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Jon slowly closed his eyes and pressed his ears to the horse’s side. He inhaled deeply as he stroked her gently as if listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat. “Aida needs some sun,” he announced, then moved to observe her legs.
Jada just sat there on a heap of hay mesmerized by the love of her life. As she watched Jon, she smiled while counting her blessings twice. She was reminded of the reason she fell in love with Jon thirty years ago. He remained very charismatic and sensitive, with a vibrant smile that made his white beard vibrate lightly, like gentle streaks of lightning.
Suddenly, Jon’s face went from placid to concerned in a split second. He began moving from the feet of one animal to another examining them.
“You fine, Jon?” Jada asked moving closer to John.
“Look! Their feet are tense. The water… water is coming, Jada.”
“What do you mean, Jon? It is all dry hay in here.”
“No Jada! Water is coming. Remember when the barn was completely drenched and their feet were tensed days before it happened? We must prepare.” John frantically began picking up tools here and there, gathering hay, and checking leaking spots.
“Hey! Hey! Slow down, Jon. It isn't even rainy season yet. Calm down. It's probably not serious.” Jada grabbed Jon by his shoulders and steadied him. She looked into his eyes until their breathing synced as one.
Jon’s shoulders relaxed. He smiled wearily. “Alright my love,” he said. He turned Jada around and pulled her in. Gently, he took in the scent of her coconut oil shampoo and planted a soft kiss on her head. Jada relaxed into Jon's embrace, feeling safe. Nothing else in the world mattered anymore. They had become each other’s comfort and breath of fresh air.
Together, they descended the hill where the barn stood like a sacred piece of nature. Behind it, massive trees surrounded the property like a fortress. A gentle stream beside the structure flowed to the north. Its quiet puddles and nighttime glimmer made their home quite the sanctuary Jon had always dreamed of after his retirement.
When the couple reached their porch, they met a pigeon carefully setting down fine twigs from its beak.
“You again! Not here,” Jada muttered. She picked up the twigs and threw them away.
“Come on Jada. She is just building.” Jon tried to hold her hand.
“I’m not being mean but we have an entire barn for them. She can build there,” Jada retorted.
Jada didn't like the world Jon was trying to share with her. Unlike him, she preferred clean floors, closed doors, and good music. “Nature is wild and messy,” she would often say when Jon tried to get her outdoors. She never tried to understand it. She just lived with it because he loved it.
“What have your old friends got to say today?” Jada often teased when Jon would whisper to his animals as if they understood more than they let on.
A few days passed and Jon busied himself with work in the barn. He raised the floors, sealed cracks and leaking roofs, tied doors and windows with ropes that would hold even when soaked. His animals watched him with steady eyes as if they'd been warned.
One early morning, Jon stood beside the animals to look at his finished work. Suddenly, a feeling he didn't recognize tightened in his stomach, then sadness made his insides turn. He shook off the feeling and locked up the barn.
That evening after dinner, Jada played her favorite song. She slung her muffler around Jon's neck and pulled him in. Jon held her waist and they danced around the living room. Their laughter echoed. Jada grabbed a set of white wings she had gifted him on his birthday and clipped them behind him. She had made them herself. Jon began to do a funny chicken dance and Jada laughed even harder. The duo finally collapsed breathless on a couch.
Moments later, Jon decided to take Aida for a drink by the river.
“Isn't it a little late for that Jon?” Jada asked.
“I'll be quick. I promise, love.” Jon didn't take off the wings. When he reached the door, he looked at Jada. “I love you.” He beamed.
A few moments later, Jada suddenly heard a loud rumbling. She looked through the window and saw growing patches of dark clouds. Within another minute, a cyclic wind began. It was taking with it everything in its way. Everything was happening too fast. Jada began to panic. “Jon,” she cried.
The house was now shaking and she could barely get any reception on their devices. Jada looked through the window again. She caught a glimpse of the barn atop the hill. It appeared steady and unfazed. In no time, heavy rain began. Jada remained shaken in the house and the rain kept pouring. Her mind wandered with scary thoughts. Then the water began seeping into the house.
Jada knew better than to remain indoors. Through wind and water, she made her way uphill to the barn. She saw so much water gushing down below. The river had swallowed the road. Jada’s heart sank deeper as she thought about Jon. She opened the barn. The animals had crowded close and a pigeon came flying in. Just then, Aida came galloping back alone. Her eyes confirmed Jada’s deepest fears. “He is gone,” she said as if informing herself.
Her chest felt heavy but she did not scream. She just sat in the hay for what felt like forever and the animals moved closer. Aida pressed her warm side to Jada’s shoulders as if to comfort her.
The pigeon became restless trying to find a nesting place. Jada shaped her muffler into a coil and placed it neatly in a corner. The bird perched, then slowly settled in the fold.
When the storm passed, a wave of silence crept in. She looked at the animals and they blinked. Jada was starting to feel what Jon always felt. She let herself out of the barn.
The barn now stood alone on the hill. Drifting in the water down below, briefly catching light, was something familiar. Jon's wing costume shimmered once before it disappeared with the water.
Jada recalled the smile Jon had blessed her with just before leaving the house in those wings. “That is how I will always remember you,” she whispered.
The animals came out of the barn too. Like a communion, they flanked Jada almost enveloping her. “It is you and I now, old friends. I promise,” she whispered again.