Everyone has a weakness, Amerly was mine and later I would find that illness was hers. She was so luminous jumping over logs, picking leaves, and searching creeks as we pursued that hidden cove we had found years ago while exploring these woods. Her hair flew wild; the bright dyed colors were natural for her. It had been so long since I had seen her truly natural hair color, but that was because to her that wasn’t who she was.
Amerly asked me on this adventure with a heavy heart. I could tell she was deep in thought through our walk because she wasn’t present in her eyes and she wasn’t observantly looking around constantly. We approached the cove and I saw the flower patch we planted to “spruce things up a bit”. She lifted her head up and breathed in the oxygen and there she was again her eyes presenting her depth.
She started talking about life and suddenly blurted out “ I’m sick and they can’t help me. It’s too late they say. Within the year i’ll be nothing but a memory to you and everyone else”.
I broke, my hair rose, and my heart disappeared. I was cold and numb. We sat there awkwardly for awhile then i turned to ask , “why can’t they help you?.”
She just smiled and said “it’s too late.” she was always so strong, much stronger than I was, and even now she was being strong… for me… Amerly stared at me, studying me like she was taking a picture… maybe she was in her mind. “No one is immortal, everyone and thing dies, Lester time will kill if nothing else.
I just sat there and grabbed her hand, taking a picture with my mind too. We sat in silence for a good five minutes before she blurted “Turkeys should be able to fly. It’s not fair that they have to watch smaller birds soar while they waddle on the ground highest they reach is a roof and that’s just depressing…” This sentence seemed so inconsequential , but I knew sge was analyzing the physical vulnerabilities of being mortal. She was always trying to escape, or transcend, but she didn’t want to die. She just didn’t want the discomfort… and now I understand.