She didn't know how long she had been lying on her back. It only dawned on her when the sky started to swirl in pink, lavender and orange-y shades. Oh, sorry, not orange, but peach, as her friend Amihan used to say. Avani couldn't care less. For her, orange or peach looks the same... at least on the heavenly palate she has always adored come twilight time.
She heaved a sigh and once more closed her eyes, imagining the lush green grass on which she lay was growing taller, hiding her body from the rest of the college town in the mountains which she now calls home. Wouldn't it be nice to just disappear for a while and get away from it all? How she wished the Earth goddess will have pity on her and take her in her bosom to forget the world for a while. As if to answer her prayer, a soft breeze kissed her forehead and cheek, when suddenly...
She heaved a sigh and once more closed her eyes, imagining the lush green grass on which she lay was growing taller, hiding her body from the rest of the college town in the mountains which she now calls home. Wouldn't it be nice to just disappear for a while and get away from it all? How she wished the Earth goddess will have pity on her and take her in her bosom to forget the world for a while. As if to answer her prayer, a soft breeze kissed her forehead and cheek, when suddenly...
"Ava, 'tara na!"
Amihan's voice was as unwelcome as the sound of the alarm clock at 5:00 in the morning, but it was enough to jolt Avani from her yet again DDS, short for daydream-scapades, a term Amihan had coined to describe her friend's space-out moments. Reluctantly, Avani opened her almond-shaped dark-brown eyes, propped her petite self up quickly from her bed of grass to join the taller, more slender Amihan back to the house.
"You had another DDS? What is it about now?" asked Amihan as she rolled her eyes. She just couldn't understand how Avani could spend hours cloud-watching instead of joining her in training for the track and field team of their high school.
Seeing her friend's blank stare into space as they walked the dirt road shortcut homeward bound, Amihan waved her hand in front of Avani's face and said, "Hey! Wake up, wake up! What's up?"
"Nothing..."
"Nothing or still the same thing?"
Avani's homely facial features opened into a smile. No one knows her better than Amihan. She even thinks Amihan knew her better than Avani can know herself. Amihan had been her friend since she came into this town. She could've been Avani's distant cousin but they didn't bother to trace their family tree to prove that claim. They called and treated each other as sisters.
"Oh, Ava... why don't you just join me in the training? I'm telling you, it will do you lots of good. Physically, emotionally, mentally..."
"Yeah right! If only I had legs as long as yours...," said Avani as she pointed to the difference in their sets of limbs.
"Hmmp! Kapag gusto may paraan, kapag ayaw may dahilan... it's that simple!" retorted Amihan. She crossed her arms across her chest and looked down at the path and started walking faster.
"Hay naku! Here you go again!" replied Avani. "Don't be a show-off! Wait for me... Hmmm... what's that smell? Hey Ami!"
It seemed as if Amihan also caught a whiff of the scent Avani was talking about. She stopped, turned around to face Avani, and started to walk backwards slowly, saying in a sing-song manner, "It looks like Mama is whipping up her choco-banana cupcakes again..."
"Ami... you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Avani with a sly smile as she increased the pace of her walk.
"Ava..." sang Amihan as she slowly turned around again.
Both girls are now on a sprint, head-to-head, shoulder-to-shoulder, as they raced each other unannounced yet implied as understood towards their Mama's home.
Amihan's voice was as unwelcome as the sound of the alarm clock at 5:00 in the morning, but it was enough to jolt Avani from her yet again DDS, short for daydream-scapades, a term Amihan had coined to describe her friend's space-out moments. Reluctantly, Avani opened her almond-shaped dark-brown eyes, propped her petite self up quickly from her bed of grass to join the taller, more slender Amihan back to the house.
"You had another DDS? What is it about now?" asked Amihan as she rolled her eyes. She just couldn't understand how Avani could spend hours cloud-watching instead of joining her in training for the track and field team of their high school.
Seeing her friend's blank stare into space as they walked the dirt road shortcut homeward bound, Amihan waved her hand in front of Avani's face and said, "Hey! Wake up, wake up! What's up?"
"Nothing..."
"Nothing or still the same thing?"
Avani's homely facial features opened into a smile. No one knows her better than Amihan. She even thinks Amihan knew her better than Avani can know herself. Amihan had been her friend since she came into this town. She could've been Avani's distant cousin but they didn't bother to trace their family tree to prove that claim. They called and treated each other as sisters.
"Oh, Ava... why don't you just join me in the training? I'm telling you, it will do you lots of good. Physically, emotionally, mentally..."
"Yeah right! If only I had legs as long as yours...," said Avani as she pointed to the difference in their sets of limbs.
"Hmmp! Kapag gusto may paraan, kapag ayaw may dahilan... it's that simple!" retorted Amihan. She crossed her arms across her chest and looked down at the path and started walking faster.
"Hay naku! Here you go again!" replied Avani. "Don't be a show-off! Wait for me... Hmmm... what's that smell? Hey Ami!"
It seemed as if Amihan also caught a whiff of the scent Avani was talking about. She stopped, turned around to face Avani, and started to walk backwards slowly, saying in a sing-song manner, "It looks like Mama is whipping up her choco-banana cupcakes again..."
"Ami... you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Avani with a sly smile as she increased the pace of her walk.
"Ava..." sang Amihan as she slowly turned around again.
Both girls are now on a sprint, head-to-head, shoulder-to-shoulder, as they raced each other unannounced yet implied as understood towards their Mama's home.