Zara Friend of Mine

Zara yanked the rotting door of the barn with a huff, running in as the lights in the night sky washed the world in a warm glow. She looked around, “Aelf?!”

“Keh, welcome, Zara. Zara okay?”

She ran over to the pile of hay to her right, sitting down and kicking one foot back in forth in frustration against the bale. “They didn’t listen, like you said. Ugh.” The lights in the sky shone through the gaps of the old barn, illuminating Zara’s Burnette hair in jagged lines.

“Keh, Aelf hope they know…”

“They don’t. Seriously, Aelf, I feel like you are the only one that listens and tries to help me. They…” She pointed towards the house. “Ugh.” She started banging her feet into the hay bales, grunting.

“Terrible, keh, they need learn that Zara special.” Aelf was behind a moldy wooden pillar near the ladder by the side wall. He got up and walked over to Zara, sitting in front of her. She gave him a smile and leaned back using her arms for support.

“It’s terrible, ha, just like you said Aelf. Seriously, I… I wish we could move back into the city.” She signed and lifted both of her legs onto the bale, burying her face in-between her knees.

“Keh, Aelf would miss Zara.” He tapped his foot against the dirt floor. Please Zara, let this be the last straw, I need you.

Zara screamed into her knees. “AHHHHHHH! I want to dance, to be free, to have friends! AHHH!”

“Keh, keh, Zara, keh. Zara, Aelf’s family… want to meet them? They won’t stomp Zara dream, nope.” Aelf gave her a wide smile, his legs stretched out, hands on his laps.

Zara looked down at the little man, his fat hands, his pointy red hat, his dark brown skin like a teddy bear’s fur. “Aelf, what did your family think about my dancing?”

Aelf crossed his legs and leaned in. “Oh, Zara, Zara’s dream, they love it, oh, Zara we want to see you dance more, in person… Your parent, he bad. Keh.”

Zara chuckled. “I’m happy you all loved it.” She hopped off and gave a bow to every decrepit corner of the barn before sitting back down on the bales looking at Aelf. “You know, I never apologized, Aelf. I was scared of you at first because of your eyes. The deep black with a bunch of white dots, it literally reminds me of what the skies look like when the space people shut off the lights. Ugh, I miss the city; it was never dark there even when that happens.”

“Keh, town, city kids, they visit Aelf’s family, join Aelf’s family. They would love you, oh, more friends, friends for Zara, keh.” Aelf’s mind began racing as he leaned back, tapping his stubby fingers abruptly against the dirt. “Your parent, he really bad?”

“Mmm. No.” Zara said conflicted. “Maybe… I, I don’t know… they just won’t let me dance, or go into town. Ugh… I don’t want to talk about me. Aelf, what do you want to be when you grow up?” She looked at Aelf with pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

“Keh, Aelf scared Zara’s face… keh.”

Zara’s stern face broke into laughter, “I’m sorry, Aelf.”

“Keh, it’s okay Zara, friend of mine. Hmm, Aelf’s desire, I want to live. Life.”

“Oh.”

Herself, indeed, if she can continue to murmur of her own perturbation, this could work. “Zara, Zara lonely? Starve for dance?”

Zara nodded, “It must be nice, you have so much that all you could want is life.”

“Aelf’s family is nice.” Maybe her reminiscing of the epoch of her desire will be enough. “Zara, remember, 10 feet tall dancers?”

Zara chuckled and looked up. ”It was so cool. Their projectors literally freaked out the horses, I must’ve looked so silly, my dad just stood smiling at me. Arthur is a nice town, it isn’t as big as Zara’s old… my old city, but there’s so much I want to do there.”

“Zara, Aelf so sad. Oh, Zara, my family, they know dance. They teach you. Come.” Aelf stood and took a step towards the ladder.

Zara’s brow furrowed, she looked up at the hayloft. “Aelf, why are you so pushy? I mean, usually you bring up visiting them once in a while. But that’s like 6 times this week, seriously.”

Aelf let out a loud fart, dropped his head and turned away from her.

She giggled and gave Aelf a loving smile. “I mean, thank you so much for being my friend, for listening to me, talking to me, and making fun of my parents with me.”

He returned her smile. “Keh. Friends, it is lonely here, Zara. Keh. Aelf’s friends, family, they want to help Zara. Aelf sorry.”

“Well, let ‘Zara’ think about it.” She laid down on the bales, staring up at the lights creeping through the cracks of the old walls. “I don’t want to worry mama, or papa, but they keep me locked away.”

“Keh, Aelf remembers when horses were only transport. Pen, paper to talk to far people, no machines.”

“I read about how people used to send emails, or talk on phones. I think my dad has one of those phones. Ugh, if papa didn’t move us here, away from it all, I could be talking to my city friends like they were standing on my hands.” She slammed her fists into the hay bales, gritting her teeth.

Her parents, she loathes them, a little more persuasion, the slightest push. I need her. “Aelf once had parents. They left Aelf, told Aelf to leave, but Aelf’s new family helped Aelf. Zara, parent don’t love Zara. Zara parent, how he react about Zara dream?”

Zara sat up cleaning the hay from her hair. “Well…”

“Now Hon, was that really the way to handle things? I mean we are literally forcing her to live without technology. I know everyone is co-dependent on it, but to stop her from dancing or going into town now and then?”

