Wishing for Jacaranda

The sun shined brightly against the foggy air. The roads were busy as horseless carriages rushed past the intersecting dirt roads. I waited patiently for the traffic director to create a path for pedestrians to cross the dirt road in front of me. I stared at the countless slow-moving carriages slowly crossing the road. Before I knew it, the roads grew quieter as the fog slowly covered the ground like a blanket. The fog thickened to the point where I couldn't see the horses anymore. I debated crossing or not before seeing something pass through the corner of my eye. I noticed something unusual in the direction of my left-hand side—a little girl wearing a long-sleeved white dress. The puffy skirt dragged across the sidewalk with every step she took. It was too big for her, but she stubbornly marched into the fog with the front of her dress crumbled in her tiny hands. It was adorable. A quiet wind slowly brushed off the thick fog between us. Distracted by the sudden cold, the little girl hugged her skirt closer to her. I noticed her body shivered under her short straight hair. Without much thought, I found myself following closely behind her. For an unknown reason, I felt that she was almost too familiar not to know. While lost in thought, I suddenly muttered a name. "Sol..." The little girl stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder. Our eyes met, yet it was beyond my comprehension. Her eyes, both with different colors, felt empty. She turned herself to face me with a slightly depressed grin. She looked straight into my eyes and whispered under her melancholy breath. “You too.” She saw the confusion on my face before whispering once more. "If not that, then why did you say that name?" Suddenly, I became aware of the tears trickling down my cheek as quietly as they came. When I realized what she meant, I found myself breaking down in front of her with my head leaning back and hands covering my face. I was already on my knees in the middle of the sidewalk when I looked down in grief. The girl, who was three feet away, softly approached me with her arms wide open. I hesitated but reassured myself that she was just a little girl. As I entered her embrace, she whispered comforting words until my stiff shoulders relaxed. Her gentle voice tasted like honey as it slowly reached my heart. I couldn't figure out why I cried. These emotions just hit me and withdrew like how a wave hits the sand. I finally calmed down after taking in a few deep breaths. “Who are you?” The girl smiled while she spoke. “This girl’s name is Azalea, but my name is Luna. You've met little Azzy and Lea before, haven't you?” Her words floated over my head as I sat on the road. My thoughts swirled in every direction other than the right one. She doesn't speak like a girl her age would. I looked around and noticed that other people, who I didn't notice before, brushed past us as if we didn’t exist. The fog has lifted. The sun shined under the clouds. The road was once again busy, but we found ourselves in front of an alley instead of the intersection from before. I looked into the puddle beside us and noticed that my once golden brown eyes had turned into an inky purple. My once straight black hair had turned into tight, bouncy brown curls. I tried standing after breaking from her embrace and noticed that I was taller than before. I looked at the girl with panicked eyes. Her warm smile worsened my unsettling thoughts. I looked around and noticed an arm covered in blood, hidden in the darkness of the alley in front of us. The arm held on to a familiar beaded bracelet. I gasped in horror after recognizing the owner of the arm. The girl called out my name before busting into laughter. I looked at this insane little girl with fear slithering down my back. “Don’t stress the details. You will know when you thoroughly awaken.” “What?” “That's not you anymore. Look again.” I looked towards the alley, but it was empty. While turning my head, I noticed that the busy road was silent once more. Everything around us was starting to fade into the darkness slowly. Fear crept into my thoughts. The girl only laughed at my paranoia. “Strange, isn't it? Come here.” She gestured for me to come closer and wrapped a white gold necklace around my neck. Her sudden gift caught me off guard. "What is this?" "It will keep you safe." "From what?" The girl pointed her hand to the alleyway without shifting her gaze from me. "Them." My eyes followed her finger. The alley's shadows were brighter than light. Yet somehow, I sensed something moving in between the buildings across the road. Before I could realize it, I couldn't move. The girl gracefully walked up to the bright shadows. With every step she took, I felt the distance between us grow further. She was unreachable. I was stuck in place. After taking one last step in front of the entrance to the alley, a golden gate appeared. It was grand in size yet dark in color. Just before entering, she looked over her shoulder. Her red and green eyes met mine. In a split second, her appearance changed. She became twice my height. Her long, white curls softly brushed the ground. She waved her left-hand goodbye and whispered under her gentle breath. "We will meet again soon... but for now, Listen to Chrysan," As she turned, she grew farther and farther away until she disappeared. When she left, she took the bright shadows with her. Looking around, all I saw was light. I walked around, aimlessly lifting my feet. Thoughts of what she met filled the void of silence. "Yarrow." The whisper of that name tickled my ears. I stopped in my tracks and looked for the source of the sound. My head swung from the left to the right. The more I searched for the source, the less I heard it; then I turned around. In front of me was what seemed like a shadow. I couldn't make out their face, but they felt somewhat familiar. The shadow seemed to be the same height as me. Inexplicably, I felt comfortable around it. "Were you the one who spoke of the flower?" The shadow's hollow grin shined as white as the light surrounding us. "You're far from it. I'd say your anything but a flower." The shadow's mocking laugh drowned out the voices in my head. I felt the tension in my body leave me. They quickly stopped laughing before asking me a question with a serious expression. Isn't it about time you opened your eyes?