There is a lake right in the middle of the forest with perfect coordinates, like a heart beating and pumping life to the green lushness. I grew up ten miles West from the lake, in a large farmhouse bordering the edge of the forest. I'd go hiking through the forest with my father some of the days but never reached the lake. My father warned me that although the forest was beautiful, it was also dangerous.
Nights I would spend in my bedroom with a mellow lamp covering my walls with an orange hue. And when I'd look outside my window, facing the forest, I could not see anything. Not a single light and only with the moon, I could see the outlines of leaves and branches.
The first time I saw the lake was when my father took me on a birthday hike. Usually our hikes were two hours maximum but on my birthday, we walked two hours into the forest. He told me he had packed lunch for us so we could take a long walk. When I caught a glimpse of the light reflecting off the lake, I thought I was dreaming. I thought someone had put a mirror there at first.
We sat on a large rock adjacent to the lake and he took out two sandwiches, a potato salad, and some tangerines for us to eat.
"You like it?" he asked me.
I nodded. "It's beautiful. Can I swim in it?"
"Yes, I'll help you."
After we were done with our lunch, I took off my clothes, leaving only my underwear on, and I held my father's hands as he stood outside the water and I kicked my feet on the shallow end of the water.
After staying in the water for a bit, I asked my father to pull me up and out. My father then laid on the grass as I lied on the sunny rock to dry off. Soon my father was fast asleep and I was left in the world on my own. On my back, I could hear the water's stream, the birds whispering, the wind picking up, and then suddenly-a high-pitched whistle? I lifted my back off the rock and stared out. On the left side of the lake, I could see a boy with wild and gold hair. I pulled my knees close to my chest and looked to see my father, still resting. The golden-haired boy smiled, showing slightly his one crooked tooth among the others which were perfectly-aligned. I smiled back.
"Who are you?" I said softly.
"Can I come closer?" he asked.
I nodded. He slowly made his way to my rock. Standing in front of me on his knees, he told me, "My name is Jack, what is yours?"
"Maria," I said.
He stayed quiet after I said that and simply stared at me. I felt myself suddenly getting hot. The late-noon sun was beating down on him and I like a spotlight, off-center, next to the lake. I was speechless, as if I had forgotten my lines.
"Maria..." he said. "Where did you come from?"
"From that way." I pointed behind me, "Where do you come from?"
He pointed in the opposite direction. "I have to go now. Can I visit you some time?" He got up before I could say anything. I nodded and he flashed a mouth-shut smile and ran off where he came from.
I lied back down and continued to dry off under the sun.
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Night came and after having dinner with my dad, I went to take a shower. My father liked to sleep early so he had sound-proofed his room to the best of his ability using thick glass and by putting foams underneath the door crack. There were no other houses around us but before he had sound-proofed his room, he complained of the loud cries of the grasshoppers at night and sometimes of my feet crossing the wooden floor in my room. His room was on the same floor as mine, but facing the opposite direction towards the dirt road.
By the time I was done with my shower, I was sure he was fast asleep so I got dressed and went downstairs to get my box from the basement. As I placed my box on my mattress, a green light quickly disrupted the orange waterfall on my back wall. Could I have imagined it?
I run towards the window and all I see is black under a moonless sky with a million white specs of stars.
I make sure the window is shut and go sit on my bed. I open up the box of all the things my aunt gave me- a book, pens, pencils, a postcard, and some crayons. It has been a long time since she last visited. She has been visiting for as long as I can remember and always brought gifts with her. When I was younger, my father would make sure to throw the gifts out as soon as she left. I am guessing he asked her to stop coming with gifts because during her last few visits, she would wait until my father went for a nap and she would give a gift to me and whisper:
"I brought you something but make sure not to show your father and hide it well."
The first time she said this to me, she helped me make a hidden hole in the basement, where I put all the things she brought me that time. I am not really sure what happened to her so today as I open up the box of things, I tear up. I am afraid the last time I saw her was the last time I will see her.
I wipe the tears away with my fingers and look up to see that green light again, plastered on the wall to my right. It stays. I walk to the window and on the ground, I see the golden-haired boy looking up at me, waving and smiling. I motion an index finger out to him asking him to wait.
I go down the stairs, making sure not to land hard on my heels. I put on my slippers and turn towards where he is standing. He has his back against the wall and when he sees me, he scratches his forehead and says "hello."
"Hi," I reply.
"Do you remember me?" he asks.
"You mean from today?" I laugh. "Yes, of course."
"How long have you lived here? I don't think I had ever seen you before," he drops the last line more quietly than the question.
"For as long as I can remember. How about you?" I ask him.
