The Curious Swan

by Kenzie Hart

  “I thought it might be nice to spend some time in the woods again today,” Klara says, looking up at the sky. It has been raining on and off all morning, but for now, it’s clear out, and she wants nothing more than to get outside until the rain keeps them locked away.

  “That sounds nice,” Eddie replies as they walk in the house. Everything seems quiet, and their footsteps echo on the marble floor. “Shall I pop in and say hello to your grandmother?” Eddie asks as Klara leads him through the house to the kitchen.

  “No, she left for London this morning,” Klara replies.

  “When is she returning?” Eddie wonders out loud.

  “She said the day after tomorrow. Mrs. B was here to make me lunch this afternoon, but she has the night off as well, so it will be just me.” It will feel strange to be the only one in the house. She can’t remember the last time her grandmother left the house without her. But Klara is excited about having the house to herself. She can make tea and dance in the kitchen. She can poke through her grandfather’s study or sing at the top of her lungs. She could even sleep on one of the sofas in the sitting room if she wanted. Anything is possible!

  Eddie swallows hard. Klara has the house to herself. He can’t count the number of times he has wished he could be truly alone with her. Especially after yesterday. The memory of her palms pressed against his bare chest makes his stomach jump, and he blinks his eyes a few times, trying to refocus his thoughts.

  “Come on! Let’s get outside. I want to show you my surprise.” Klara giggles, thinking about the picnic basket she prepared just before Edward arrived. She thought it would be nice to have a snack in the meadow this afternoon as long as the weather allowed for it.

  “You’re full of surprises these days,” Eddie replies, a smile tugging at his lips.

  “I think surprises are just magical. And fun! Don’t you?” Klara says, unsure of what Edward really thinks.

  “I agree.” Eddie laughs out. “But you don’t have to do all this for me,” he says. “Your grandfather’s journal, and now, this? It’s too much. I just want to spend time with you.”

  “And I want to spend time with you,” Klara replies. “But it is fun for me. Every day, there are endless possibilities of things to do or talk about.”

  Klara moves to the French doors and slides on her wellies while Eddie opens up his backpack, pulling out a journal and pencil and slipping them into his back pocket.

  “Klara,” Eddie breathes out, surprised. As they walk hand in hand to the meadow, Eddie spots a large quilt splayed out across the grass. A picnic basket is situated on top, fruits and biscuits overflowing from it.

  “Do you like it?” she asks, kneeling down onto the quilt, kicking off her boots and sitting cross-legged.

  “It’s amazing,” Eddie replies, taking a seat next to her.

  She has grapes and berries spilling out of a bowl. There are biscuits and jam sticking out of the basket. A bottle of white wine and two glasses are placed next to it, and there is a small plate of desserts and candies.

  “I was quite nervous that it might all get soaked in one of the downpours, but that’s part of the adventure, isn’t it?” she asks with a laugh.

  “Anything involving food makes me extremely happy.”

  He grabs a biscuit, but Klara grabs it out of his hand first and takes a small bite.

  “Hey!” Eddie exclaims, grabbing it back from her and listening to her giggle.

  Klara opens the bottle of wine and pours them each a small glass.

  “Cheers,” she says, clinking her glass with Edward’s and taking a sip. “This is nice,” she says, setting the glass down and popping a grape into her mouth. She lies back flat on the quilt, looking up at the grey sky.

  “It is,” Eddie comments back. “Are you sad your grandmother’s gone?”

  “Of course not. I know she will be back,” Klara says lightly. “And I think she is quite excited for her trip, so it’s good for her.”

  “It is mysterious, isn’t it?” Eddie comments, opening up the jar of jam and spreading it onto his biscuit.

  “It is. But we all have our secrets,” Klara replies.

  “Speaking of secrets, I want to tell you something,” Eddie says, his voice dropping slightly, causing Klara to prop herself up onto her elbows.

  “What is it?” Klara asks, concerned.

