette hair fly backwards before allowing it to settle gently back down. Soon winter would arrive and she wouldn’t be able to enjoy moments of peace like this for at least three months. That was the downside of a Midwestern winter – it kept people away from their favorite outdoor places. For Melody, a bedroom would not give as much comfort as her field. Well, her grandmother’s field, actually.
A minute ago, Melody hadn’t been able to feel her arms she had been resting back on them so long; now, they numbness was a relief. It matched her mentality. She closed her eyes, letting the new gust of crisp air hit her face. She basked in the late afternoon sun, waiting for it to finally set low enough to signal the day’s end and her need to go back to the house.
God, how she hated that house. It reminded her of everything that once was and everything that never would be again. The peeling, mint green paint of the exterior, the old rocking chairs on the porch, the way the house smelled like a nursing home every time she stepped foot inside – that would all be lessened now. Her grandfather alone would not be able to fill the void that her grandmother’s death had left behind.
Melody startled from her fantasy when the leaves of the forest entry began to rustle. This was a suburb of Chicago. There couldn’t be any animals, or at least none that would hurt her anyways. But one leg emerged, followed by another, and eventually the body of a teenage boy could be fully seen. The girl turned around, not wanting to see his long – but not too long – brown hair, ocean-blue eyes, and… well just his being altogether.
That didn’t stop him, though. He took a spot right next to Melody, extending one leg and bringing the other closer to his chest to use as an armrest. Out of the corner of her eye, Melody watched his casual movements. He just sat there, looking out in front of him at nothing in particular.
“Back to wearing black, I see,” he finally spoke up.
“Yup.” She popped her “p.”
The boy nodded slowly while continuing to look out in the distance. Melody couldn’t tell if seconds or minutes had passed but she couldn’t bare the silence anymore.
“How did you find me here? No one knows about this place except me and…” It was too soon to bring up her grandmother in any place other than her thoughts.
“You’re not very secretive. I’ve seen you sneak out into the forest. Honestly, I thought it would be a bit harder to find you, but it seems like you come here a lot. There’s a path all worn out in the grass and everything.”
Now Melody nodded and bit her lip. She looked to the opposite side of where the boy sat. She had avoided him for days. It was his fault, after all, why she hadn’t been there to help save her grandma during the heart attack. He just had to take her out on a “just friends” date, despite her reluctance due to her grandma’s deteriorating state. If Melody had not been with him, she could have said her final goodbyes and would not have been so shocked to see an ambulance with flashing lights outside her temporary home.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Mel.”
The sound of the nickname made her heart jump, but she could not let it get to her. Of course, she felt grateful for his concern, but really, she just needed peace. He had invaded the only place she ever found that entirely.
“I’m fine, Tom. Really. I would appreciate it if you just left, okay?”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
Tom hopped right up and Melody followed suit, grabbing onto his sleeve to stop him from getting more than a few steps. He turned with a chuckle and toothy smile. Melody slumped her shoulders in defeat. This was what he wanted her to do, and he had accomplished it. Despite all that she told herself, the company was nice.
“I wish you would have sung at your grandma’s funeral. She would have loved it.”
“She wouldn’t’ve cared,” Melody replied, pulling the sleeve of her over-sized shirt back over her shoulder. The wind began to feel colder the longer she sat outside.
“’Wouldn’t’ve cared?’ Melody, do you know how much your grandma talked about your singing? God, she wouldn’t shut up about you when I would be working in the yard for her. ‘Oh my little granddaughter, Melody, has the most wonderful singing voice – much better than the garbage on the radio.’” Tom did his best impersonation of an elderly woman. The corners of Melody’s mouth curled with a slight smile. “’You know, when she was little, I would call her my little songbird because she would never stop singing and humming and whistling – oh my! I wish she had kept up with it just as much as she got older.’”
Tom gave Melody an I-told-you-so look with a hint of attitude while she gazed down at the ground. She had given up singing when she had reached high school two years ago. It wasn’t something cool to do. She had thrown it even farther into her past when her parents moved to Beijing for her father’s work, not wanting to take her with in fear she wouldn’t like the change. Her life had just not given her a chance to sing – or the desire to for that matter. Her grandmother’s funeral had been that chance. She knew very well how much her grandma loved her singing, but passed it by.
“Listen, Mel. I know I’m just that annoying neighbor boy who shows up unannounced to do your grandparents’ chores –“
“And annoying boy in English class.”
“– but you need to take my advice. Don’t give up your singing. Your grandmother wouldn’t want that, and I’m sure a lot of other people wouldn’t either.”
At this point, Melody had begun to cry although she hadn’t realized it. She couldn’t find her voice to respond, so she just nodded a few times before throwing her arms around Tom to hug him. She was happy to greeted by a hug back.
“I miss her,” she whimpered after a period of silence.
“Then keep her here by doing what she loved.”
Melody nodded into Tom’s chest and stayed there for a few moments more. Finally, she backed away, cleared her throat, and smoothed out her shirt. Tom watched, waiting and wondering if his companion would say anything further.
“Do you know if it’s too late to change my schedule at school?”
He looked at her quizzically. “I’m not sure… Why?”
“I want to join choir.”
Tom smiled and wrapped his arm around Melody’s shoulders. She smiled a bit more than before, gradually letting it grow as she wiped the last of her tears away. The past was in the past, and now was the perfect time to start anew.
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