Birthday present

Emile couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as he swung his legs back and forth, dangling off of the massive branch that was supporting him and his best friend. It was his tenth birthday, and Emily had promised that after the party she would show him something really cool. It had taken their parents some convincing, but they had managed to run off together the moment that the last of his guests was gone. They dashed into the forest, weaving their way between the trees, leaping over creeks and rivers, until Emily lead him into a small hole in one of the massive stone walls on the opposite side of one of the rivers, formed by the erosion of the hillside over a number of years, though the two didn't quite know what that meant.

"I was playing over here when there was a rockslide," Emily had explained as they walked through the small cave. There wasn't enough room for them to stand fully, but there was enough for the to move. They had always been too small to go any further than the rock wall. For Emile, this was completely uncharted territory, and he was ecstatic to see what lay beyond. "The rock falling let me see the hole to get in here. When I saw what was on the other side, I knew we had to come out here."

Emerging from the other side of the cave had brought the two to the far edge of the forest, just as the sun was beginning to set. The light reflected off of a pool below them, making the air glow with oranges and yellows. It was like they had stepped into another world entirely. They had run around and explored for a while, but it was late in the day, and they knew that they wouldn't be able to stay long, and instead agreed to come back the next day to traverse these new lands and map them out, as they had with the forest.

Instead, they found the biggest tree they could and worked together to scale the branches, until they reached a larger one that extended out over the pond and could hold them up. They sat together and watched the sunset, excited for what they might find the next day, telling tall tales of the sights they would see, and the daring deeds they would do.

Emile didn't think much about it as he felt Emily's hand rest on his, so he didn't see the blush spread across her face as she did so. She was a year older than he, and had been exposed to the magical, dangerous "boy." It hadn't taken her long to realize that Emile was her boy. As they sat, she wondered how long it would be before he learned of the mysterious, undefinable "girl." She hoped that she would be his girl. Maybe that could be her birthday present for him in a few months.

They were too excited in their thoughts to consider how they were going to get home in the dark.