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Basil's hands fidgeted with the film camera in his hands. Inspecting all of it's buttons and adjusting the lens.
"I'm not entirely certain on how to use one yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out!" Basil turned to Sunny while grinning.
Sunny stared at the imprints that his feet left in the snow.
Carefully he raised his feet up and placed them inwards to make the shape of a butterfly in the snow.
Basil turned to look at him with interest.
"Hm?"
His eyes widened with excitement,"That's so cool,Sunny, wow! I bet you could make so many other drawings in the snow like that. If it weren't snowing as hard I'm sure we could draw more detailed drawings, though!"
He nodded,"Yeah, like with sand."
They continued walking.
Sunny forced his hands into the pockets of his coat. In his left pocket he discovered a small bead. He assumed he may have found it on the street and picked it up.
As he rolled it between his thumb and index finger he noticed how rough his hands seemed to be getting.
His private lesson teacher told him that was expected with playing the violin.
It's not every day that one finds themself actively thinking about their hands in such high detail.
The feeling was a bit uncomfortable. His hands were almost like his father's despite being so young.
Sunny pondered if one day small details like these would be trivial to him
He wondered if adults even thought about the way snow sounded like popcorn being accidentally crushed between fingers while attempting to string them through string to make garlands.
He wondered if adults ever thought to just stop and lay down for a moment and take it all in.
Every sound and breath and noise. Did they?
"Are you alright?" Basil asked, turning around to his friend.
Sunny nodded.
"Wow.." Sunny had become as transparent as a ghost. Basil was no longing for him but through him.
Sunny turned around to see that the sky seemed to be some sort of berry red.
It bothered him that he didn't even take note that the ground was no longer the color of fresh milk poured into a crystal glass, but now strawberry milk.
The ground had lost its limpidity. It was rogue salt-water taffy on the boardwalk and strawberry lemonade and early morning sunrises textured with footprints of two boys.
"You should take a picture so you don't forget."
"Yeah!" Basil beamed. He struggled to fix the strap of his camera that has become knotted against the top button of his indigo coat. His buttermilk-hued hair thrashed wildly as Basil awkwardly attempted to turn on the camera and prepare it.
"Wait, Sunny, don't move, stay right there."
Sunny stood still and his lips spreaded into a small smile.
Half of Basil's face disappeared behind the camera before dropping it to his chest.
His soft hand held Sunny's as he moved him into the middle of the sidewalk and not off to the side in the grass.
A pecan tree barren of leaves hung over its head and it's thin branches made intricate shadows onto the strawberry milk-tinted ground.
Sunny pretended to be captivated by it while his face contorted into a nervous grin. He peeked his head back up, his face was still vermillion, but he could blame that on the icy air.
"C'mon, smile!"
Sunny's face softened at the sound of Basil. He could practically hear the warmth in his. With how he Basil spoke to him we doubted he even needed a coat.
Even after the camera made it's 'click" sound Sunny's smile didn't falter.
He walked to where Basil stood watching the picture print out of the camera.
"O-oh.."
It was black.
"Oops, it looks like I forgot to take off the lens cap, heh. Sorry! I'm sure that you don't want that now."
"No, it's alright. Whenever I look at it I can just imagine this moment, and I'll hope that memory will make it as vibrant as it is right now.
"Well maybe not when you're old!" Basil joked.
Sunny could feel his face grow warmer.
Basil turned at him.
Sunny could see Basil's breath tickle his nose.
"W-well I ought to get home, right? And I'm sure if we take too long Mari will start to worry about you."
Sunny nodded.