  “It’s just something I want to show you,” Eddie says. He retrieves the small journal from his back pocket. “It’s something I do just for fun, but after you gave me your grandfather’s and showed me yours, well, I wanted to share mine with you.”

  Eddie breathes out a heavy breath and then hands it over to Klara. She flips it open, moving her fingers over the pages. It’s very similar to her grandfather’s but different, too. Klara looks across one of the pages. It has a sketch of a tree. The landscape it came from is drawn out, and there are notes scribbled down around it. Arrows point to varying pieces of the tree, and a few leaves and petals stick to the page. It’s a mess and barely legible, but Klara’s heart feels as though it might burst.

  “This is wonderful,” Klara says, bringing her bright blue eyes up to Edward’s.

  He has a slight blush on his cheeks, but he keeps his eyes locked with hers. “It has been just a hobby for so long. Something I’ve always kept to myself. But I think it could be more than that. The way you talk about university, it makes me want to go. I love working with my dad, but I think this is my real passion. And I wanted to share it with you,” Eddie says sincerely.

  “Thank you,” Klara replies, closing the book. “I think you can accomplish anything you want.”

  “I told my mum that I wanted to apply to university,” Eddie says with a sigh. “I haven’t told my dad yet. I’m not sure how to. It’s going to break his heart. But I at least want to have the option. I’m going to try to get good marks this coming year.”

  Klara chews on her bottom lip. “I am so proud of you, Edward. I know it’s scary to tell your father, but you have to do what makes you happy and hope that he will be happy for you.” Klara scoots over to place a kiss on Edward’s lips. She wraps her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

  “I want to be more. Really accomplish something,” Eddie replies against her lips. “For you. I want to do it all for you.” Eddie moves his arms around Klara, pulling her onto his lap. He can’t stand being away from her, and he has given everything to her. He has shared his secrets with her, his insecurities. Klara holds his heart in her hand, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Klara pulls back and looks at Edward. Really looks at him. She can’t form into words what he means to her. How much it means to her that he is opening up to her. Letting her in on his thoughts and dreams. His fears.

  “Edward,” Klara says, but he already has his lips back on hers.

  Edward runs his hands across her back. His lips taste like wine and jam.

  “Eddie,” Klara says again.

  Eddie pulls back, surprised Klara didn’t call him by his full name.

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you,” Klara says. She is surprised as the words come out of her mouth, but they feel natural. And they are true. Even if it scares her. “I really love you, Edward,” she says, this time surer of herself.

  Eddie’s heart stops for a moment. It slowly picks back up but then kicks into overdrive in his chest. A smile instantly comes to his face, and he completely lights up. Eddie moves his hands to her cheeks and pulls Klara to his lips. He can feel how much she means those words in the way she kisses him back, and it touches him deeply.

  “I love you, too,” Eddie whispers against her lips. It’s something he has been thinking about quite often. How much Klara means to him. How his life would feel empty without her in it. And he wants her to know that she means as much to him as he must mean to her.

  A small tear escapes Klara’s eye.

  “I say I love you, and you start crying?” Eddie says with a quizzical expression on his face.
/>   Klara laughs out. “I’m just so happy. It is a happy tear.”

  Eddie kisses the small droplet as it slips down her cheek, and Klara wraps her arms tightly around his neck, pressing her body against him.

  “I want to share something with you, too,” Klara says, looking into Edward’s warm brown eyes.

  Eddie wonders what it might be, and he nods his head at her. Klara stands up, and Eddie follows suit, but as soon as Eddie rises, Klara jumps onto his back.

  “Hey!” he shouts out, surprised.

  Klara wraps her legs around his waist and giggles. “Onward,” she says, pointing in the direction she wants Edward to go.

  Eddie shakes his head to himself, laughing at her silliness.

  “You’re mad,” he says, grabbing on to Klara’s legs and galloping forward.

  “Then, we shall be mad together,” Klara replies back.

