“Until The Sun Sets”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

“Tell him I said hello.”

I take a deep breath. It’s so good to be back.

“Harielle!”

I look up to see Negriel running toward me, arms flailing. I chuckle when I see how much my little brother has grown; he’s almost as tall as Father!

Instinctively, I kneel to give him a hug. Like usual, his arms pass right through me.

Negriel drops back with a huff. “It’s not fair,” he mutters.

I let out a long sigh. “I know,” I murmur. “Trust me, I would love nothing more than to be able to hug you.”

I glance at the sun. “We haven’t got much time today. Is Father coming?”

Negriel glances behind him at the corn field. “He said he was,” Negriel says with a small frown. “Maybe he’s having trouble with the cows. I’ll go get him.”

“No, wait!”

I glance at the last rays of sunlight trickling slowly beneath the horizon.

“Negriel, we haven’t much time. Father will come. For now, just tell me everything that’s happened this year.”

I listen eagerly as Negriel tells me all about his lessons with the town blacksmith as well as his conquest to attract a fair maiden. I remind him that he has plenty of time to find a girl and that he should enjoy his childhood. Of course, he doesn’t listen to me. He never did when I was alive, so why should he now?

A familiar tingling sensation grabs my attention. I look up as the last glimmer of sunlight disappears over the hills.

As I begin to fade, I see Father appear in the distance. He’s sprinting as fast as he can, but I know that he won’t make it. Negriel is yelling at Father to hurry.

“Negriel,” I call, grabbing his attention. He looks at me with tears beginning to pool in his eyes. “Give him a hug for me.”

Negriel nods and waves good-bye as I’m whisked off into the wind.

Final Comments: I enjoyed writing this story. I think I might be starting to get back into the writing groove, which is exciting!

Overall Rating: 😊