Old Friends

“Bet you can’t catch me!” shouted Iser to his friend Edward and his twin sister Meg. They were running through the deep, old forest in which their house was located, the type of forest where the high canopy let in long streams of golden light to reach the leafy undergrowth. The sound of quick, light footsteps and children’s laughter reverberated throughout the empty forest as birds retreated from their trees in shock.

Iser stopped in a clearing of glistening, green grass and wild flowers. “Bet you can’t spin around for longer than me!” he challenged them. Iser was a competitive young boy with brown hair and shining hazel eyes. He was strong headed and often very stubborn. Although Meg and Iser were twins Meg was almost the opposite. She had long blonde hair which glistened in the sunlight and deep blue eyes, she was a shy and submissive young girl.

The three children started to spin and spin, their laughter growing louder and louder. Suddenly they all stopped and fell to the ground in hysterics, lying spread out on the warm, green grass.

A slight breeze could be felt throughout the clearing as they all lay there day dreaming, thinking about all the good times they had had together as they caught their breath. The twins would be starting school in a week and were extremely excited. Edward didn’t seem very excited at all; in fact he seemed positively enraged by the thought of school. They kept asking him why but he refused to answer, instead he would quickly change the subject by saying “Remember when…” or “Remember that time we…” and the twins would ramble on and on about their adventures.

Suddenly Edward stood up and started to walk out of the clearing. Meg and Iser drowsily got up and started to follow him. It was amazing. Edward was unlike any person the twins had ever met. He had red hair and dark green eyes and was so energetic that sometimes the twins would have trouble keeping up with him. He also walked differently to anyone else. He kind of just floated along hardly touching the ground. He didn’t disturb anything around him. Not even a blade of grass would be misplaced with the placement of his foot as he walked.

Edward always seemed to be around when the twins wanted him. If they wanted to play he could be found sitting in his favourite tree in their front garden and if they were sad or lost Edward would find them and comfort them.

Suddenly Edward started running. The twins looked at each other then back at Edward. They started running too, trying to keep up with Edward’s rapid pace. They both shouted to him to slow down but he just kept going. He seemed to be going in no direction, like a lost, panicked child. The twins were getting tired but they knew they had to keep Edward in sight. Meg noticed that the clearing was ahead of them once again. She stopped and shouted “We seem to be going round and round in circles!”
Edward stopped and turned to Meg. “Yes, but isn’t it fun?” he said in a breathless and disappointed voice.
“Why would running in circles be fun?” Meg shouted back, “Don’t you find it boring?”
“No.” Edward said sadly. “What about hide and seek?” He asked with a new hope in his voice.
“What’s the point?” Meg replied.

Suddenly Edward’s face lost all colour and Meg noticed just how tired he looked. He looked older somehow. “I knew this would happen soon” he said in a cold voice.
“What do you mean?” asked Iser, now looking very worried.
“I knew I would have to leave soon. You start school in a week and you’re growing up.”
“No we’re not! We’re just as much kids as we used to be” Meg said in a frantic voice.
“You said ‘What’s the point?’. If you’re a kid there doesn’t need to be a point.”
Then he vanished.

Meg and Iser didn’t see Edward ever again; in fact they had forgotten him. They had moved on with their lives; they had both had a family of their own. But ninety years later he returned. By this time in their lives Meg and Iser were bed ridden. They had hardly the energy to move. The room was stark white except for the fading colour of a wilted flower here and there and the flashing lights of the machines around them. The nurses thought they were just hearing voices and pitied them but Meg and Iser knew how real Edward was, they had known him their whole lives. Edward seemed no older than he had ever been. The nurses seemed rushed that day and the doctors were making ever more frequent visits to their room but Meg and Iser hardly noticed; their friend was back. That was all that mattered.

“The wheel has turned full circle, I am here.” Edward said as the walls turned to darkness and the ward doors closed behind him.






By Ryan Fraser
Written for a practice QCS test.
Please tell me what you think.
The theme was 'circle'.