swallow at the lake bottom

swallow,a young bird which had once been saved by human,it had dropped out of nest ,a guy picked it up and placed it back in the nest,but the parents hated the lingering scent of human on her ,they abandoned the nest ,every one of her siblings died as a result,alone and abandoned,she became a spirit.spent her life hiding under the bushes,another guy spotted her ,and everyday he came ,with a plate of food, he'd set it down on the gravel path in front of her. she felt grateful,the guy reminded her of the human who had saved her.because of human,she was saved ,was then abandoned,died alone,and became spirit ,again ,because of human ,she felt love and warmth which she had never felt before.

''natsume sama,can i hold your hand ''? the girl asked in a small voice
i stopped,half turned..
she stood very still,with her hands hanging down her sides,
hair like faded brown dangling down her neck,
and held out my hand ,her face changed,a faint smile curled on her lips
she ran over and took my hand very lightly,
as if afraid of what might be happening in the next moment
it's mid summer
sun climbed the sky
swirls of dry wind sent the trees in the woods shudder
grass clashing into each other,bent over and deep in whisper
and tatters of leaves on the ground flutter,
the silence was palpable
we were walking down the path ,hand in hand
feeling like we had all the time in the world
and the worries were far behind,there's no rushing,
''your hand is cool''
''erm.''you laughed a little
i was dumbstruck,actually i wanted to say it's cool in a comforting way..very soothing in fact
it's going to rain tonight''you said ,with a look at the sky above ,a covey of birds burst from nests in the trees and flew away into the darkening slash of horizon
when rustle of wingbeat passed
the air was still again
it rained on that night

we found the guy eventually
it's sunset
across the western sky,i saw splashes of plum and rust
the angle of sun was low on water
the fading light of dusk slanting off the surface ,
gleaming flecks of light moving along with the silent water
clouds bunching into thick gouts,rolling along motionlessly
we raced up the street ,down the sidewalk
lone streetlight emitting cold light from above
''he's here ,the scent is getting thicker '',you exclaimed, wheezing from the running,sweats beading from your forehead
when you saw him from behind ,your lips parted in quick breath
you could no longer hold back the feeling of wanting to be close to him anymore
you ran past me towards him,full with gratitude and respect
footfall echoed hollowly across the concrete
swish of dress as wind picked up and tore against it
the cuffs swung low as you moved
you stopped beside him ,smiled gesturing something with both your hands
face lit brightly with excitement and hopes
as he continued to walk down the road,never at once glanced into your direction
you stepped aside and let him pass
then you reached out ,wanted to touch..
but you didn't..
in his eyes,your reflection was missing
the outline of your body and head had merged into the colour of the sunset
there's not even a shadow on the ground could prove to him of your existence
but then i knew,
you were everywhere around him,in the air ,up in the sky ,in the fading dusk
but,still..
he had seen through you as if you weren't there..
at last ,you waved him goodbye and stood watching until his back disappeared from your sight
the most saddening thing was that you were right in front of him ,but he didn't know and couldn't never have known.

you said you were happy just to see him and your wish was completed ,you thanked me and were about to leave ,but i made you stay ..cause i knew you still missed him and i wished i could do something for you

it's blue afternoon
you were sitting high up on the tree branch
with your eyes closed and hands folded in your laps
soft streams of yellow light filtered through the leaves,
which stirred in the slight breeze
beams of light flecked your dress
crossed the space between your fingers
birds chirped in the distance
you caught sight of the guy
you leaped to your feet
threw up your hands ,waving
shouting his name,and a goodbye