Note Found In An Ancient Oak-Nw

I sat beneath the ancient oak in my back yard, grieving and in sorrow at the age of twelve. My best friend, Jessie, was moving far away. I didn't think I'd ever see him again, so, I wrote a note to tell him what was in my heart. I filled the page with memories through the years, of our laughter, our fears, and things I'd never said. I didn't sign my name but folded it with great care. A swift Autumn breeze flew away with my note. I chased it until it was far beyond my reach. Now Jessie would never know my love was real. I didn't tell him in case it would embarrass him and because he may not feel the same way. If that was so, I'd rather not know. No word from Jessie in the five years he'd been gone. It was my Senior year, and soon I'd be off to college... a new beginning, but memories of him lingered. After classes on the first day, I found a note in my locker. Someone had slipped it through a crack under the door. It was written in my handwriting, five years ago. I turned when someone tapped my shoulder. Jessie! He'd changed, but not his beautiful eyes. I couldn't find the words to express what I felt. Tongue tied with disbelief, but Jessie's smile put me at ease. They'd just moved back to town, a few blocks away. Yesterday, he'd helped his dad trim an old oak tree and found something lodged in its branches... squirreled away like an acorn in a hidden hole. It was yellowed with age, its edges ragged, so very carefully he opened it to read the words I thought he would never see. We stood there, ogling each other before I asked, "How do you know I wrote this to you?" In a voice so deep it made me blink, he replied, "No one else scribbled little drawings like those. I remember lots of things from back then, most of them are about you." October 29, 2022 A Note in the Wind Contest Sponsored by Charlie Messina