The deserted park stood at the edge of the small urban town. The park’s flora flourished in the healthy and neatly trimmed green grass as a result of the decent amount of rain it received annually. Due to the lack of human activity, the nature estate was always quiet with the exception of some of its natural fauna. Every now and then, a bird’s cry would disrupt the nature’s silence. Off in the distance, a tree rustled, but it wasn’t the wind that caused its movement. Overall, the peace would always continue daily and the park settled down, waiting…

            Rapid footsteps approached the abandoned recreational area. A pair of shoes left a trail of footprints beginning from the entrance to the furthest orchard. A teenage girl of fifteen dumped herself in the shade produced by the large tree. A silent tear rolled down the side of her face and combined itself with the lock of her medium brown hair. Closing her eyes against the harsh light of the sun, the girl sang quietly.

            The tree rustled again. “Greetings, Earthling. How’s the air down there?”

            A familiar masculine voice came from the tree. The girl, still lying down, opened her eyes in surprise and looked straight up. When she caught sight of the face hidden in the branches, she sprung up with catlike reflexes.

            “Aiden! What are you doing up there?”

            “Nice to see you too, Neliel,” Aiden replied sarcastically from his nook in the tree.

            Neliel narrowed her ocean blue eyes at him.

            “Get down here so we can talk like normal humans,” she retorted. Aiden laughed at her comment but obeyed her by making his way down the tree and landing on his feet successfully. Aiden stood before her, a tall seventeen-year-old teenager ruffling his light brown hair that appeared golden in the sun.

            “You didn’t answer my question: What were you doing up there?” Neliel restated. “You could seriously hurt yourself if you fall.”

            “If I fall,” Aiden said, putting emphasis on the first word. He shrugged nonchalantly. “It was worth it though, hanging up there since school went out and waiting for you to come. I finally got to hear your voice,” he added with a cheeky grin.

            Neliel hit her best friend’s arm as her face mimicked the color of a ripe tomato. “I can’t believe you did that!” she whined. “You know how I feel about people hearing me sing.”

            Aiden rubbed his arm in mock pain and pouted back. “You sound so good though! And plus, it’s because I’m special that only I get to hear you, right?”

            Neliel laughed in response and immediately let the subject blow off for the time being. She returned to her sleeping position in the shade she and Aiden stood in. Aiden sat next to her and asked, “So what brings you here on this fine day, Miss?”

            Neliel let out a sigh and closed her eyes. “My parents. They came back today from their billionth business trip. Rather than a nice welcome back, it seems they prepared a lecture about how un-great my life would be if I became a singer. Something about me not being able to make a successful living and blah blah blah…” She ended her recount with the last thing she remembered before storming out of the house.

            Aiden leaned away from her and sat upright while addressing the sky with his eyes closed. “Don’t listen to them,” he said simply. “I promise your voice will take you very far in life. That’s a lifetime guarantee.”

            Neliel turned her head and her eyes met his emerald green gaze. She gave him a small smile. “Maybe you can take a break after your vet studies in college and tour with me,” she said playing along with the fantasy.

            His laugh echoed across the grassy field. “That’s more like it!” He shot up from his sitting position suddenly. “Shoot, that reminds me. I’m supposed to be at work soon. Gotta feed the sick snakes some mice,” he added which made Neliel cringe. Grabbing his backpack from behind the tree, he jogged away while yelling, “Meet me back here tomorrow! I have something to give you!”

            Neliel lifted her arm and waved to signal that she had heard his message. When his footsteps were out of earshot, Neliel positioned her arms under her head and let her eyelids fall once again. The cool breeze danced through the spring leaves, creating a relaxing sound fit for a meditation class. In the distance, a bird’s song called for its mate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “So, do you like it?” Aiden beamed like a child receiving many gifts on Christmas.

            Neliel bent and examined the small creature closely. “You got me… a bird for my 16^th birthday?”

            “It’s a canary actually,” Aiden said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been taking care of her for the past month. She reminds me of you.”

            “Did you just compare me to a bird?”

