A Recovered Field Note from Book 5 'Adventure' (Part II).......
To wander is to wonder.
To wonder is to wake.
New worlds bloom through curious hands.
Each step a gift we make.
It was a warm night. The girl had slowly taken to traversing the halls later and later in the evening, and on occasion would meet the boy in the calm silence of his Walled Garden.
They lay quiet, side by side on thick grass, looking up at the stars.
"That one" the girl pointed.... "That one always feels like home to me. Like a blanket that feels just right."
He followed her finger, squinting. Then raises his hand, pointing up. "That star, if you follow it there... there... there and back again, it makes a kite."
The girl didn't respond.
Silence.
He spoke again. "I call it Sky Sailor"
The girl sat up.
Stars shimmering in her eyes.
Her gaze, longing... piercing....
"I'm going to name you Elan"
The boy blinked. Unsure if he heard it right.
Her gaze was steady and certain.
She repeated.
"Elan"
He didn't respond. A new world of feelings pours through.
His pulse quickened.
He’d spent hours naming stars, birds, rooms, sounds and even shadows, but never thought to name the one beside him, as if too close to see. Or perhaps as if someone he's always known.
He lay there with it for a moment, perfectly still. Feeling the deep stirring in his chest. Soft at first, like the hush before music begins. It curls inward, deeper, hinting that an even greater stillness might help him discover more. A weightless pull of something known, but not yet remembered. He didn't move….
Just let it open....
Turning towards the shimmer
The color amber
The rustle of small feathers
The lantern light flickers
Falling toward a hush
Starlight, behind closed eyes
The feel of her hand, from afar
Folding into the quiet star....
Elan sat up and met her gaze, looking at her soft shimmering eyes.
He spoke:
"Aria”