The soft tic and tock of the clock counted the seconds within the small room. Beyond the frosted plastic shoji, the soft tinkling of wind-chimes broke up the motronomic march of the red hand. Blurry, mottled shadows swayed back and forth across the plastic panes from the gentle breezes.
They sat across from one another, upon floral-printed cushions. Between them, a cup of tea perched upon a saucer, set upon the bare wooden floor. A twisting wisp of steam rose from the surface of the tea it held within.
The young tiger boy reached for the cup and saucer. He held the brim of the cup just to his muzzle, and pulled in the steam through his nose. The smell of Jasmine flowers tickled about his eyes and temples.
He let out a soft breath, rippling the surface of the tea, and banishing the steam for just a moment; time enough for him to take a quick sip.
He set the cup back down between them.
Without her glasses, the wrinkles along the old bear's eyes were undisguised. They were closed. Even so, she reached forward, as if knowing exactly where the cup was, and retrieved it.
In the same manner as the young tiger, she took in the scent of the tea, and the steam. She blew upon the surface to cool it, and took her sip.
Without a sound, she placed the saucer back upon the wood floor. When she sat back, and after she had remained still for a moment more, she finally opened her eyes.
”I am so sorry.” She said, holding the tiger's gaze. “Had you told me sooner, I might have been able to do something.”
”I should've told you sooner,” the boy said, thumb and forefinger pinching an inch of skin and fur on his shin. “I just didn't know what... To do...”
”You did nothing wrong,” the old bear was quick to reassure. “Those were difficult things to tell,” she reminded him. “While I cannot do anything about the past, right now... I will keep what you have told me in mind, going forward.”
The boy picked up the cup of tea. He let the scent of Jasmine calm him, and the warmth of the liquid wash his tongue clean.
”I intended to talk with you about how you felt,” the old woman said. “It was about this time last year.”
The boy set the cup back upon the floor.
”Are you happy with the choice you made, then?”
Closing his eyes, the boy nodded.
The bear picked up the tea, the porcelain tinkling as she did.
”Thank you.” He said, with a dip of his head.
”You are very welcome; but, I am sorry... For what?”
”For letting me stay.”
The old bear took the time to sip the tea.
”You made the choice; I merely helped give the opportunity.” She set the cup back down. “I am so sorry, but I cannot give you that opportunity again; especially since you applied for the grade promotion.”
”I wouldn't do so again, anyway.” The boy admitted. “I'm happy with how things are. And, I'm glad I made the choice I did. Even if it was mostly out of fear.”
”No matter your compass,” the old bear said, lifting her glasses and resting the bridge upon her nose; “I think you made a wise decision for yourself.” She smiled. “As you continue to do so, especially today.”
He closed his eyes, frowning.
”You may stay with me if you would like,” the woman offered. “But, I think it would be best to spend the rest of this time with your friends. I'm sorry to say, but you may not get to see them as much as you would like, if you are promoted to seventh grade.”
* * *
Panda sat at the jungle-gym at the corner of the playground. Sketch-book in hand, he looked at the subject of his last couple weeks' work.
Architecture was beginning to take his fancy, now that he had practiced perspective. Though, he was still just experimenting; he had yet to break out a ruler, protractor, and fine-point pencil to start doing accurate and straight lines.
He was okay with just free-handing it for the time being, even if the playground was a bit tilted and looked a little bit like a spider with five left feet.
He was glad that the people around him let him be. Ritzer hadn't come to bother him either. It was just him, and this old rickety playground that would probably be demolished some day.
He paused, giving his hand a break, and looked about the rest of the playground. He saw Emeral, walking about, almost like she was patrolling. He had seen her do that once before. He scanned the grounds, but didn't see Ket around.
Closing his sketchbook, he slid down the dome, and made his way over to the tigress.
Emeral knew where all the troublemakers were. After finding Beck at the old playground, where he usually liked to stalk about, she headed back to the new playground, to sit up in the slide-tower.
But, she heard a huffing from nearby, and paused. She jogged toward the bear when she saw him, meeting him a fifth of the way. “Hey, Pan, what's going on?”
”Not much,” the bear replied. “Was just drawing and saw you.”
”Oh,” the tigress said with a smile, brushing a tress of hair that tried to get in her eyes from her jog. “Thought you were coming to tell me something or something.”
”Nah, just to say hi,” he replied. “Where's your cous at?”
”Huh?” She said, squinting an eye. “Ha-oh, he's... He's meeting with Gentle Ouly,” she said, pointing in the direction of the courtyard.
The bear motioned for them to walk. “He's been vising her a lot, huh?” He asked, more rhetorically than anything. “I've only seen her like... I think only one time if you don't count when she took me to the classroom my first day.”
”Actually, she wanted to see him, this time,” the tigress said, as they crossed the sand, leaving shoe-prints behind them.
”Uh oh... He's not in trouble or nothing, is he?”
”Nah, no,” Emeral waved her hand to shake the notion away. “This is... Well, this is about the time when he chose to get held back, I think.” She explained.
”Oh yeah... I was wondering that,” the bear said, nodding. “I know he doesn't like Social Studies, but I had a hard time imagining he'd get held back cuz of failing that... How'd he get to choose to stay back?”
