Nella Memoria

The sky was grey and the threat of rain was hanging over the miles of green countryside below like an overbearing bully on a playground. Hidden away among the mass of green fields and rolling hills a small stretch of woods clings to the side of a steep slope away from the greedy eyes of people.

The leaves in the Forrest are heavily laden with early morning dew and fighting to stay attached to their home. A slight breath of wind runs through the trees and with a silent rustle a cascade of waterfalls from above. The wind dies down, the leaves stop shaking and the water stops pouring from the top of the trees. The whole scene belonged to an immortalised painting in a priceless art gallery rather than hidden away from all people.

Deeper in the forest a shadow of a person was slowly scaling the slope. The figure was a woman in a brown coat that is too big for her. She seemed focused and oblivious to the stunning scenery that surrounded her at every angle. She never once looks up from the floor or even attempts to avoid the soaking branches that are hung in front of her like obstacles. She passes through a small column of light that is shinning through a gap in the trees above. Her hair is light brown hair and hangs just past her slender shoulders; her face a picture of stunning beauty mixed with a quiet sadness.

She is eventually stopped in her tracks by a large steel farmers gate that leads into a large open field. With a stiff tug she pulls the latch on the gate, with a high-pitched screech of metal on metal the gate swings open slowly. She moves into the field and begins to walk up a green hill to her left.

At the top of the hill the wind is blowing stronger and her brown hair is caught and thrown around wildly, she doesn't try to tie it down or brush it out of her face. All she does is survey the tree line in front of her and the vast open field around her through beautiful green eyes. She closes them and a smile gently quivers in the corner of her mouth as old memories wash over her with each wave of wind.

It's the same scene but the woman is no longer standing there and the sky si bright burning blue. In the centre of the field two children who look to be about ten years old are chasing a small Border collie dog around in a circle. The air is filled with their laughter and the odd solitary high-pitched bark.

The boy dives to his right with the dogs lead in hid left hand, the dog shoots directly under his armpit before he crashes onto the grass with a loud soft thump. He rolls over onto his back and lets out a grown purely for show. The girl come jogging over trying in vain to catch her breath in-between the bouts of hysterical laughter. She bends over and holds her small stomach her brown pigtails bouncing with every slight movement of her head. Breathlessly with a broad grin on her face she speaks 'Are you okay Ryan?'

Ryan arches his head forward and smiles a toothy grin 'Yeah, yeah I'm fine' he starts to pull himself up onto his feet 'You know Jane you were supposed to try and catch him as he went past. What do you think I was jumping on the floor for?' Ryan was stood upright now and brushing grass off his clothes. ' I was chasing him your way'

Jane looked at him sceptically and let out one mocking laugh 'You expect me to believe that little fall was deliberate?'

'Of course, of course' he said with a smug smirk

'Pull the other one Ryan a one legged Kangaroo has more balance than you' she replied

An unseen wind gently moved across the scene of two children enjoying there summer and was replaced by another. The same field the same trees only this times no dog. Jane and Ryan were older about fourteen years old and sitting in a short squat looking oak tree. Ryan has the same unkempt ash brown hair and almost identical clothing to the ones he wore when he was ten years old, a blue t-shirt and jeans with tears on the knees. Jane's pigtails are tied back into one ponytail and she is wearing the same boyish clothes as Ryan except she has a "Queen Rock" t-shirt. Ryan is swinging his leg lazily back and forth causing the branch to rock.

'Stop it Ryan please, I'm gonna fall I swear' she sad trying and failing to hide the fear in her voice.

Ryan laughs and turns his gaze away from the seven foot drop to his fearful friend 'If you hate heights so much why in the hell did you climb this tree with me?'

'Because I wont be outdone by a boy' she retorted as she grabbed another branch for support.

Ryan smiled to himself and looked back down at the floor 'Ah Jane a tomboy from the minute she was born' he sighed and looked back at her trying to keep a straight face 'You know if I hadn't know you all of my life I swear you could pass for a guy'

'Hey I do girly stuff' her voice was a mixture of humour and genuine anger.

'When? Cause last time checked climbing trees and playing football aren't exactly at the top of girls "to do" lists'

'What girls, you mean those vacuum brained bimbos that all you boys drool over in school. Please I'd rather be gay than get that into myself' the venom in her tone could have killed ten men.

'Well if that's your inclination then by all means'

Jane stared back at him and leaned over so she could whisper and make her voice seem more sinister 'You know Ryan one day, I'll wear a dress and put on make up, and your eyeballs will shoot out on stalks and you'll trip on your own tongue'

'And on that day Jane I'll jump out of my grave and burst into a song and dance in the rain' he said without missing a beat.

'Funny' was her only reply as she rolled her eyes.

The wind kicked up. It was another beautiful summer day, no children in the tree this time a blanket is laying in the field in direct light from the setting sun. A sixteen year old Jane and Ryan are enjoying the remainder of the day. Ryan still looks the same only his outfit is different. Jane however is different, she is laying on her back with no shoes or socks on. She is wearing black hipsters and a cropped white top with a cartoon picture of an angel on a bike on the front. She adjusts the bar that is attached to her pierced and exposed navel. Ryan rolls over and props his head up on one hand. 'We're gonna have to get going soon. We've got our first exam at nine in the morning' he lets out a loud gowning sigh and falls back onto his back and looks up at the darkening sky 'Man why do they even make us do GCSE's, its not like they matter.'

Jane rolls over and props her head up on one hand, her hair is different its now layered and cut off at shoulder length 'you know you don't mean that really. I mean how are we supposed to go to sixth form or university without any GCSE's?'

Ryan sighs again in defeat 'I know. But riddle me this Batman why to they make us take them in one of the hottest summer we have ever had in this damn town?'

