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"I think I'd like being a cloud." Pepper proclaimed to the three boys. "I could just float around wherever I wanted to. And, I bet I could see the entire world from up there!"
"Actually, you couldn't float wherever you wanted. You'd have to go where the wind blew you. Plus, you wouldn't even be able to see anything. Because clouds don't have eyes."
Pepper huffed at Wensleydale’s buzz-kill practically. Brian removed a blue lollipop from his mouth and interjected.
"Maybe a bird? Like an eagle? You could fly anywhere you wanted, and you'd have really great vision." Pepper considered Brian’s suggestion. She nodded.
“Yeah. An eagle.” She squinted her eyes, as if imagining what it would be like to see with eagle vision.
The four of them lay in the fragrant grass of a field, watching the clouds slowly float by. The sound of their chatter comforted Adam, quieting the unease that had been settling in his chest. Summer was quickly approaching, to be followed by the fall. And then, everything would change. The Them were going their separate ways. Or rather, all of them were leaving Tadfield, except Adam.
Pepper was off to become a lawyer, determined to fight for human rights around the globe. Brian would chase his dream of becoming a pastry chef. Wensleydale had chosen to pursue a business degree at a university in the same city as Brian's culinary academy. Apparently, it had a curriculum that suited him. But, Adam had noticed the way that the two touched shoulders as they looked up into the sky, and the way that their pinkies intertwined in the small space between them.
Adam already had a couple of short stories published in anthologies. They'd gotten enough attention to encourage him to keep writing. His parents seemed content to let him stay in the house as he began his writing career. Really, he didn’t have any plans of moving out, anyway. Why go anywhere else? He loved that house. He loved his parents. He loved Tadfield.
He loved The Them, too. So, Adam would stay here. He would anchor this place, and keep it the way it was right now. And, when The Them were ready to return, he’d be ready for that, too.
Dog ran to them through the field, returning from some grand adventure that had necessitated rolling in stinky mud. Adam took that as his cue to get up and moving. He’d have to give Dog a bath this afternoon. But, before that, he wanted to make one more good memory with his friends.
“How about some ice cream? My treat.”