CHAPTER TWO: "YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE ME, LYR"

"Champions keep playing until they get it right."

- Billie Jean King

✨🦋✨

After opening up presents and spending time with the other orphans, Mrs. Rethers put the kids to sleep. It was almost midnight when everyone was finally in their rooms, all fast asleep. Euno and I told Mrs. Rethers that we would just be out for a few minutes because he has another surprise for me. We went to his car and drove out of town and into the forest areas where not a lot of people live. The radio had a calm and soothing song playing as I rested my head on the palm of my hand by the open car window. My hair was flying behind me because of the wind. It was quite freezing outside but the night sky looked so beautiful.

We continued to drive deeper into the forest until there were no more gravel roads. Euno turned on a right and parked his car just a few trees away from the waterfall. We got out and he took my hand and told me to follow him. As I followed him towards the waterfall, there was a cabin near it. I looked at it in awe. Euno looked back and smiled at me.

"You can use the key now."

I fished for the key he gave to me earlier at the orphanage and unlocked the door to the cabin. As I stepped inside, I was greeted with a relaxing vibe from the furniture and just how the cabin was designed as a whole. My smile grew wider as I stared at every detail, swallowing the beauty in front of me. Euno closed the door behind me and hung his coat on the coat rack. He went to the living room and starter placing more wood in the fireplace. When I was finished looking around the cabin, I went to the sofa and sat down next to Euno.

I turned to him and asked, "How did you get a key to this?". He turned to me and answered, "Mom and Dad asked me what I wanted for my 18th birthday last May so I decided to have this cabin built because we always dreamed of having our own place near the waterfalls." I was touched. We talked about this dream cabin of ours since we were kids. And now, we finally have it and it's more than I dreamed it would be. I smiled at my best friend and hugged him. I was at a loss for words because this was really the best birthday.

"I know I've already given you quite a few surprises but there's one more thing I'd like to show you at sunrise. You can rest first and I'll just wake you up when it's time to go there," he said.

"Why don't we watch the stars instead?", I suggested.

"That's a great idea."

We stood up and put on our coats. Euno went to the storage room to get some blankets and pillows we could lie down on while stargazing. I went to the kitchen to get us some snacks and drinks. The blankets and pillows were all set and we lied down, looking up at the sky. It was just so beautiful. We laid there in silence, appreciating the wonders the constellations made. The stars were still twinkling in the sky. They looked like they were winking at me. My heart had a steady beat and my ears could hear the song it was singing from inside me. Fireflies peeked from behind the big trees surrounding me. I reached out in front of as if I was soaring through the heavens and playing amongst the stars and heavenly bodies. My eyes were so mesmerized and started dancing along with the twinkle of the twirling shooting stars. Euno placed his arms under his head and sighed, "Wow...".

"Wow indeed," I replied with a smile.

It started getting really chilly so I grabbed one of the pillows and pulled it towards me, covering half of my face. It was warm and comforting, just like how I always felt whenever I was with Euno. I couldn't stop smiling wider and wider because I really appreciated this view. If it weren't for Euno, I wouldn't even been able to grasp an opportunity to witness such a beautiful sky. He just knew what made me happy. Just having Euno was enough to give me hope everyday.

As sleep started to fill my eyes, I hugged the pillow tighter and slowly drifted off to sleep. My mind instantly started filling my thoughts with the stars. It was a delight and breathtaking. The stars were perfectly painted on the night sky. I started flying with the shooting stars and reaching for the other planets around me.

*.*.*.*

I felt my arms crossed on top of my stomach. I felt my body being carried. My mind slowly pulled me away from dancing next to the constellations and brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes slowly and saw Euno carrying me towards the waterfall. I moved my arms away from my tummy and around his neck. He continued to walk towards the waterfall and stopped to place me down on my feet when we reached the side of the waterfall. I looked at the waterfall in amazement then back at Euno with a confused look.

"Why'd you bring me here? I thought you were going to bring me back to the cottage?"

"This is what I wanted to show you, Lyr," Euno explained. He walked closer to the waterfall and walked behind it and into some cave. I followed behind him and tried not to scream if anything pops up in front of me. When we reached the inside of the cave, I looked around and saw a river stretching out deeper inside the cave. The walls had tiny crystals in them and they shown with beauty. Euno sat down a rock that was positioned just right from the river. I sat next to him.

When I sat down, I turned to Euno and asked, "Why'd you bring me here?". He turned towards me and smiled. "You'll see. Just wait for the sun the rise and you'll know exactly why I wanted you to see this."

I waited patiently for the sun to rise. A few minutes later, I felt heat coming inside the cave from outside. The sun slowly started to rise and it was reflected on the waterfall. While it was rising, the water from the river started to have rocks that were sparkling because of the sun touching them slowly. She couldn't believe that there was something other than the night sky which she found extraordinary. The sunlight gave off such a good effect on those rocks. They were so precious.

I watched closely as each rock started to shine when the sunlight hit them one by one. It was like a domino knocking out other dominoes one after the other. It was beautiful and I was speechless.

"You know you always have me...", I hear someone whisper.

I looked over at Euno and saw him still watching the rocks shine in the water and around the cave. "Did you say something?", I asked. He looked at me and replied, "Nope. Haven't said a word since we sat here by the river. Why do you ask?". "Oh, nothing. Never mind what I said."

We looked back at the river as the last rock gets hit by sunlight, now having a river full of shining crystal rocks. They resembled the night sky we stargazed earlier. It was a really close resemblance. "Why did you bring me here, Euno? You've planned so many surprises already. Are there any more tricks up your sleeve?", I asked him. He didn't look at me straight away. It took him a little while before he replied. When he looked like he was finished rehearsing how to respond to my question, he still didn't look at me but continued staring at the river. "We've known each other for 11 years now, Lyr. We know each other so well. I even memorize when you go to the bathroom just to look at yourself at mirror and talk to yourself. And you know how many times I failed my entrance exams before I was accepted in elementary," I stifled a giggle remembering those good ol' days. "For all those 11 years, I've never regretted meeting you. Ever. Whenever I saw you cry alone in the park because you had nightmares about being abandoned by your family, I felt more and more determined to make sure you never feel abandoned again. That's why when I discovered this place, I remembered you and your love for the night sky. I knew you love the stars so much and it made you really happy." He paused then looked at me. I was already tearing up.

"I remembered you and thought that why not make you happy looking at the stars even in the daytime? That's why I planned this out to have the cabin built near this waterfall so that whenever you need a place to run to and escape reality, you'd always have the comfort from this river full of crystals. Let this be a reminder to you that just like these crystals, you'll never be alone. You'll always have me, Lyr."

After he finished talking, I pulled him into a really tight hug. I let my tears fall down my cheeks because these were happy tears. Happy tears I wasn't embarrassed to let out. This was a special bond and I plan to cherish it forever.

I closed my eyes and painted this moment in my memory and in my heart. Another whisper was heard, "You have me with you, always..."