The Maroon Plum Tree

   Theodore and Joseph became best friends as the years passed by. Every free time they would get, they would try to meet each other. Since entering into the opposite realm was difficult, the Divine land was a perfect place for them to meet up, and on top of that, the white plum tree was their favorite place to wait for one another. Even the kings of the two realms had no problem with their sons having a good friendship. They never questioned or stopped them because, for the kings, it was just pure friendship and nothing more.

   With time, they even befriended the God of the Divine land, Yuki. It could also be said that it was he who befriended them. They would go over to where Yuki lived and play with him. Yuki would tell them lots of stories about the human realm, and each day they would learn something new. Yuki was very fond of the two princes. And the two boys treated Yuki like their big brother.

   It was the day before Theodores' birthday. So, he was free and decided to wait for Joseph under the plum tree. The sun was starting to hide behind the layers of cloud. The sky looked beautiful in purple shade. The white flowers of the tree were all on the ground while the tree was naked. It was winter, after all.

   Theodore was about to fall asleep when he felt a pair of hands lift his head and put it above something soft. He opened his eyes, and they met with Joseph's. Those doe eyes looked even more beautiful to Theodore that day. Joseph’s eyes were purple due to the reflection of the sky. The setting sun looked like a twinkling star in those eyes. The boy who was looking directly into his eyes had the whole universe in them. The setting of the sun and the color of the sky made him look even more ethereal. Theodore was unable to take his eyes off of those beautiful pair of eyes looking directly into his. Intense eye contact was going on between them. Neither of them removed their eyes from each other. Joseph was having similar thoughts as Theodore. He was admiring the beauty of the demon who was laying its head on his lap.

   The silence was long yet comfortable. To break the silence, Theodore finally diverted his eyes towards the setting sun and said, “Angel, I will be turning sixteen tomorrow. I am very excited.”

   “Okay, Theo. I get it that it is your birthday tomorrow. You have been going on about it for weeks,” Joseph said as he played with Theodore’s hair.

   Theodore giggled, “No, silly. I am excited because my father told me that he will invite King Lucifer and you to the celebration, which means you are coming to the realm of demons tomorrow.”

   Joseph froze. He was ecstatic after knowing that he would be going to the realm of demons that too on his best friend's birthday. 

   “I’m looking forward to my gift, angel. Don’t forget it," Theodore reminded.

   “I already have it prepared. I’ll bring it with me tomorrow to the realm of demons,” Joseph replied. He would never forget his best friend's birthday and the gift. He was nervous about the gift that he had prepared. It took him about 2 weeks to make the gift for Theodore.

   It was December 5th. The day of Theodore’s birthday. The day when all the demons in the demon realm were dressed and busy decorating the demon realm for a huge celebration.

   The sun was beginning to set. Theodore was getting more and more excited as time passed by. The excitement was to show his best friend the demon realm, not for his birthday. He was already dressed for the party. He was getting impatient. Finally, a servant came and called him to the hall.

   “My dear demons! Today my son, aka the prince of the demon realm, has finally turned sixteen. Soon, he will be worthy of my throne as well. This evening is dedicated to the prince of the demon realm, Theodore. Let us raise a toast to the success of the prince," King Asmodeus raised his glass, and the whole crowd cheered.

   “Also, today we have a special guest. The king of the realm of angels; King Lucifer and, the prince of the angel realm; prince Joseph, are here to grace this party with their presence,” King Asmodeus said with a big smile. Everyone in the crowd bowed their head to King Lucifer and Prince Joseph as they entered the hall.

   But, Theodore’s eyes were stuck on Joseph. The angel who always wore black and eyeliner to look tough was clad in all white today. It was a sight to see. Even the demons in the crowd had started to whisper about how beautiful the prince of the angel realm was. The cute doe eyes of Joseph looked even more pure and innocent that day. Theodore was brought to reality by the voice of King Lucifer, “Thank you, King Asmodeus, for inviting us here today. May the peace between the two realms prosper forever.”

   After the cake cutting ceremony, everyone was busy by themselves. So, Theodore got some time to escape the party hall with Joseph. Theodore took Joseph's hand and dragged him out of the castle. After running for some time, both of them became breathless. So, they took a break from running.

   “We could have asked your father and came to roam around the realm. We didn't have to run like that, you know?” Joseph huffed as he took in some air.

   “I know. We could have done that, but it is more fun this way. Plus, the castle is too big to walk out normally, so we got to run to get out faster,” Theodore said in a sassy tone.

   Joseph laughed, “You really are silly.”

   “By the way, my angel is dressed in white today, huh? You look so vulnerable yet intimidating,” Theodore teased him.

   “Stop making fun of me,” Joseph humphed, “I was forced to wear white because of my father. He told me I needed to wear white because we were going there as angels so, I needed to look like one.”

   “You look cute even when you become angry,” Theodore laughed at his cuteness, “At least I got to see how angelic you truly are.”

   Joseph was a little embarrassed, “Enough about me. Will you not show me the demon realm?” he asked.

