The Symbol of Friendship 

Sweat drips down my face as the sun slowly saturates my burning skin. I sit still, as I think about how to fight the sun for shade. I put my feet down on the deck, and let out a little scream as the burning wooden deck rejects them. It too was irritated by the sun’s shenanigans. 

I look over to my friend since I was three, and she lets out a little giggle, as if she had already known what was going to happen. Realizing my idea to protect myself from the sun, I take a breath as I remember what she means to me. She is the type of person who I call when I need a pick me up. Her short honey brown hair makes me smile, because it reminds me of all the failed attempts she’s jabbed trying to make me laugh. She’s experienced life only one month more than I have, but somehow radiates so much more wisdom than I. She doesn’t let a second go by without trying to make me smile, by telling a ridiculous joke. I observe her slowly looking back and forth at the clouds, her brown eyes almost meeting the sun, but she won’t get too close. Her smile peaks out from her lips, showing her teeth, so I know she’s thinking about something funny. 

After reminiscing, I quickly decide what I need to do. While I ponder the idea for a little longer, it becomes apparent it’s the only way to hide from the sun’s nasty glare. I get up, rapidly jumping to the first shadow I see to save my feet from the burning wood. I stretch to reach the umbrella, that is so red it hurts your eyes to look at for too long. I twist the rod to roll the umbrella up, and watch as it coats the deck with darkness- ah- finally freedom from the sun. 

I sit back down on the chair and start to sort the glass-like pebbles into shiny small green and blue piles. I begin to put the beads on a clear stretchy thread, holding it as calmly as I could. They slip down the thread, like they were escaping a treacherous fate. As one tackles the next, the bracelets are complete. The thread is slippery, but we fold it into a knot and secure the bracelets on each other’s wrists. After we finish our masterpieces of bracelets it's time to go back into shelter. My family’s little blue shack of a lake house.  

Once I get inside I look out the window of the little lake house, a piece of light cuts my eye. The sun is so bright, it glistens off the water like a freshly decorated Christmas tree. Walking through the little cottage, makes me feel at peace, it’s a place I always want to be. On this sunny day we walk out onto the porch connected to the small kitchen, the deck burns my feet again. We hop from shadow to shadow, almost breaking a sweat, as the temperature outside reaches 100, and finally make it to the stairs of the deck that direct us, as though a map to the white dock. The white perces my eyes, it reminds me of winter, and snow. Holding up the dock are wooden planks they touch the water, as waves from passing boats cause the water to pick up and down. This is a place of tranquility, where I can be in the water without getting wet. I stare at my bracelet, and look back at my friend, this is all I need. 

 This isn’t just a bracelet to me, it represents so much more. I carry it around everyday because it is a constant reminder of my best friend, who always keeps me strong. Although the object may be small, the meaning is huge. An unbreakable bond between two people.