Ross wanders through the worn pages of her ink filled diary reading about past memories. She traces scribbles and scrabbles as they lead her across her own time until they cross an old picture. She gazes at the young girl's face in the photograph. Flipping it over Ross reads
"Hey girl, best times always. Don't forget the stupid jellos of the world. love forever, Ayshna"
Clenching a torn and repaired stuffed panda to herself, Ross looks outside her window. The bland sun crosses over her house eventually covering itself with sodden clouds and still she stays huddled inside her room. As the first few drops begin to slam against her screen she closes her eyes letting the photo slip and float down to settle on her smooth wood floor. Then the thunder begins and she cries... sobs renting out as if demons were plucking at her very soul.
Finally she fades down to a small whimper and she falls asleep with lightning flashing in her eyes.
Ross is standing by a small rolling creek. The gurgles and bubbles spill harmoniously with the lilt of life nearby. A melodious giggle sounds from behind. She turns around suddenly.
"Ayshna! hurry! Mama says they're supposed to have hatched by now!"
As they ran down trails the sun played against the maple leaves that expanded above them. Little dapples of light broke upon them while the two girls stopped and tiptoed through soft moss until they reached a small nest lying upon a broad branch.
"they're so ugly..." whispered Ross.
"yeah but look at their parents. They're just.." Ayshna trails off "hey.. what is that over there?" she points at a small mound below the nest. Walking over Ayshna gives a soft cry and falls to her knees. She seems to drag with leaden feet as she comes back to where Ross is. "Its not supposed to be this way, its not supposed to have been able to fall out..." Ayshna whispered as she cupped the form of a newly hatched robin twisted in an ungainly pose.
Ross cries out grasping for a long gone figure as she turns in her bed. Her hair is spread out across her blue-striped pillow and she entangles her fingers in it while looking for solace in her own dreams.