If my senses hadn't been clouded, perhaps I would have picked up on that smell a bit earlier. But then again, we've always known where we were going since we first got going. There were few turns and paper banners so the path was all the more easy to recognize.

"We're nearing the stream." Hyats'i piped in excitedly, wiping some sweat from his brow, no doubt already picturing in his mind the icy-cold water flowing through his system as a means of refreshment. He'd jump in there without thinking if he could, as reckless as he was, if I left him unsupervised, of course.

He grabbed my free hand as I led the way, lacing our fingers together. His palm was clammy and slick, and it slid over mine so smoothly I was afraid he would lose a grasp. He kept his fingers tightened however, securing my hand within his, letting me tug him along.

I still had trouble keeping a steady grip upon my belongings, his basket swaying in my arms as I stumbled over my own footing. The closer we got to the river, the more muddy and slippery the path got. It seemed as if each stone we passed had grown even more slippery over the course of our trek.

Hyats'i only responded with a cheeky grin and his dark eyes lit up, glancing over at the water and smiling to himself. With a lighthearted chuckle he carried on, his eyes shining even brighter now than before. 

"I wonder how cold it'll be." He wonders aloud. He thinks he so smart. Like he’d convince me to drop everything and head back whenever we felt like it. My mother would cause a fuss if I didn’t get home before the sunset. Probably have Old Cecihuatzin scold me some more for my choices. Ugh. I could shiver just at the mere thought of the hag brandishing her stick.

Hyats’i could care less about that though, his free hand extended in front of him, trying to grab whatever droplets of the cool stream he could. Of course, we were still at a considerable distance to the stream itself, and the humidity did nothing to give him any true sense of fresh water, but Hyats'i seemed quite unconcerned and happy with the lack of accuracy in the gesture. I allowed him his silly moments, just happy that there were no complaints of sore limbs and exhaustion for the time being, and continued dragging him onward.

“Finally! The river. Let's hurry." The oaf next to me chirped with an eager gleam, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd been dreaming of jumping in that river from the very moment the words left his lips.

He didn't release my hand however and as I glanced over my shoulder he flashed me another toothy smile, squeezing tighter to emphasize that. His grip was growing unbearably tight but I couldn't bring myself to chide him for that. So I put on a face of fake annoyance, scowling.

"Go on then. Only for a bit, otherwise we'll get back to the village too late." I huffed, disengaging my palm and rubbing some life into my numb wrist. Hyats'i smiled then gave a sheepish giggle and nodded enthusiastically, shedding his supplies onto the banks. The moment he finished dropping his things he untied his sandals, kicking off his footwear and setting it neatly out of reach of the flowing waters, and stepped forward eagerly.

I took a couple of steps further on, finding a dry spot for our things before stopping to look back at my friend. It didn't take long after he rushed in to see him going for a bellyflop and making the water splash and roll like a waterfall. He floated on his back, and a loud laugh echoed throughout the area, followed shortly after by a playful "Yolotzin!".

He sat upright, grinning ear-to-ear. The dimpled youth tossed some water towards me with a chuckle. The scene was just too surreal, and suddenly, I just couldn't hold myself back any longer. Laughter racked my chest. Just for the moment there was no work, no stupid decisions, no worrying. It was just me and him, and there wasn't even any need to be so hesitant around one another. We're just having a good time in each other's company, the only way we knew. The two of us together, talking, laughing, swimming, everything else…

No wonder this place always felt so peaceful and perfect, and why it brought my spirits high. After such hard labor, getting soaked would certainly bring about a welcome break. As for him, his antics are simply endearing, I couldn't get annoyed when he had an actual genuine smile. How could I ever leave? How could I ever walk away?

'Freedom' The others called it. A chance to escape this small, close-knit village of farmers, fishers, merchants and paper-makers. To explore new horizons beyond what little knowledge we were able to obtain. But freedom didn't have anything to do with the future, did it? Because in truth it's simply just the idea of going wherever I like, being whomever I wish to be. No preconceived obligations, no expectations.

Just me. 

It sounded nice for a second, but without family or friends to stand behind me, would the idea be much the same? It wouldn't, it'd only mean being alone, completely and absolutely, isolated and lost in this world. No connections or ties or anything. So how could freedom exist with all the feelings that came along with it? I couldn't bear to think about it, this life of uncertainty.

A rare chance for 'freedom' was sitting right here on my fingertips, my calloused and dirt covered fingers. The air tasted bitter, sour. I forced my eyes back open, bringing myself back to the present and focused on Hyats'i splashing around. In and out of the waters he bobbed along happily like a duck. His taller frame made ripples and waves in the waters, lapping at the sides and distorting the reflection of the surrounding foliage and trees. I couldn't look away.

Perhaps this was it, freedom. There's nothing quite like coming back to the stream we had always come and gone, and letting everything fall away for a brief moment, to clear one's head and reconnect oneself to nature. Perhaps 'freedom', then, is less of a question of choice, and more of the ability to focus solely on that moment and forget about everything else. Yes, that must be it. This has to be what freedom was! That must be it! This couldn't just be an idea, not anymore. This moment here is my very own idea of true, real freedom.

And I'd have it. That much was for sure. For the sake of my mom, for everyone I loved, and especially this foolish fool and his contagious laughter and sparkling smiles and…

So I jumped in. And like all those summers before, all thoughts ceased in that instant, and all that was left to me was here and now. The sound of his laughter ringing in my ears, the warmth of his presence and lips, how his gaze lingered upon me, even through the water and ripples, despite the sun blazing overhead.  I'd have this, and him. This is what 'freedom' would be, it would have to.

Then everything else would fall into place.