A Broken Promise

I used to live in a sad place, but I didn't do anything bad, because I'm a good girl.

But...I never made a friend. Everyone seems to stay away from me, but why? I was always a good girl. Even if they throw rocks at me and say bad things about me, I always treat them nicely.

That's okay, right?

...

Today's my birthday, and...no one wants to celebrate it.

I understand. It was a time of hardship, and people were barely getting anything on their tables. So instead, I celebrated my birthday in the forest alone.

Just like all my other birthdays.

I always spend most of my time in the forest alone, so I know there's really no danger.

Since it's my birthday, I imagined myself in a dress, dancing and twirling in a ball with a grand feast prepared. At the end of a long table, there was a great, big birthday cake! All for me!

Of course, I don't know what a cake looks like…or tastes like...or smells like…

Well, all I know is that it's incredibly delightful to have.

That's all I know!

Still, I would have friends and family whom I would share the cake with. Then, they'll talk and play with me, and then we would have the greatest of times!

I'm sure that day will come. I'm sure it will!

...

I just made a friend today! It's like a dream come true!

I can't wait to tell her all the stories I've heard, to show her the two stuffed teddy bears I had gotten! It was a surprise, finding them left alone. I asked around, but no one seems to know where they came from.

Still, they're such adorable little friends to have, I hope to share them with my friend one day...

...

One day, I made a promise unconsciously with my first friend, and even though I was there was something in my heart, something that told me that I won't keep my promise.

I want to journey together with her, see all the wonderful sights around the world, to see the beautiful flowers...to eat delicious pancakes.

I want to do all the fun things with her.

I hope I can keep my promise...so please, destiny...fate. God?

...Anyone?

Just this one time, can you please help me keep my promise?

I promise I'll be a good girl. I promise I'll be nice to everyone. I promise I'll help everyone! I'll do anything, anything to keep my promise!

So please I beg of you...please...

...please?

...

...

As darkness gave way, light soon replaced it, no matter how dull it was. The sky returned back to its original misty gray, cloudy atmosphere, blocking out the sun's visage. The trees slightly, just a tad bit, started glowing blue and purple, and the flowers shined brighter...but they all seemed dull.

It was a drastic difference compared to before.

The phenomenon that happened-the aurora, the spear pillars, the chains-they all disappeared, as if it was a dream.

Only the large crater and its remains at the center was evidence of what had happened.

However, one girl did not pay attention to the devastation, but rather something else.

Anna looked despondently at the world. Then, something sizzled, disturbing the silent atmosphere in the manmade clearing as the blue barrier trapping her slowly dissipated. The blue butterflies fluttered away, leaving only one on the girl's head.

She didn't pay attention to it.

Anna slowly took a step away from the butterflies still in the air. Then another.

Then another.

Step after step, she took.

Finally, Anna made it to the edge of the crater. Reaching the edge, she cautiously looked down, spotting a lump of a small figure lying on the ground.

Something in her heart felt a twinge of pain.

"Abi...Abi!" Anna yelled. Throwing all caution aside as she began climbing down from the edge to the crater.

Then she fell.

Even when the crater was shallow, she still somehow tripped. Rolling and tumbling down a couple times, the girl slowly came to a stop face first onto the dirt floor.

𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩!

That did not stop Anna from rubbing her face struggling to stand up. Subsequently, she rip-ran-crawled over to the lump of a body at the center of the crater.

Moving closer, she saw that the body was lying face up, the girl's eyes closed,

"ugh...Abi, Abi-!" Anna cried out, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. She then shook her body a couple times in an attempt to wake her up.

Sadly...there was no response.

The tears of flood that threatened to burst out from her eyes seemed to grow more and more, and as she began to feel something ache inside her...she heard a whisper.

"Anna...? Is...is that you?" Looking at the body, she noticed that Abi's blue eyes opened. Anna then noticed that her entire body was just like the girl who she met for the first time, with her blonde, wheat colored hair.

Anna had missed it, because she was worried for Abi's wellbeing.

"Abi? Abi!? You're alive! Thank goodness..." Anna sighed with relief, only for it to turn for the worse.

"It was fun...being with you..." Abi continued whispering, her eyes unfocused, seemingly staring off into the gray sky.

