My body was lying upon the sallow hammock between the two oak trees in front of my little hut. I could not sleep inside my home, so I decided to go out and let the winds of nature sing me a sweet lullaby. I was there, staring blankly on the dark, gloomy sky. It was almost midnight. Another day would soon be over, and yet my day did not pass at all. It was not complete, for I did not see her, there in the autumn fields gazing at the wide ocean. From sunset until moon rise, I was there, longing to see her beautiful face. But she did not come. It was entirely my fault. It was all because of my stupidity. If I had not approached her and offered her my jacket in that drizzling evening, she would not have kept herself away from that place. She probably didn’t want to sense my presence anymore. But I couldn’t blame myself. I was just a young man, admiring a beautiful lady and trying to get to know her more. I was simply a boy, attracted to the mysterious charms of a girl in the middle of an autumn field. I couldn’t blame myself at all. Or could I? It was all so confusing. For the first time in living memory, I couldn’t understand what my brain was telling me. Or was it my heart? I did not know. All I knew was that I couldn’t sleep. All I could do was look at the moonless heavens and count the flashing stars.

I lifted up my body and sat on the hammock in the middle of the autumn night. I saw a reddish blemish on the surface of my right knee. I laid my hands upon the scar and closed my eyes. It was the scar that brought back the memories of the first day I saw her. It was the non-erasable mark that would forever stay not only on my flesh, but also in my heart and mind. I could still vividly remember how I was mesmerized by her enchanting beauty and how I fell down from my bike and scraped my knee. I would never let those memories fade away. She would always be a part of my life for eternity. When I opened my eyes, I saw the full moon slowly emerging from the shadows. No, it was not concealed by a cloud; it was just coming into view from the darkness. I did not know what kind of magic made that possible, but it was amazing. It was truly a breathtaking sight. Then, from the deepest corners of my heart, I felt a sudden emotion – a feeling of hope. As I saw the white moon slowly illuminate the environment, replacing the prevailing darkness with its pallid radiance, I could feel that it was trying to tell me something. The moon seemed like it was telling me that it was not yet over. It was giving me the light of hope and the radiance of aspiration. I could feel it. And so, I felt peace in my mind and heart and laid myself back down upon my cold hammock and traveled into the kingdom of dreams.

“Neil!” that rough voice knocked some sense into me. “What do you think you’re doing, sleeping on the surface of the Earth?” I was startled. My face was pressed upon the ground, and my white shirt was dreadfully stained with chocolate mud. I hastily stood up in humiliation. It was Harold, my best friend. We were already close since our childhood days, when we used to play on the evergreen meadows near our little village. I could still see ourselves, running on the vermillion grasses with our handmade kites which we would send gliding in the air, through the expansive skies. I could still remember how we clambered up the apple tree within Mr. Corrino’s backyard and how we got chased by his two vicious hounds. I and Harold had a lot of similarities, and perhaps the most glaring was that we both loved adventure. We used to explore the different areas around our district and ventured even into the locations other people would not normally dare enter. We embarked on countless journeys and discovered forests, rivers, and caves. The escapades we had completed each day of our lives and strengthen our relationship together as brothers. I would never forget the days of our youth, the days of our innocence, and everything that we’ve been through those times.

“Bro,” Harold snapped his fingers in front of my face. “You’re daydreaming again.” I was once again startled. I felt a little stupid doing that in front of Harold. I realized that should lessen my daydreaming. “Sorry,” I said. “I must have fallen down the cradle while I was still asleep. What brings you here, bro?”

“Nothing, really... I was just about to go to Mr. Corrino’s store and buy some charcoal for my cooking,” Harold replied. “I just wanted to check on you, and I was surprised when I saw you sleeping on the ground!” Harold guffawed vociferously.

“All right, all right, I was just joking.”

“I better got some charcoal too,” I said. “Wait for me. I’ll just change my clothes. I’ll go to the store with you. I have to tell you something also.”

I went back inside my small hut and took off my clothes. As I looked at the brown stains on the white cotton cloth of my shirt, I chuckled at myself and the things I do that make me look dumb. There were times when I think that I was the weirdest person in the world. There were many things I do that make me a unique person. And one of those was my frequent daydreaming. I tossed the stained shirt into the wooden hamper in one corner of my home. From the slightly scratched drawer in my hut, I dug for my one of my most preferred clothing – a simple blue polo shirt given to me by my deceased mother. How I wished she was still alive. How I wished she was still there, by my side, comforting me from the emotional pain my heart was going through. But destiny did not allow her to live a long life. It was unfortunate. It was truly depressing. My last memory of her was when she gave me the blue polo shirt I was holding in my hands at that moment. She handed it to me as a reward for finally learning the art of riding a bicycle. I could still remember how she constantly persuaded me to learn how to balance myself while riding on that two-wheeled vehicle. I fell many times. I slammed different parts of my body on the ground, and all those plummets were painful. But they did not measure up to the agony I was feeling at that time, when I did not knew if I was ever going to see her again. How I wished my mother was alive. How I hoped she was by my side, supporting me. She was the one who fed me when I was still young, in the absence of my useless father who left us when I was still in my mother’s womb. She was the one who did everything for me. I knew she was also the one who has the capability to give me advice in that time of sorrow.

