Hey guys, long time no writey from me. So this story is a little different and I would LOVE some feed back on it. So read, write a review and let me know what you think.

:)

"Hey, Billy?" A boy, no more than twelve turned towards the unknown voice. A girl, only ten years old met his eyes. Clasped firmly in her hand she held two red balloons by their string. They stood tall, begging their freedom in subtle pulls.

"Maddy?" The boy asked softly As he stepped closer to the girl. He noticed the tear stains on her cheeks, the puffiness of her eyes and the redness as well. Today was the two year anniversary of her mothers passing. The boy was beginning to learn about how much his friend hurt on this day.

The girls eyes slowly drifted to the sky, a movement that the boy found himself copying. He noticed the sun that was high in the sky, signaling that noon as come. He noticed the clouds that danced across the sky and he noticed the birds that followed the movements, but none of these things was what the girl watched.

Billy opened his mouth to ask the question when Maddy spoke again.
"What do you think is up there?" Her hand tightened on the string in her hand, a motion that did not go unnoticed.
He reached out and gently took her hand before answering. "The sun? Clouds? Birds?" He frowned softly as he looked at her. "What's going on Mads? Are you okay? You're acting really weird today."

"My Mum used to say that there are whole worlds out there, and each night our dreams let us visit them. She said that one day she would go and live on one of those worlds, and when I slept I would be able to visit her. My Mum told me not to be sad because she would always be with me, watching from one of those worlds." The girl drifted into silence as she turned her attention to the balloons held tightly in her hand. Billy took a moment before stepping in front of his friend. He reached out, wrapping his hand gently around her fist holding the strings.

"What are the Balloons for?"

Maddy smiled sadly, though her eyes did not meet him. Her eyes remained locked, almost hatefully at the objects clasped in her hand. She carefully slid her hand away from him as she but her lip, a sign that more was on her mind.
"You didn't know your Mum. My Dad got these for us to talk to them. Your Mum and mine." She took in a shaky breath before continuing. "He told me that balloons can hold messages that can travel to those worlds if we wish hard enough. All we need to do is whisper, keep what we said a secret and let it go. But those worlds are so far away, how can one balloon float that far?"

Billy watched her carefully. He noticed the worry, the fear and the sorrow that she tried to hide. He noticed the almost bare vulnerability that was surfacing and her hope. Hope that Billy wanted to help grant.
He gently took her hand once more and began to lead her to the east. It was there that an old oak tree stood on the crown of a small hill. The great oak had played host to many of the adventures that the two friends had created from childhood. It was there sanctuary. A place to get away and find peace in imagination.

The two stopped at the base of the tree. "Why are we here, Billy?"
The boy grinned at her question and dropped her hand. As he climbed he motioned for her to follow offering only a smile and an outstretched hand. As each branch passed the two would switch who held the balloons. This continued until they reached the highest point possible and each held a single balloon in their hand.

"Billy, why are we up here?"

The boy turned to his friend, his grin the same as before. "The closer we are to the sky, the less they have to travel." He held his balloon higher. Maddy paused as she stared at her own balloon.
"Do you think it will work?" She asked, her voice small. Billy just continued to grin at her.
"I know it will."

The two children brought their balloons to their lips and each one whispered their own private message into the plastic.
"On the count of three." Maddy looked to her friend. "One."
Billy smiled gently as he nodded. "Two."
"Three!"
The balloons began to float higher, weaving their way through the last few leaves and escaping into the space before them.
Billy and Maddy watched the objects slowly ascend into the sky. Neither moved or even spoke until the balloons had become nothing but two dots in the distance.

Maddy wrapped her hand gently over her friends and turned to look at him. "What did you say?" Her question was only net with a sly grin from Billy.
"If I tell you, it may not reach it's world." Maddy laughed softly at his answer, remembering her explanation from earlier. Her laughter soon stopped and her face become softer, sadder.
"Promise you won't leave me too." Billy gave her hand a small squeeze. "I promise. Where would I go?"
"No!" Maddy exclaimed, causing the boy to jump slightly in his spot. "You have to promise me on something. You have to promise for real!"

There was a moment of silence before Billy spoke again. He had been searching her face, finding only desperation and the need for solid proof. He took his hand back from her slowly. "Wait here, okay?"
"Where are you..." Maddy trailed off as she watched Billy begin to swung down from the branches until he stood upon the ground once more. There was a moment of searching before Billy found what he had been searching for and he began to climb once again. When he was by her side once more, the boy held up the object he had been looking for. It was a single, slightly sharp rock.

Billy held the rock firmly as he turned towards the trunk of the tree and began to carve his promise in clear letters. "I promise you, Maddy that I will not ever leave you." He turned and smiled at her. "I promise you on our tree."
Maddy took the rock from him and carefully crawled along the branch until she was positioned in front of the message. She lifted the stone slowly and carved her own message beneath it. "On our tree." A smile slowly took over her face as she took Billys hand once more. Both of their eyes drifted back towards the sky trying to seek out the balloons they had released.
The message rested beside them, freshly carved in its spoken promise. A message to never be washed away or forgotten.

I Promise Forever.
I Promise Too.

And there you have it. :)