  “What is this?” Eddie asks as they come upon a small tree. Its branches are covered in little slips of paper, cloth and ribbons tied around it. Most of the slips of paper are heavy from the rain, but a few look to be intact.

  “It’s my own fairy tree, my wishing tree,” Klara says as she guides him closer to it. It’s more so a large shrub than a tree, but it is special nonetheless.

  “Your wishing tree?” Eddie asks, slightly confused.

  “They’re a big thing in Irish culture, and I quite enjoy the stories. I loved it so much, I decided a long time ago to create one of my own.”

  “Klara, this is amazing,” Eddie says, taking in the tree.

  “Normally, a wishing tree is supposed to have been marked as a sacred tree, usually associated with a goddess or located near a well. But, since I didn’t have either, I started my own tree. I come here and tie my wishes and prayers to it.”

  The tree looks weighed down with all the cloth pieces hanging from it, and Eddie circles it in wonder.

  “Does each piece have a wish on it?” he asks.

  “No. Sometimes, I take small pieces of cloth and tie it around, asking for a wish or guidance. Sometimes, I write them out. But I brought you here because I want to make a wish with you. I want us to make a wish together.” Klara wants Edward to be a part of this with her. It’s something so intimate to her, something she’s never shared with anyone, but she wants to share it with him.

  “And what shall we wish for?” Eddie asks, running his fingers across the different-colored cloth strips.

  “I think we must ask for something we both deeply want. What is it that you wish for?”

  Eddie moves beside her, leaning his back up against a thick tree trunk. He crosses his arms, furrowing his brows.

  “I want to be with you,” Eddie says.

  “We are already together,” Klara says with a small giggle, walking toward him.

  Eddie’s cheeks blush slightly, and he adds, “I want to be with you next year. I want to be at university with you.”

  Klara stops walking. University together? Klara wants to attend university, but …

  “Edward, even if we both got into Cambridge, I couldn’t go. Grandmother needs me here.”

  Eddie shrugs. “Regardless, it is my wish. In a perfect world, it is what I would want.”

  “But you think the world isn’t perfect?” Klara wonders out loud.

  “I barely have the marks to get into university, let alone a top one. My father will be upset that I don’t want to stay home and continue the family business. Even if I got in, what if I found out I actually hated it? Your grandmother is here, but the courses you want to take are at Cambridge. It isn’t perfect. It wouldn’t be easy. But that’s why we wish for it, right?”

  Klara moves to Edward and wraps him in a hug. “I think it sounds like the perfect wish.”

  Klara pulls out a small strip of fabric she had tucked into the side of her dress. It’s a piece of white lace and nicer than the other strips of cloth tied to the tree.

  “Let’s tie it on together,” she says.

  Eddie nods, and they both walk over to the tree. Their fingers are close together, each holding one end of the cloth. They wrap it around a branch and tie it into a knot, securing it.

  “To being together next fall at university,” they both say, but Klara wonders if it could actually ever happen.

  “Would you like to play hide-and-seek?” Klara asks after they tied their cloth to the tree. It has been a day filled with a lot of heavy but wonderful emotions, and she wants something to lighten the mood.

  “Right, but just for a little while,” Eddie replies, a smile on his face, shaking his head to himself.

  “I’ll hide first!” Klara says with a giggle and then takes off running.

  Eddie can hear her wellies sticking in the mud as she moves across the ground, and he starts counting aloud.

  “One, two, three …” Eddie says as he moves around the wishing tree. The corner of his shirt gets stuck on a branch, and a slip of paper catches his attention. It looks fairly new but is damp from the rain.

  “Keep counting!” Klara sings out.

  Eddie hears her running, brush and twigs giving under her feet.

  Eddie scans around, but his eyes go back to the piece of paper dangling from the tree.

  “Four, five, six …” he yells out.

  He flips the wish over, deciphering the smudged cursive writing.