“Hey, what’s taking you so long?” Harold yelled from outside.

And I said I would never daydream anymore.

“Wait a second! I was just… I was just… fixing something.”

The morning rays of the sun shined on us as we traversed the asphalt roads of our village. The weather was fine, and the brown leaves of the trees were falling down to the ground one by one. The other peasants in our district were busy preparing for the things that the new day would bring. Some were running off to the stores to purchase food, while some were trying to obtain fresh underground water from the public water pump in the heart of the village. Both I and Harold remained silent for quite some time. I wanted to tell him of my sorrow, but I was still finding the right time. I looked on my right. From afar, I could see the woods where I and Harold once explored, despite our parents’ reminders telling us not to go there. It was now shaded with a ginger hue, with the rich foliage of the large trees slowly withering down to death. Then I looked on my left. At the far horizon, I could the vast ocean bordering the edges of our land. It was where I and Harold once swam, hunting for jellyfishes and crabs. I remembered how he was stung by a pinkish jellyfish on the chest. I had to bring him to the village doctor to heal him of his injury, while at the same time hearing a deafening sermon from the elders of the village. Then I looked up the heavens and saw the incredible white clouds against the azure skies. I also saw the flock of birds flying freely around and around the atmosphere. I could still remember myself and Harold flying our kites in the air, gliding with the birds. And I realized that he was truly my brother. The whole place was filled with our memories together. Every detail of our friendship was recorded on the winds of the village. He was my friend. No, he was my brother, and I knew that I could tell him my problems.

“What was that thing you said you would tell me?” Harold asked me before I was able to say anything.

“Well… it’s like this, bro,” I begun. “In the beginning of autumn, there was this girl I saw in the middle of the fields, and she was so beautiful. I saw her there, on that very same spot, gazing upon the wide sea as if she was waiting for someone. She was the prettiest girl I ever saw.”

“Let me guess… you are in love with her?”

I did not know what to say. I did not if I was really in love with her. All I knew was that she was like water to me that satisfies my hunger through each and every day since I saw her. My day would not be complete without her irresistible charm and captivating beauty. I felt like I would die without seeing her.

“You are in love,” Harold said when he noticed that I was not speaking a word.

“I… I guess so,” those words just came out of my mouth.

“That’s cool, man!” Harold cried in joy. “You have found the woman you’ll be with for the rest of your life! That’s cool, bro! I wish you all the luck and…” I covered his mouth to stop him before he attracts the attention of the whole village with his noise. We have just reached Mr. Corrino’s little store which was in front of his residence. We had barely stepped near it when his two ferocious dogs started barking at us loudly. If not because of the metal chains that were attached around the necks of those beasts, we could have been devoured to death. Trying to ignore the deafening sound of his violent pets, we tried to call the attention of Mr. Corrino, who seemed to be upstairs, still in deep slumber.

“So, tell me more about the girl of your dreams,” Harold said.

“Well, when it rained one autumn night I decided that I would approach her and offer my jacket. But she ran away and I did see her the next day anymore,” I sadly narrated. “Bro, I don’t know what to do. I want to see her again. I want to be given another chance to talk to her and apologize for whatever the reason she ran away from me.” Harold did not say anything. Instead, he patted me on my back as a sign of sympathy. Just then, a villager approached us.

“Mr. Corrino is not there, for he was visiting his nephew in another town. So will you please leave before those dogs make our ears explode?” And so, we both went home empty-handed. Though Harold did not speak much on our way home, I could feel his empathy on what I was going through. As we arrived at my hut, he told me to be strong and he gave me one last pat on my back. I said goodbye to my best bud and retreated back into the safety of my home. Every corner of the house was filled with sorrow. I was hopeless. I had to forget about her. I just had to forget about her. I wanted to eat so I could forget about my problems, but I would not be able to cook anything without charcoal. Just then, I remembered the chocolate cake that I got on the spot where she was standing while gazing at the ocean. It was there, inside the transparent box with the elegant red ribbon resting upon the wooden table in my house. Carefully, I untied the crimson ribbon and opened the box. I used an old fork to lift the slice of chocolate cake from the box into my salivating mouth. My lips had barely touched the scrumptious cake when I noticed a slip of paper on the box. It was concealed earlier under the cake. Quickly, I picked it up and read it.

I’m so glad you finally returned. I missed you very much. A murder has happened in town and you are the primary suspect. I do not know how this happened, but please do not return to the town. Be careful. They are after you. Meet me at the spot where you got this cake tomorrow night.

The moon was right. There was hope.