Elf

Sure, I'll kill myself

“Please, God, don’t let me die.” Those were the last words that came out of my mouth before I hit the ground. Only I didn’t. I kept falling.
The cold air stung my face and my mittened fingers felt like they were going to fall off. But suddenly heat glowed inside my numb body. Warmth and happiness fell over me at once. It was the strangest sensation. I felt like I had what I’ve always wanted: A family. I looked at my reflection on the icicles hanging and I saw myself with honey colored hair, red cheeks, and sparkling green eyes. When I looked over at the boy, he had curly brown hair and handsome brown eyes.
I wanted this to go on forever! I had never been so happy, yet the boy looked like he was still missing something. Then I noticed that the falling began to slow until my bare feet hit the cool grass. I was no longer in winter.
The boy’s eyes danced as he collapsed on to the ground. But I could not rest. There was too much to see! All the flowers and the brook and the beautiful trees. I twirled around and around until I explored every last inch. Then I fell to the ground, exhausted.
“So,” said the boy, grinning, “do you like it?”
“Of course I like it! I love  it!”
“I thought so.” He sighed a deep sigh.
“Why aren’t you happy? First you bring me here, where I’m totally happy, but then you go and wreck it for me with your nervousness and fake sighs!”
“I am NOT fake sighing!”
“Then explain yourself.”
“On the street, when I saw you…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t interrupt!”
“Ok. Go on.”
“Right. So I saw you and your ears-”
“Don’t even start!” Suddenly I grew defensive. I mean, what’s he doing, going around and criticizing my ears like that?
“Well, I’m trying to explain. Maybe I won’t.”
“No, I’m sorry. Please continue.”
“Anyways, when I saw your ears-”
I grimaced.
“-I knew, like, that you were one of us. You are an elf. You’re looking at me crazy, I know, but doesn’t it make sense? The ears? The transformation? The aloneness? You see, everyone in the town worships us elves. But they’re afraid of us too. That’s why they gasped when I uttered the words, ‘you are one of us’. That’s why you are always alone. I mean, before I said that you were an elf, they kind of assumed that anyways because of your… well… ears.”
For once, I couldn’t open my huge mouth. I was just too stunned. Me? An elf?
“I know what you might be thinking right now,” he said softly. “You wish you aren’t an elf. You wish you were normal. You want a family.”
“That’s exactly what I want!” I cried, trying to hold back tears.
“Yakamo-”
“How do you know my name?”
“I just do. Yakamo, you need to understand. There are no more elves left, just me and you. And, well, Yakamo, I’m head elf. I run the place. If I die, then the elves turn back to humans. And since there’s only you-”
“You’re saying you’re going to kill yourself for me?”
“Well, yes, I’m afraid so.”
“But-”
“No buts. I want this for you, Yakamo! I can’t ruin your life by keeping you as an elf!”
“Well, if you kill yourself, it will ruin your  life. Don’t elves live for 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years?”
“But Yakamo, my life won’t be ruined! I will die happy, knowing that I am doing the right thing.”
Before I could protest, the boy leaped into the river and let himself drown. I felt a heavy wind push me to the ground.