            “Not in a bad way or anything!” he defended himself quickly. “I just mean personality-wise. I figured out that the canary used to sing before it fell from a tree and broke its wing. I haven’t heard it sing since I rescued it though. It’s pretty quiet and really easy to look after. Plus, you always complain that you get lonely when you’re stuck at home. You can let the bird out of the cage and let it fly around in–”

            “Alright, I hear you! Calm down already, nature boy,” Neliel said. She grinned at him. “I like it actually. It’s pretty cute. I just like seeing your reaction.”

            “You little punk.” Aiden poked her several times while holding the bird cage. “Come on, I’ll take it home for you. Oh, don’t forget to clean the cage,” Aiden said randomly. The two left the orchard covered park together and headed towards Neliel’s house.

            Aiden handed the cage and a packet of seeds to Neliel. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? We can go out and celebrate somewhere,” Aiden said trying to persuade the birthday girl to have some fun.

            “No, it’s fine, seriously. I know you have to go to work. We can do something in a couple of days, when it’s the weekend. Off you go now, kiddo.” Neliel shooed him away before entering her house. The house was deserted, save herself and her new pet, and the familiar quietness swept over the isolated building. Her parents were off on yet another business trip after just returning yesterday. Neliel cleared the junk off her desk and placed the cage in view of the outside world. “Looks like it’s just gonna be you and me from now on buddy,” Neliel said to the bird. She cocked her head to the side. “I don’t recall Aiden giving you a name.” It didn’t take her long to think of a name. “Koe.” Neliel stepped back and looked at the vivid yellow canary from a distance as though she were admiring an artwork. “Yeah, that works.” She smiled at her ingenious skill to name birds.

            As the sun approached the horizon, flecks of orange, pink, and purple light shone into the house, illuminating the desolate home temporarily. Neliel fed Koe before going downstairs to cook and dine herself. The smell of chicken pasta still lingered when Neliel got really to sleep for the next eight hours. As she switched off her bedroom light, her room was engulfed in a peaceful darkness. She closed her eyes and fell asleep to the lullaby of silvery twittering coming from the corner of her room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Neliel’s eyes felt as though they could no longer produce any more moisture. Her last words to him were, “Later, kid,” accompanied by a light smack on his head. Just the thought of it was almost unbearable to her. If she could go back in time, she would redo that moment and tell him she… But it was too late now. Her heart shattered at the mere thought of his absence for the rest of her solitary life. She left her tear-stained acacia, red camellia, red chrysanthemum, and iris – all personally picked by herself – on the grave entitled Aiden Lee, October 15 1992 – May 24 2010, An Eternal Friend.

            “Goodbye, Aiden.” Taking one last look, she walked away from the cemetery and dragged her feet home, making sure to take the longest route home in order to be outside with nature for as long as possible.

            She thought back to the day after her birthday when she had received a call from the local hospital. She had run to the hospital as though her life depended on it. She remembered seeing his body in the long and white linen covered bed. She had held his hand while she cried and half listened to the words the doctor used: very sorry… terminal disease… rare… no cure… The words still floated in her mind.

            As she sat in her bedroom, she the soft feathers of Koe as the canary rested on her finger. Neliel’s blank gaze fell on the bird’s little cage and a memory hit her like a lightning bolt. Setting the tame bird on her bed, she got up and picked up the cage. Making sure to close the door behind her, Neliel took the bird cage outside and took out the little stand and water pipe that was attached to the cage. When she removed the stand that Koe always stood on, she found a tiny piece of paper folded thrice. Unfolding the paper, she read the words I caught your voice in recognizable handwriting. As if an automatic reflex controlled her actions, she got up and took the cage back to her room with her. She found Koe on her bed hopping around and put the bird back in the cage. Making sure to take a long piece of rope with her, Neliel walked down the street towards the park with the cage in her hand. Koe looked at the outside world for the first time in a while and her eyes seemed to shine with joy. Neliel reached the orchard tree where she had received Koe from Aiden merely 3 days ago. Tying the rope to the top of the cage, Neliel threw the other end of it around a branch. She climbed the tree and took the cage up with her strategically. When she reached the highest point she could, Neliel positioned herself comfortably on the branch and held Koe’s cage, door facing away. Smiling up at her best friend in the sky, Neliel opened the cage and Koe flew out, singing as she flew into the beautiful blue sky. At the same time, the girl in the tree sang out too, finally letting her voice ring out to the world.