Fathers!

Arlo felt the intimacy when he saw the gorgeous face of Brigitta but yet her face was sad. Arlo stood up, his back hunched. "Are you hurt?" He asked Brigitta. "I am fine." She answered. Their eyes met, Arlo could feel the rush in his veins, he was staring at her gorgeous eyes. He could see her dress, a skirt, a turquoise skirt with a red hairband on her gorgeous hair, her hair touching her back, she had a pink band on her right hand making her cuter, she raised her left hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, he felt like it was inextricably to take his eyes away "You are so beautiful," Arlo whispered. "What?" Brigitta asked. "Nothing," Arlo shook his head. He thought "She can't be real, isn't she? Have I hit my head or something, am I imagining her?"  

"I should go now," Brigitta said, Arlo wanted to stop her, he wanted to just stare at her face, it was for the first time he saw someone this gorgeous, Arlo wiped the tears and turned around

"Where are you going?" He asked

"Uh….. I don't know,"

"I want to come with you," Brigitta stood still, she thought "Why does he wanna come with me? We are the two complete strangers"  she was befuddled and could not think clearly

"Yeah sure," she said to Arlo, a smile popped up on his face, she could see that smile, she saw a cute and innocent boy the same age as her, she felt the gust of wind, her heart beating rapidly as soon as Arlo ran closer to her. "Who is this guy? Am I in love with him?" Brigitta thought. "Is this how love feels?" She thought again

"Where are we going?" Arlo asked her but she could not budge her mouth a bit and stood there, trying to understand her thoughts. "Is this love at first sight?"  

"Hey? Are you there?" Arlo asked again

"Uh…. Yeah, I don't know where we are going," 

"We should go to that beach," Arlo said as he points his finger to the beach in the left

"I have not asked you your name," Arlo said

"My name's Brigitta."

"I am Arlo, nice to meet you." They both shook their hand with a grin on both of their faces as they start to walk around the beach, the ocean was so beautiful and it was so good to see it at night, they both were sad but felt lucky to be there, Brigitta crossed her leg on the sand as she invited Arlo to sit down with her. He sat down beside her. "I saw that you were crying," Brigitta broke the peaceful silence that was between them and the ocean. "My father, he promised me that he would take me to an amusement park but now he said that he has work to do, oh I hate my father!" He said and grabbed the sand in his hand and threw it away.

"You can't hate your father," 

"Yes, I can, he has never liked me, he only cares about his job and work!"

"Still you know he loves you,"

"No he doesn't love me, he will never love me, all he loves is his work," Brigitta sat there as quiet as a mouse

"It's your turn now, tell me why you were crying," 

"I had lost my mother when I was 4 years old," 

"Oh, I am sorry," Brigitta smiled at him

"But now my father wants to marry someone again and I hate it, I don't want him to forget about my mother, I love my mother and I will never forget my mother,"  

"So it's good for you, you will get a new mother, it would be so good," 

"No, I don't want any new mother and besides that woman is not good for my father, I don't like her," Arlo placed his hand on her back, they both sat there silently without saying any word, Arlo could feel the wind, the wind coming from the ocean, he could feel the smell of Brigitta, a scent like a tree, a jasmine tree, he knew that he had already fallen for her and wanted to stay by her side forever

"Agh! I just want to run away from here," Brigitta said

"We can't, we are just kids," 

"We? You want to run away with me?' 

"Yes, if you want to run then I am ready to go with you," he said as he stared at her and smiled at her, she felt the wind rippling through her, she had realized that she had feelings for him deep inside her own heart, the gust of wind felt so nice to her and it made her felt somnolent, the air felt so crisp to both of them, Arlo looked up, the clouds were there, obscuring the stars, he had never felt so calm and good ever before but now this time he was with Brigitta, a complete stranger and yet he never felt that she's a stranger, he felt so intimate when he was with her. The air was whirlwind, they both felt cold, and yet they don't want to go to their houses. Arlo had already noticed her dress, only a skirt, and a white t-shirt, 

"Are you cold?" Arlo asked

"I am fine," Brigitta rested her head on Arlo's shoulder, on his flecked wool sweater. The sweater was not something for an 8 years old kid, the sleeves were crossing the palm of his hand, touching his soft fingers. He opened his sweater and offered it to Brigitta

"I am fine," she refused

"Don't worry, just take it, I am a boy, I am stronger, if you don't wear anything then you will catch a cold,"  Brigitta saw the blue eyes of him, shimmering even in the dark night, she felt the urge to not reject it and wear his sweater

"Okay but don't blame me if you catch a cold," she said as she took the sweater from him. "Thank You."  She said, "You look beautiful in my sweater," Brigitta blushed, she had friends in her school but no one had told her beautiful or gave any compliment, "Thank You." She whispered again. The clouds were fading away, the moonlight was shimmering, Briggita rested her head on his shoulder again. "I am sleepy," she said. "Me too." 

It had been almost 4 hours since Arlo ran away from the house, Cassia was dying because of eerieness, she could not stay any more a minute without her son. "Arlo isn't home yet?" She asked Atticus, he was smoking a cigar, she could see her husband dwelling because of Arlo, he was worried and constantly looking towards the door for Arlo. "He will be home in a minute." He kept saying that to Cassia, the clock showed 11:57 pm, it had been already late to be out for an 8-year-old kid. "What if... what if someone had kidnapped him? Oh, I need to go out and search for my boy." Cassia had a thought

"We should go out and search for him," she said to Atticus

"Yeah, you are right," they both dashed out of the house for the search for their sweet son

"Arlo!..... Arlo?" Atticus bellowed, and soon Cassia started doing the same. "Where is he? It's all my fault, I could have stopped my son at that time," the tears rolled down from her eyes. 

"Arlo? Where are you? Come son and we will go to the amusement park tomorrow," still no answers came, Cassia had almost given up, she strolled to the beach with her head down, staring at the floor, hiding the tears, she had loved her son, she had taken care of her son and was in a constant vigil since Arlo had born, she always felt like as if a second's inattention would open a door for disaster for her family, she was so heartbroken but then she saw….. she saw her son lying on the beach, the ocean wind rushed against her skin, she couldn't care for anything at that time and dashed down the stairs and reached to Arlo, she could see her son, her cute son sleeping on the sand with a stranger, with a girl!