Jane rolls her eyes and shakes her head 'You know you're right Ryan, it must be some secret plot to destroy out moral. So they can turn us into mindless drones that scratch a living packing shelves at some dodgy supermarket or sweeping up our road kill littered roads' She smiles and looks at Ryan's ice blue eyes.

'Oh aren't we the comedian tonight Jane' he said returning her look.

'It makes a change its usually you poking fun at me' she said as she broke their gaze and looked at the stunning hills and trees that surrounded them. Her heart was pumping faster; she could feel it pounding in her chest. It wasn't the first time it had happened when she was with Ryan, to tell the truth it had been happening on and off for the past four years. Jane was suddenly becoming aware that the time limit on their comfortable silence was running out. She searched her head for something, anything to start talking about. A lone cloud caught her gaze she looked down from the sky at the not so stubby anymore-oak tree. And a light bulb lit in her head.

'Hey' she said 'do you remember a few years ago over there in that tree, you called me a tomboy and said that I would never be anything else.'

Ryan laughed to himself 'Yeah, that was ages ago'

'You also said that the day I look feminine is the day you would sing and dance in the rain' she said with an evil smirk that looked out of place on her beautiful face.

Ryan held one hand up in the air with the palm facing the sky. 'Unless I'm mistaken it's not raining'

'Okay so sing me "singing in the rain" ' came the reply with out so much as a split second pause.

Ryan smiled inwardly at how fast she replied they had had their own unique style of bantering since they we're both able to talk to each other as children. It was one of the many things he loved about her. He rolled back up onto one arm his face only centimetres away from hers. 'No' he said nervously 'And besides your misquoting me'

Jane shook her head, she could have swore she felt her heart shaking back an forth as she moved her neck 'Whatever you still owe me a song'

Ryan was the first to act on the moment before it faded away like so many of their previous "moments". He quickly kissed her on the lips. They both looked at each other, both of them holding their breath. The few seconds seemed to span a lifetime before Jane leaned over and kissed him.

A breeze came from the bottom of the hill and washed over everything. It was a summer day, only this was more of a typical Welsh summer day. It was overcast with grey-white clouds and the air was filled with an almost unbearable humidity that clung to everything. Jane and Ryan look the same as they did two years ago when they first kissed on the same field they we're standing in. Ryan is standing behind Jane in a brown jacket. Jane has tearstains on her cheeks. Ryan pulls her close to him with his left hand as he wipes her tears away with his right hand.

'We'll see each other soon' Ryan paused trying to sound all serious and not let his emotions dictate him 'I mean we cant miss freshers week at Uni just cause we want to spend more time with each other can we?' He heard the words and knew they made sense he only wished he believed in them, his head was successfully circumventing his heart.

Jane sniffed 'I know you're right, but that doesn't make this any easier you know' she could feel the tears welling in her green eyes again 'I know its only like two and a half hours away by car, but after living a hundred yards from you all of my life it might as well be another continent.' The tears started to fall down her face.

Ryan felt a lump in his throat but fought it back down so he could be strong for Jane. He wiped away her tears again 'I know'

Jane felt hurt by the seemingly lack of emotion he was showing 'God how can you be so cool and composed about it, does it not bother you at all?' she tried to stop herself from asking the next question that she knew the answer to 'Do I not mean as much to you as you to me or something?' she felt foolish.

Ryan took her head in his hand and kissed her passionately. 'Don't be stupid' he said without even a trace of anger 'You mean everything to me girl' He knew he was being soppy but he didn't care 'All our friends might be splitting up so they can enjoy the single life at Uni and that's great for them. But me, I'm quite content staying with the tomboy next door' usually Jane would have made a fake vomiting sound to Ryan being slushy. This time she smiled and slowly put her arms around his neck and hugged him. Ryan didn't want to let go ever. She slowly pulled away. And Ryan kissed her forehead. 'Look I promise, the first weekend I'll drive down and see you. You can show me around your campus and introduce me to all of your friends I know you're gonna make as soon as you walk through the doors' he struggled to smile at her.

Jane sniffed and wiped away her own tears 'and maybe I could do vice versa the following weekend' she to felt the strain of trying to smile.

Ryan was taken back by Jane's sudden showing of strength. 'Yeah, that's my girl. I know it sucks we're two and a half hours away from each other but is only for three years and then we've got the rest of our lives together I promise'

Jane went weak at the knees and threw her arms around his neck again 'I know it just really sucks'

The wind began to die down. The memories stopped rushing back. Jane was stood in the middle of the field alone in her long brown coat. She put her hands into her pockets and began to speak out loud to the sky, the tree and the field 'I didn't go to the service' her voice was trembling. 'I dunno why I'm, telling you, you were probably there just to see how many people turned up' she laughed once and then continued her fight against breaking down altogether. 'I didn't got because that place means nothing to me or us, we were about as religious as Itchy and Scratchy. Instead I came here. This is where we grew up. This is where our memories of each other were forged not in some disused church'

She lowered herself to her knees; she looks over at the oak tree they used to sit in and the tears she had been fighting back finally won the battle and burst free.

'I miss you Ryan, I know it's a cliché but the simplest of expressions and actions often say the most' she wiped the tears away from her eyes with the sleeve of Ryan's coat. 'I'll love you all of my life'

Out of one of her pockets she pulls a white rose, she stops crying long enough to put the flower on the grass. Jane kisses her hand and touches the floor. 'See you around' she whispers. She stands up and pulls Ryan's coat tight around herself. She could still smell him on it, it was extremely reassuring to still have something of him that was real yet utterly heartbreaking at the same time. She turned off and started back the way she came.

The rose lies on the field, its brilliant white petals amplified by the dark green canvas it rests on. The petals move slightly as the wind stirs again.

The End