That one summer afternoon…

I didn’t normally sit out under the trees in my backyard but today seemed different. It was a summer day right before a thunderstorm. The air was thick with the smell of rain and the plants were being whipped around anticipating the rain. The birds and animals were beginning to disappear and the sky was growing dark with the growing rain clouds. They were my favorite types of days. Days that just stank of rain and were chilly and made your hair rise on end with cold. The trees were stretching out their leaves awaiting the rain and the flowers were in full bloom. I couldn’t wait for the rain to start.

My back yard was right on the edge of a forest. My house was on a quite road in the suburbs. My neighbors had put up fences on their properties so I was totally alone sitting out under my trees. My house was sitting in front of me, empty. My family was out shopping and I had opted to stay home. The house itself wasn’t big but it loomed over me as I lay on the ground looking at it. I saw the French doors looking into the kitchen were my dog sat sleeping in the sun on the floor. The yard was over grown with grass because my dad had yet to cut it. The garden near to the house was full of vegetables that my mom would put in my dinner. The house was three stories of white. With four windows on each floor allowing me to peek into the contents of the house. My sister’s room was messy as usual and my windows were covered with sticky notes reminding me of certain things. The others looked into one of our many bathrooms. The house itself looked inviting and warm compared to the windy outside but I wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

I sat there on the ground contemplating trivial things like when dinner was going to be and how exactly to get that stain out of my favorite pair of jeans. Noting was happening and the day was so calming I almost fell asleep, almost.

“Peaceful isn’t it,” Said a voice to my left. When I turned I saw a boy who seemed to be about my age. He had deep brown hair and bright green eyes. He was sitting there hugging his knees staring out at my backyard.

“Yea,” I replied puzzled. I had no idea who he was and I didn’t even notice him sit down.

“Do you live there?” He asked. I noticed that he had no shoes and that he was wearing all brown. When I looked closer I noticed that it was a tunic and leggings made out of animal skins, very rustic looking and worn.

“Uh Huh… Who are you?” I asked looking at him starting to get nervous.

“Rowan. Which room is yours?” He asked looking at the house in wonder.

“The one with the sticky notes on the windows…”

“Oh, you mean the ones with the little squares. Oh! I like the color in there… green walls right! That’s my favorite color!” He looked excited and amazed.

“Yea, I wish it was purple but I haven’t gotten a chance to paint it yet.” Just then a loud clap of thunder sounded and the wind picked up.

“Rains about to start, I had better go,” Rowan replied getting up and turning to the forest.

“Wait, where do you live?” I asked.

“Right here,” he said pointing to the tree.

“What?”

“In this tree,” He replied placing his hand on the tree trunk.

“I’m not kidding where do you live?”

“I’m not kidding either, you live in there,” he said pointing to the house, “And I live in here.” With that he jumped right into the tree and disappeared. I circled the tree and looked up into the branches. I couldn’t find him anywhere.

“ROWAN! Where did you go?” I asked slapping the tree.

“Ouch that hurt,” He said as he jumped back out from inside the tree. He rubbed his side.

“How did you get in there is there a hole or something?”

“Hmm what? Nooo, I’m a tree sprit.”

“A What?”

“A tree sprit. I live in that tree because that’s the tree I came from. It’s like an extension of my body.” He explained. He stroked the tree like an old friend and jumped up into one of its highest branches. “I’ve lived here for a long time. Almost one hundred years. In fact I saw your house being built. They had to cut down many of my friends to put it there actually.” He said this with a sad look on his face but then he turned to me and smiled.

I stood there shocked. “Your, a tree sprit.”

“Yup.” Just then it started to rain. It came so quickly it surprised both of us. Rowan looked shocked then he smiled he lifted his arms and each on of the trees branches extended up to meet the rain. “I just love the rain. If you stand closer to my tree you won’t get as wet.”

“Oh,” I said and moved closer. It was odd to me seeing someone who could control a tree and who clamed to be a tree sprit. Just then my parents drove into the driveway and started to get out of the car.

“You had better go,” Rowan, said, “It’s only going to rain harder. Besides your family is home.” He smiled and sat on the branch in the rain hidden from my parents by the leaves on the tree.

“All right, goodbye,” I said and I walked toward my house. I looked back and Rowan was gone. I sighed and went to help my parents unload the car.

I often went back to the tree and talked to Rowan. He would sit in the branches and talk to me. Our friendship grew and then I went away to school. I came back one spring vacation to find Rowan’s tree gone. I was so devastated that I shut myself in my room and cried for days. I had never told anyone about Rowan. It wasn’t till later that I found out that the tree had been hit by lightning and had fallen down. I asked my parents where the wood was. My dad had chopped in into firewood. I then took one of the cleanest peaces and had it carved into a model of my house. To this day that house sits in my kitchen window and I often look at it as my children play in my backyard right next to the woods. I wonder what happened to Rowan and weather or not he lives on in my little carved house.