“Baby, do you want to live in a world where food is a button press away? Our old neighbors gave up on solid foods. Wahh, too much work, wahh, no different from farmed goods, wahhh. Seriously, too much work to heat and cut some veggies?” Zara’s father shook his head.

“Hmm. I cannot deny it. It’s sad, but come on, just give in a little bit, she can still be your little farm girl with some tech, and free time to dance.”

“All the world wants is free time. Seriously, knock off a minute here, and there to spend it figuring out how to be lazier. World just keeps growing rounder and rounder babe, and I don’t mean the planet.”

“Oh, ha, come on honey. She’s a growing girl, you can’t cage her and expect her to be happy.”

Zara’s father put down his axe and sharpening stone, turning his head to look in the direction of the old barn, I don’t want her depending on the world.

“Honey… she gets lonely on the farm, everybody is busy working on their own lands and livestock. I’m surprised they helped us build a new barn. But she literally has an imaginary friend at her age… what we are doing is hurting her.”

He sat at the table, thinking about how he pushed her off, how he yelled at her after she tried relentlessly to move him. She wanted to go into town, to join that dance group. Seriously, it’s not like I fully embody the idea of abandoning all technology, and she doesn’t need to devote all her free time into the farm.

“Hon, think realistically here, she literally wants to do something that is good for her body. It will help with her endurance around the farm. You will have more time with her than they would, right? Plenty of time to teach her to be self-reliant, to grow her own food, and live without all this tech.”

“Hmm. I’ll talk to her. Her imaginary friend scares me. She'd never been so angry."

“She’s a child, they will rebel. Honey, our goal is to guide and lead her when she makes her choices. She will grow up to be someone strong, not round, but thin, and loved and supported by her loving, and supporting parents.”

“Hmm.” Zara’s father stood, giving a warm smile to his wife. “Well, I was in the wrong. I’ll talk to her, thank you babe.”

“Zara, he yelled. Aelf said he would, when he learns Zara wanted different life. Told Zara, if Zara pushed, he fights Zara’s desires.”

“You were right, I know. Aelf, you are always so good to me. Seriously.”

“Zara, he will leave Zara. Please, climb the ladder, join Aelf's family.” Aelf pulled on Zara’s leg.

I can feel it, his gaze upon me. Sorry, Zara, friend of mine.

“Why?! Aelf, why does meeting your family sound like I need to hurt myself?”

Aelf stood back, look of incredulity on his face. “Zara…” He said in a broken voice. “Zara, don’t trust Aelf. If Zara wants to be free, Zara needs to care only for Zara. To meet Aelf’s family, Zara needs to care only for Zara.”

“But… I don’t… I.” She looked around before her eyes landed onto the hayloft above. “I know it would hurt them.”

“Zara. No, they hate Zara. Parent yelled at Zara. Zara, has Aelf ever yelled at Zara?”

She shook her head. “Aelf, I can’t.”

“Zara’s desire, Zara’s wish, Aelf can make it all true for Zara. It won’t hurt. Aelf promise as Zara’s friend.”

“O…”

There was a knock on the open barn door. “Hey, blossom. Who you talking to?”

“Papa? I’m talking to Aelf.” She pointed to an empty spot by her legs.

“Oh, hi there, Aelf. Thank you for taking care of my little blossom.” He scratched his arm. “So, I was thinking, well, first, sorry for yelling, and... you want to go to Arthur tomorrow? Maybe… join that group?”

She jumped up. “Really?”

NO! NO! Was I… can it be that I have not made it in time? Zara, friend of mine, you will never reach your full potential, don’t fall for his compromise. Zara, please join me.

“Look, you still need to work on the farm, and no practicing out in the fields, if the ministers see you using technology, we’d be banned from the community, seriously.”

“Oh, okay. Aelf! I’m gonna get to dance.”

Aelf was weak, unable to stand, watching Zara’s father with a hateful glare. Ah, it’s too late, Zara, friend of mine, you were my last chance.

“Keh, Zara, Zara remember, Zara is all that matters…” His black, starry eyes seemed to focus on Zara’s father. Those eyes, my father gave me that look. Told me to depart, that they come for us, then my mother left me with those same eyes. They, were loving? Zara, could it be, did my old family protect me. Could I have found love if I didn’t listen? Zara, maybe, my new family is no good. “Zara, parent… good.”

“Aelf?”

Aelf’s body was engulfed in a puddle of light. He gave one last smile to Zara.

She knelt by his body, to her father, she knelt in the dirt. “Blossom, what’s going on? Your friend has to go?”

“Papa, Aelf, he’s…” Suddenly the empty spot caught fire, Aelf burned, but to her father’s eyes the fire was unexplained.

“Out!” He yelled pulling her from the old barn.

“AELF!”

“I don’t know, Zara didn’t start it, but it didn’t burn anything, just a hole in the ground, can’t see the bottom of it at all.”

“Okay, that’s literally freaky.”

“Yeah, seriously.”

“Ooo!”

“What?”

“Hon, we don’t need to buy a new rope, look up there.” Zara’s mother pointed at the hayloft.

“Oh, that ropes looks brand new. Where’d it come from?”

“Heh, a literal blessing from God.”

“Ha, seriously?”