The Clearing

And the time would come, and the girls would flee the clearing, as seemed to be in their nature to do.

The boys who shared the clearing would lift their heads from their activities and watch as the receding figures vanished into the forest.

Then each would set off in pursuit careening towards the still barely visible outlines, headlong into the shadows of the forest.

In this way their love was spoken, that of the pursued, that of the pursuer.

Except for one.

One boy would not join the chase.

He had, once upon a time, had chased his love through the deep shadows, but nature, in its oft arbitrary way had taken the use of his legs.

When he had still had use of his legs, there had been but one girl he had pursued, they had shared the passion of the moment and it was just as real as anything could hope to be.

But with the loss of his legs, lost also was their love, and though she had felt sadness, she soon was pursued by another.

He would watch her leave.

His gaze following her into the distance until she was but a vapor on the periphery of his vision.

His eyes became unfocused and slid across the clearing to the opposite where they were stopped and held by the

gaze of two startling azure eyes.

A single girl stood at the edge of the forest, still, not breaking eye contact.

She was stunning.

What a injustice, she was not running amongst the trees, being chased, being pursued by the hearts of wild boys.

She beckoned to him.

The boy almost looked around, though he knew he was alone.

Me?

She's motioning to me?

Doesn't she know? Is this some cruel joke?

But the look on her face was kindness and warmth, it was affection.

Desire rose in his chest, tossing his heart in his throat, like a boat on a cresting wave.

He threw himself from his seat,  pitching forward, ungracefully to the ground.

He pulled his body, legs as dead weights, fingers digging for hold in soft ground, he inched, handful by handful

towards the motionless girl.

His frail arms quickly began to shake with each effort, his lungs expelling hot pain with each exhale, but the distance closed.

The dirt caked his fingernails as he dug for each hold, mud and grass streaking his arms and elbows.

He was too spent to even lift his gaze, in a final titanic effort he came to rest at her feet.

Quickly she knelt beside him.

She gently took his head into her lap and brushed aside the hair matted across his face.

He heaved deep breaths as he stared wordlessly up into her open gaze.

"…Why?" he gasped.

"I could had been chased by one of the others," She whispered to him, "but I was pursued hardest by you."