an afternoon

She walked to the edge of the field and stared.
The wind twirled her long straw-colored hair.  It blew apart like a handful of straw caught in a large gust, and shimmered in the sunlight.

She was watching. And waiting.  At any moment, her Pa would drive into the drive in his navy blue pickup.  It was a beaten but faithful old truck.  She wondered if he had made a grocery run or not today.  Ma had mentioned needing flour.  Alaina hoped he hadn't, so that they could go together later, probably with her younger sister Janie too..  It was so fun to go into town.  It was just different.  It didn't hurt that the clerk's son who also helping in the store, a year older than she, was an attractive young fellow. Perhaps a little too boyish to take seriously yet, but for whatever reason she hoped he'd be there.

After a few seconds more of staring poetically into the distance, she became bored, so turned to contine on the path to the creek.  She wanted to find smooth stones to give to Janie, who was working on a flower garden.  The stones would be pretty border decorations.  They would need a lot though, so Alaina had resolved to take trips on occasion, whenever time found itself open.

She would look for any more treasures the ravens had left, too. One tree held a raven's nest, and it seemed like every time she looked at it something new was there.  Why, she had even seen her mother's broach (missing after church one day) in the nest last time she had visited.  Along with some strands of horse hair and one of her own shoelaces. The family dogs would announce the arrival of her Pa, so she needn't worry about keeping her eyes out for the pickup going down the lane.