Anna did not like the sound of that. The only way for people to talk like that is when-

"Abi, what are you saying? Come on, we have to get you help-!"

"-sleeping beneath the starry night sky...playing in the fields...eating tasty food like a soft, creamy birthday cake...I wish those days last forever..."

Abi continued speaking as she raised her hand to the gray sky.

A blank sheet of nothing but gray skies.

"Abi...come on...I..."

Anna tried to muster up words of comfort, but she had no words to say to that. Inside herself...Anna had a feeling that Abi wasn't going to make it, despite hoping she would.

"Don't you also want those days to last forever, Anna? Just like a dream?"

"...Abi..."

Anna herself knew inside her heart that she also wanted those days to last as well. They sounded so delightful...

'If only dreams could last forever...or rather...'

While she was thinking, she immediately jolted, grabbing Abi's pale hand that fell just as it had reached out. It felt so cold, not the warmth she felt while she joyfully skipped with Abi in the golden fields of wheat.

Anna hesitantly opened her mouth.

"Abi...I…I also want those days to last forever. Those days we were together...they were one of my happiest memories in such a long time..."

"Really? I'm so glad..." Abi whispered, and then started coughing abruptly.

"𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩! 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩!

"Abi-!"

"Anna," Abi interrupted her.

"Can you please...for-forgive me for-*𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩*-b-breaking my pro-promise? For...for being a bad friend?"

Abi's unfocused eyes began wetting with tears.

Anna tightened her grip on her hand. Although it was only for a few minutes, during that battle, Anna had thought long and hard about what she would say if they both would make it out alive.

"Of course, Abi. I...I forgive you," Anna said as firmly as possible, trembling. Still, she heard onto the dying girl's hands tightly.

Somewhere, Anna thought she had heard what seems to be a sigh, but it was too soft and quiet to be really noticeable.

She thought it was a small breeze.

"Wow...you're really so nice to me..." Abi's face, pale and white, had a small smile. "I'm glad...th-that the time we spent together...even if it-𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩-was short...was the happiest days of my entire life. I'm...glad you were my first friend..."

Anna's hands gripped Abi's hand tighter.

"Abi, let's go see the w-world together someday, and eat all the t-tasty food, yeah?" she whispered, and a tear fell from her eyes.

"Yeah...let's..." Abi said, and she 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥, closing her eyes. The weak hand that gripped Anna then fell slack, dropping to the ground.

Anna felt more pain than before. The hole in her chest grew even larger, and her vision became blurry. Trembling, the girl then saw, in her blurry eyes, that Abi started to fade away.

At that moment, Anna realized a blue butterfly descended from the sky.

Amor.

"Amor? Can you save Abi?"

Something warm bloomed inside her heart. Hope. It reignited inside her, and Anna looked hopefully at the butterfly. A miracle was what she expected.

Then, she suddenly felt something foreign. Something that wasn't originating from her...yet felt close to her.

'This feeling...what is it...?'

Watching the blue butterfly flutter onto Abi's forehead, she saw a blue glow shining from him...making Abi return to her previous, unfaded self.

Anna's eyes shined brighter.

"Amor, are you really-"

Then, she saw something else. Anna saw that Abi didn't continue to fade away like earlier, but this time, blue particles slowly drifted from her body floating up into the sky.

All her hopes fell into the abyss.

The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Anna grew considerably more miserable.

"Amor! What are-Abi...Abi wait...you can't…you can't leave, not now-!"

Even with Anna's attempt to shake Abi awake, the girl slowly faded away...until there was almost nothing within her arms.

"Amor, do something! Please...!" Anna pleaded, but Amor fluttered around, seemingly incapable of responding to her.

Feeling hopeless, Anna remained still, holding onto a translucent Abi...until she could no longer feel her. With Abi's body entirely disappearing, Anna slowly wrapped her arms around herself, and she sobbed.

As though the world was responding to her feelings, the gray sky darkened, and rain started sprinkling onto her.

Anna barely felt anything, and she drowned in her sorrows.

It was then that the girl realized, the world which she once thought was beautiful, was in fact a dream.

No, she had already realized it long ago. Eight years ago, when her grandpa died.

A nostalgic dream. Just like her memories of her childhood days.

This was her reality now.