   “Of course, I will. If not, then why would I drag you out of the castle? You live in a castle as well so, I thought I will show you everything except the castle,” Theodore replied. Joseph just nodded his head.

   Theodore showed around the demon realm to Joseph. He took him to the village where all the demons lived. The houses were colorful and decorated very well. There was a little festival going on around the market. Then he took Joseph to the lake. The lake was the highlight of the demon realm. It was lighted up by the fireflies, and there were fairies all over the lake. Joseph was surprised to see fairies in the realm of demons.

   “Fairies exist even in the realm of demons? I thought they were present only in our realm. This is some new news I see today,” Joseph said with amusement.

   “You really believe all the myths about demons, don’t you? Remember when I said I will ask my fairy godmother, I was not joking at that time. I really do have a fairy godmother. Do you want to meet her?” Theodore asked. Joseph nodded his head with excitement.

   “Mother? Are you here? Remember the friend I told you about? He is here, with me, and he wants to meet you,” Theodore called out to his fairy godmother.

   Just after his call out, a tiny figure appeared on his shoulder. It was a fairy. “Stop calling me mother, you brat. I am a young fairy,” the fairy humphed in tiny.

   “But you are my fairy godmother. And I like calling you mother. Do you feel embarrassed to have such a pretty demon call you a mother?” Theodore showed his puppy eyes.

   Joseph giggled at the cute interaction between Theodore and his fairy godmother. The fairy's attention shifted towards Joseph. She was admiring the angel's beauty and said, “Hmmm, this angel right here is prettier than you so, if he calls me mother, then it would not bother me at all.”

   “You are so mean, mother,” Theodore was being playful. Joseph was impressed to see how close Theodore was to his fairy.

   “Hi, fairy! I am Joseph. Nice to meet you,” Joseph was a little shy.

   “Hello! You can call me mother too, just as Theodore does. After all, you are his friend. And you seem like a good boy to me. Please take care of my Theodore. He is very clumsy at times. One time when he was”-

   “No, stop. Now, it is not the time for my childhood stories. I have to take Joseph to the plum tree. He wanted to see the flowers bloom. Sorry mother, you can tell him my story next time,” Theodore interrupted the fairy. So, he took Joseph's hand and led him to the plum tree.

   “Why are you in such a hurry? I wanted to know some of your childhood stories too. I wanted to know how baby Theodore was," Joseph humphed.

   “I’m sorry. It’s just that it is embarrassing to hear my childhood stories. I’ll let mother tell you some other time, okay? We should hurry because it is about to get dark. What if your father calls you, and you will have to go without seeing the plum tree?” Theodore said.

   After hearing Theodore’s explanation, Joseph remained silent for a while and said, “Okay fine.”

   The sky was covered with clouds by the time they reached the plum tree. There was a big plum tree in a big field surrounded by different types of flowers. Only that field, which had the plum tree, was full of greenery. Except for that field, all other trees were naked. But the plum tree was full of leaves and flowers. The flowers were maroon-colored. Admiring the tree, Joseph thought that the plum tree was the true highlight of his little trip to the demon realm.

   “Doesn't it look pretty? My father told me that these maroon flowers represent ambition, passion, and strength,” Theodore said. Joseph just nodded his head in response. He was busy admiring the flowers.

   "So, where is my gift? I want to see what you have for me," Theodore was curious.

   "You are so impatient. Just close your eyes and wait," Joseph laughed.

   Theodore did as he was told. Then, Joseph took out a locket from his pocket and put it around Theodore's neck. Theodore was surprised, and just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt a pair of lips on his own. Theodore was shocked. He was unable to react but didn't push Joseph away as well.

   The snow started falling. The maroon-colored plum flowers looked even more beautiful with the falling of snow. Their little peck looked even more beautiful and meaningful. It looked as if everything was meant to be from the beginning. The field, full of different flowers and the snow falling on top, made it look like everything was a scene straight from a romance movie.

  It was a short peck that lasted for seconds and Joseph pulled away. But, he could not meet the other's eyes. Joseph was looking at the plum tree while Theodore was admiring the locket. It had a carving of a person who was half-demon and half-angel. The demon in the locket was pink in color, while the angel was maroon in color. He couldn't believe it. It was such a beautiful locket. He hugged Joseph, "This is such a pretty locket. Did you make it yourself?"

   "Yes, I did make it. And it signifies our friendship. I tried to make it as beautiful as I could. I hope you like it," Joseph replied.

   "Thank you so much for the gift. I will always wear it. This is very special," Theodore hummed with satisfaction. Joseph was happy to know that his hard work had paid off. After staying there for some time, they went back to the castle.

   The fairy godmother had seen all of the things that happened between them. She giggled to herself, " Yuki was right. A new story has begun. I wonder what color flower they bloomed."

   Yuki was already by the plum tree situated on the Divine land. The tree that was naked with its flower on the ground a day ago was now blooming again with new flowers. The flowers that bloomed were of a different colors. The tree that always grew white flowers had purple flowers grown in the middle of winter. Yuki was admiring the flowers and the tree, "This color of love seems beautiful yet sad. If only this love could end beautifully..." The purple flowers that were grown had started falling from the tree again.