An August Confession

By: Brianna Lee Hubler

Copyright © 2022 Brianna Lee Hubler. All rights reserved.

__________In August, the clouds disappeared from the cerulean sky. The vibrant sun scorched the grass, which grew atop the cliffs that lined the riverbank. The sun’s reach dipped to the river below, evaporated the upper half of the river’s winter-accumulated depth. Tips of formerly invisible boulders peaked out from the surface of the water. Where the river calmed, the water was lucent. An aesthetic array of smooth, colorful stones decorated the sandy riverbed. Sturdy crawfish scampered atop rocks or burrowed beneath them. Glistening, rainbow-scaled trout spawned in the calmest, underwater pools. They swam the length of the river, braved the rapids, weaved in and out of the rocks, but never acknowledged their crawfish neighbors. They scattered only as the sandaled feet of two fourteen-year-old adventurers cut the water and steadied against the slippery riverbed.

__________Moriko stretched out her arms on either side of her. “That was close,” she admitted.

__________Masaru laughed. “You’ll be fine,” he said.

__________Moriko placed her hands on her hips and sighed. “Where should we go this time?”

__________Masaru pointed to a large boulder; half-mile upstream. “To the Vanishing Island,” he suggested. “Think we can make it this year?”

__________Moriko smiled. “Sure, just try to keep up,” she teased.

__________Moriko raced ahead. Masaru chased after her, but the uneven, lumpy riverbed, and the scattered rapids, slowed and separated them. While Moriko hiked midway between shorelines, Masaru trudged across the width of the river. As the river deepened and sped for Moriko, it shallowed and stilled for Masaru. Masaru’s ankles nearly scraped the far shoreline.

__________He pressed his palm against the Vanishing Island, smirked, and faced Moriko.

__________“Guess who—”

__________Masaru paused midsentence and gasped. A floating branch, as thick as his arm, whipped through some whirling rapids, struck Moriko in the thigh, and tripped her. She stumbled. Her feet slipped on the slick stones of the riverbed. Her torso bent towards the surface of the water.

__________Masaru charged across the river. His eyes locked on Moriko, he forgot to watch the depth of the river, which varied with each of his steps. He stepped out too far, slipped on the sandy drop-off, and plunged beneath the river’s glossy surface. Moriko screamed.

__________Masaru held his breath and opened his eyes underwater. His descent had disrupted the sand and clouded the area around him. The cloudy water stung his eyes. He searched for Moriko but saw nothing through the mirk. He closed his eyes, feared for the worst, but hoped for the best. He swam upward, cut the surface of the water, and stood. He opened his eyes and reached out to catch Moriko. He grabbed her and held her.

__________Moriko giggled. “It’s okay, Masaru. I never fell in; I caught myself when you tripped.”

__________Masaru looked into Moriko’s eyes and blushed. He bit his lip and released her.

__________“Sorry,” he said. He turned away from Moriko and stared at the Vanishing Island.

__________Moriko slipped her hand into his.

__________Masaru glanced from their hands to her face. He blushed again.

__________Moriko tilted her head to the side and smiled. She tightened her grip on Masaru’s hand. Her free hand pointed to the Vanishing Island.

__________“Let’s finish this together,” she suggested.

__________This isn’t how I wanted her to find out, Masaru bemoaned.

__________Masaru’s palms sweated, and his heart raced. He offered an awkward smile.

__________“Sure,” he replied to Moriko. “We’ll get there in no time if we work together.”

__________The two teenaged adventurers crossed the river. Moriko shyly pulled her hand free of Masaru’s, and they climbed to the top of Vanishing Island. They sat atop the boulder, each a foot away from the other, and chatted about the encroaching school year.

__________Moriko placed her palms behind her, pressed them against the surface of the boulder, and threw her hair back. She glanced for a moment at the sun, then blinked, and rocked herself forward. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. Then she raised a hand, parted her hair in front, and looked to Masaru.

__________Masaru’s eyes widened. He pressed his palms against the boulder, and scrunched his shoulders against his neck, as if he backed away from Moriko.

__________She saw, didn’t she? he feared. She saw me looking at her.

__________Moriko tilted her head and frowned. “You know what scares me the most about going to high school?” she asked.

__________Masaru repositioned and sighed. “No,” he admitted. “Is it your A.P. classes?”

__________Moriko dropped her shoulders. “No,” she groaned. “I’m prepared for those.”

__________Masaru shrugged. “Right,” he accepted. “You’re always prepared for everything.”

__________Moriko scooted closer to Masaru. She locked eyes with him.

__________Masaru’s heart pounded again. He rubbed the back of his neck.

__________“What did you want to say?” he asked, stumbling over the words.

__________“I’m afraid you’ll find a girlfriend,” Moriko admitted, “and I won’t see you anymore.”

__________Masaru grabbed Moriko’s shoulders. He pulled her towards him, leaned forward, and kissed her. Moriko’s eyes widened. She lurched backward. Her jaw dipped.

__________Masaru slapped a hand to his forehead. Great, he thought. I upset her.

__________Moriko snapped her jaw shut, shook her head, and lunged for Masaru’s hand. She caught his hand, slipped her fingers through his, and blushed. She placed their hands in her lap.

__________She smiled sweetly and leaned towards Masaru. “I love you,” she confessed.

__________Masaru wrapped his arms around Moriko, pulled her close, and held her against his chest.

__________“I love you too,” he whispered to the top of her head.

__________So, what happens now? they silently wondered.

__________The sky overhead dimmed, and the surrounding trees shaded the river, as if the world closed in around them. They were sheltered in a private sphere. Inside that sphere, time stood still. Neither of them wanted the outside world to weasel its way into that moment, break the sphere, and restart the clock, but they knew time moved for those outside the sphere. Soon enough, their parents would call them home, and the young lovers would part ways. Even before it struck, that momentary separation pained them. Who doth not despair when outsiders disrupt sweet love affairs? Moriko and Masaru clung to that moment for as long as life allowed.