  I wish my mother had loved me enough to stay.

  Eddie lets go of the slip of paper and swallows hard. What does that mean?

  Klara’s mother died. It’s not like she chose to leave her.

  Eddie tries to clear his head and remembers to continue counting. “Seven, eight, nine, ten. Time’s up.” He moves away from the tree, running his fingers through his hair, moving through the woods, looking for Klara. His heart feels heavy, but he pushes the sensation away.

  Eddie hears a giggle, so he dashes around the corner of a tree to find Klara hunched down, sitting on the ground behind it. Her bright face soothes his insides, and he lets the knots in his stomach fall away.

  Klara continues to hide, as though she were invisible, even though she knows she is not.

  “I found you,” Eddie yells out.

  Klara stands up, smoothing out her dress. “Yes, you found me,” she says with a laugh. “Now, it’s your turn. You have to hide, and I’ll find you.”

  Eddie walks up to Klara, pushing her back against the tree. “You’ve just found me,” Eddie replies, his eyes darkening as he dips his head so that his lips are almost on Klara’s.

  Klara relaxes into Edward, pressing her lips against his. His hands move to Klara’s back, and he grabs at her waist, pulling her closer.

  Eddie is gliding his lips across her jaw and down her neck when he feels a small droplet hit his cheek, causing him to look up. Rain is sprinkling down from the sky, and Klara looks at him with a broad grin on her face.

  “What?” Eddie asks.

  “This is one of those moments you’re always going to look back on,” Klara states.

  “Really?”

  Klara slips out from his embrace. “Surely. You are going to remember the laughter we shared. And how, in the middle of our beautiful day, the sky opened up and let the rain loose upon us.” Klara already feels a sense of delight from the memories they’ve created today.

  “Is that all I’ll remember?” Eddie asks, the moment turning serious as Klara’s hair starts to fall damp over her shoulders.

  “You’ll remember the way I look in this dress,” Klara replies. She can feel the material starting to hang on her, heavy with rain.

  Eddie smiles and leans closer to Klara, but she backs away with a grin, moving a tree branch out of her way.

  “And I’ll remember how your hair hangs in your eyes once it gets damp,” Klara breathes out. “And the way your shirt clings to you.” Her eyes move across Edward. His shirt sticks against his muscles, and his tall frame seems to envelop her. “This will be a moment we look back upon with the fondest of memories.”

  “I
think you’re right about that,” Eddie says, watching Klara look him over.

  He steps forward, but she moves to the side again, taunting him. She lets out a giggle as the light rain turns into a downpour. Klara’s dress instantly becomes soaked, and she starts running. Mud is sticking to her wellies as she moves across the ground, but then she turns around, stopping abruptly.

  “Isn’t it just perfect?” Klara asks as she starts twirling.

  “The rain?” Eddie asks, watching her spin.

  Her head is leaning back, and her arms are spread out wide, taking in the water. She has the biggest smile on her face, and her eyes are closed, her head directed up at the downpour.

  “Of course,” she says, lifting her head and looking back at Edward.

  Rain trickles down her face, and Eddie’s body shudders. At first, he thinks it’s because of the cool rain, but he quickly realizes it’s because he’s taking in all that is Klara. Her dress is relentlessly clinging to her thin frame, and she is looking at him with those invigorated eyes. Eddie retreats to the protection of a towering tree nearby, moving under its thick branches.

  Klara saunters over to him, catching water in her hands and playfully throwing it in his direction.

  “What’s the matter?” she asks, looking up at Eddie through thick, wet lashes.

  But he can’t answer her. His eyes are wandering down her body, and his mind is running through all the things he wants to do to her. Klara follows his gaze, looking down and taking in her appearance. Her tiered white dress leaves nothing to the imagination, and you can see the outline of her breasts against the fabric. Klara looks back up at Edward, a flush spreading across her cheeks. She moves forward toward him, but Eddie slightly backs away, and he ends up against a tree.