Ilian loved being outside. He knew the exact amount of steps from the back door of the house he would sneak out of, to the orchard. And then the amount of steps from the orchard to the stream hidden behind the apple trees. Then, past the stream, were the strawberry fields. That was his place.
He had come across the strawberry fields when he was fifteen years old. He had been playing with one of the dogs that had long since passed away. He would throw sticks he found along the path for the dog to fetch. He had taken the path many times almost every day. The afternoons were always the best time to go and the shade that the trees in the orchard offered shielded him from the sun. On that day, even the trees couldn’t keep the heat at bay, even though it was only spring.
Ilian had gotten to the stream that day and knelt down to splash water on his face. He let the dog drink from the stream and sat nearby admiring the way the sunlight shone through the trees and cast shadows onto the ground below them. He thought the leaves shifting in the breeze made it look as though the sunlight was dancing with the leaves. He stayed there for quite some time, then, when the dog had started leaping into the air to catch dragonflies, Ilian decided it was time to move on.
He called the dog, but it was distracted by the dragonflies and started to chase one. It ran across the width of the stream and into the trees on the other side. After calling a few more times Ilian decided to go after the dog. Usually he would let it find its own way home but he had finished his chores for the day and was in no rush to get back to the house.
He stepped into the stream and the cool water soothed his skin through his shoes. It soaked his socks but he didn’t mind. At the deepest point, the stream only came up to Ilian’s calves.
He quickly crossed the stream and was disappointed when he was once again met with overwhelming heat. The stream had offered a brief reprieve from the sweltering sun.
He carried on into the trees. Occasionally he would call out the dog; other then that he was silent. His only company was the sound of his feet meeting the ground as he walked. He saw more dragonflies along the way and heard the birds singing and cooing to each other. Gradually he became accustomed to the feel of the trees on this side of the stream. They were somewhat larger and thicker around their trunks which he knew indicated that they were older than the trees in his orchard. There were also a great deal more.
After some time his feet began to hurt, he had not expected to be walking for so long and so did not change into more comfortable shoes. He was contemplating turning around and letting the blasted dog find its own way back, it was beginning to get late and he would not be able to get back to the house before dark if he did not leave soon.
Just as he was about to leave he saw a clearing to the left, an end to the endless sea of trees. Curious, he started towards the clearing. When he got to the edge of the trees he was astonished, it was a field of strawberries. They were not planted in rows for farming, so Ilian deduced that they were wild. And judging by the lack of wear to the paths, no one had been here in a long time.
He walked in further, now catching the scent that the fruit gave off and inhaling deeper. It made his mouth water. He stopped walking and looked around at the fruit surrounding him. He eyed a large red strawberry hungrily. When he moved to pick it, the berry did not separate from the bush as easily as he had thought and he had to put more pressure.
He bit into it and was immediately met with an onslaught of flavour. The juices ran down his fingers and as he chewed the seeds got stuck in between his teeth. He quickly proceeded to pick several more and sat down as he greedily ate them.
He had given up the hope of getting back to the house before dark so he sat and enjoyed the strawberries. After a while, when he had his fill, he lay down almost covered by strawberry bushes. The sun had just set and the sky was beginning to get darker. The moon was even visible off to the right.
The heat had made him tired and all the walking he had done had taken a toll on his muscles. His eyes started to close and within a few minutes he gave into sleep, kept warm by the heat the sand still gave off.
When he woke the next morning, he felt something heavy on his chest and when he looked down he saw the dog sleeping soundly. He had strawberries for breakfast and put as many as he could in his pockets before he left. And as he turned to go home he felt a melancholy as he looked out onto his strawberry field. He did not want to leave. The walk home was a quiet one.
Since then, he would make the trip weekly, though he wished he could have gone every day. It was no surprise that sixty years later, when his son had worried when he didn’t come home after a long walk, that they found Ilian in his strawberry field, peacefully asleep. And the scent of strawberries never left that secret field.
By: Leilah Bhyat
And another thing 
My mouth was watering for those strawberries!
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