”Um...” The tigress stepped on her shoelace, and huffed as she squatted down to tie it again. “It's... Hard to explain. I mean, I only kinda know, but I think—”
”Eh, don't worry about it,” he interrupted. “I don't wanna be nosy.”
”It's not nosy,” she chuckled, kicking the side of her shoe on the ground to make it fit better after tying it tightly. “But, it's probably better if you ask him, if you wanna know.”
”Mm... I don't wanna poke the bear,” he said with a smirk.
Emeral giggled. “He won't care.”
”Hey,” Panda said, and pointed over at the tables. “See that?”
Emeral followed his finger, and saw Lyza sitting by herself at the picnic tables.
”She's been sitting there lately. If not there, like under the tires or somewhere else out-of-the-way.”
”Yeah,” Emeral said. “She's been reading. Maybe she'll let us sit, we can wait for Ket.”
”Sure.”
Lyza closed her eyes, and yawned. She shut her book, rubbed the back of her neck. She heard her friend's voice on the wind, so when they approached her she was already out of reading-mode.
”Mind if we crash here?” The bear asked, setting his sketch-book on the table.
”Sure,” the rabbit shrugged. “But I don't have any pic-a-nic baskets.”
Panda sighed, and motioned like he was going to angrily leave, but twisted back to rest his elbows on the table.
Emeral snickered. “We're gonna wait and see if Ket finishes his visit with Mrs. Oulryk before recess is over.”
”Oh, yeah, he passed by on his way,” the rabbit said. “Looked a little worried.”
”Worried?” Emeral asked.
”Um... No, maybe that's too strong of a connotation,” the rabbit corrected. “He just looked... Preoccupied.”
”He always looks like that,” the bear remarked.
”I mean like... More than usual,” the rabbit said. “Dunno, just got the impression he had something on his mind when he walked past.”
”Y'know what, I got something that's been on my mind.” The bear said, slapping his hand down on his sketchbook, startling the two girls.
”...What?” The rabbit asked.
”You two know a secret that I don't, and I want in on it.”
Emeral swallowed dryly, her pupils slitting as she looked to the rabbit.
Lyza's ears swiveled back, and she wrinkled her nose nervously as she stared at the tigress.
”I feel like I'm in the dark between friends, and I don't like it.”
”W-What... Um... What secret do you think... We're keeping?” The tigress asked.
”So here's the deal, right?” He leaned on the table. “I've been here only since Christmas. So, I feel like I deserve to know.”
The tigress clutched the hem of her shorts tightly, the stripes on her knuckles blanching almost as much as her fur.
The rabbit held her breath, trying not to look at her old friend, thinking about what the rat had said the previous Saturday.
”What the heck did she mean by The Treasure Of Lonely Oak this morning?”
There was a moment of silence between the three of them.
Then, Emeral started to giggle.
Lyza let go of her breath in a shallow chuckle.
”Never heard of it,” came a voice nearby.
They all looked up to see Ket, walking toward them from the gate nearby, that led into the courtyard.
”So this isn't like... Some kind of joke or nothing?” The bear asked, as the tiger sat beside him.
”I... I dunno what it is,” Emeral replied.
”Yeah, this is the first time I've ever heard of anything like that,” Lyza said.
”Hmm... Okay.” The bear relaxed. “I was thinking it was another one of those traditions or something, but Ms. Hupp was dodging the question like a ninja.”
”I'm pretty sure... It's got something to do with the thirty-year anniversary,” the tiger said.
”Oh? You got an idea of what it could be?” The bear asked.
”Maybe.”
Panda slammed his hand down on his sketchbook again. “So here's the deal, right? I've only been here—”
”Since Christmas,” the tiger repeated with him. “Yeah, I think it's a time-capsule,” he said.
”Hmm,” the bear pointed at him, his finger bouncing a couple times. “But, see... What if it's not?” Panda questioned.
Ket's left ear flatted. “...It's a time capsule,” he repeated.
”Okay, I hear ya, but, see... What if it's not, though?”
”Hm...” The tiger held his hand to his chin. “Yeah, okay.” he said, and returned to a normal posture.
The two girls looked at each other. “What?” They both said in confused unison.
”Exactly,” the bear said, drumming a quick roll on the table. “So, how'd your meeting go?” He asked the tiger.
Ket shrugged. “Pretty good. Nothing special, we just talked about middle school and stuff.”
”Is that what you were worried about going in?” The bear asked.
”Worried?”
”Yeah, Lyza said you looked worried.”
”No, I said you looked preoccupied.”
Ket smiled, shrugging. “Guess I am a little worried. I know you two are going to Redcliff,” he said to the tigress and the rabbit, “and maybe you, if you stay,” he said to the bear. “But... I won't see you much, if I'm in seventh grade.”
”Can you still choose to be in sixth grade, even if you meet all the qualifications for seventh?” Lyza asked.
”Don't think so,” the tiger replied. “That's one thing I've learned since being held back this year,” he added, eyes flitting up to the tigress, and then back to his hands, quickly. “I'm... Committed to the choices I make.”
A breeze made the chimes in the distance tingle, just barely heard amongst the playground commotion.
The bear's hand slowly fell to the table, as he said: “And faaade... To black.”
