Once Upon a Time in Altara Springs...

If you grew up in my hometown, Altara Springs, Minnesota, you’d hear the endless amount of tales revolving around the natural spring located in town which gives it its name. The spring formed near the top of a short cliff which created a large pond in the center of Altara Woods. When I was younger I heard variations of the same story of how the cliff and subsequent spring was created. My favorite was the bedtime story my grandma would tell me. The story is quite long and intricate, involving a princess kidnapped by an ogre or giant of some sort. To sum up the ending, the monster hid the princess inside a cliff to keep her to himself.

When a knight came to her rescue, he killed the monster before learning the princess’s whereabouts. The princess was trapped inside the cliff, never to be found, and everyday she cried forgotten tears, holding onto hope that one day she’d be found. The story says that the princess’s tears overwhelmed the structure of the cliff, causing the spring to form, and set the princess free. It is said that the princess’s tears blessed the water of the spring, giving all those who touch it the ability to find what is meant to be found. I always thought of that story as a simple fairytale, I never truly believed in the magic behind it, not until the day I met Mary Beth.

I knew since my first day in high school that I wanted to go to an out of state college. Harvard was my first choice but I settled for Standford. I struggled my first year with pretty much everything; making friends, grades and being away from home. My roommate was going to Florida for Spring break with some friends. I wanted to ask to join them and make my first Spring break a real “college experience.” But ultimately, I made the decision to go home for my vacation.

My grandma was ecstatic when I told her I was coming home. The first morning I was there she cooked enough food to feed an army brigade. I spent the week sleeping in, waking up just in time to eat an oversized lunch which was quickly followed by a satiety nap. I didn’t really get the most out of my vacation, to be fair there’s not a lot one can do in Altara Springs. That March the weather was unseasonably warm. Because of this, I thought it made the most sense to spend the last day visiting the pond. I walked through the woods, and when I made it to my destination I walked to the bottom of the cliff where the pond met a dense dirt wall.

The spring pours out overhead, sitting underneath it makes you feel as if you are inside a waterfall. I used to love hiding there when I was younger. I tried to walk behind the spring, surprised to see that the stretch of land I used to use as a walkway was much thinner than I remembered. I stepped lightly on the loose mud, while also using the large rocks sitting in the water as stepping stones to make my way to the largest rock, which I claimed long ago as my throne.

I took a step forward, stepping on a rock covered in a thick layer of moss, as I put my weight down on the rock my foot slipped. Unable to catch myself, I fell into the pond. I distinctly remember getting nasty pond water in my mouth as I fell in, and how it tasted like the color green. I swam out from behind the spring, I grunted as I pulled strands of moss out of my hair. I started making my way to the bank when I heard a voice from behind me.

“Hey, smooth guy.” Mary Beth said.

I turned to face her, she was swimming only feet from me in the center of the pond. Her dark, ebony skin almost perfectly matched her hair which was tied up in a loose, fluffy bun. But the feature of hers that I admired most was her wide smile, bright enough to light up a city block.

“Did you forget your swimsuit or do you usually swim in jeans and a t-shirt?” She asked with a breathy laugh.

I scoffed, “No, I’m just really insecure about my body. You know, some people prefer wearing a t-shirt while swimming. Well, I prefer being fully clothed.”

She laughed at my sarcasm. She began swimming toward the bank and I followed. When she stepped out of the water she picked up a bright pink towel that was sitting in the grass. Once out of the water, I could see what she was wearing, which was a two piece swimsuit. As she dried herself, I couldn’t help but admire her body. I was clearly being obvious because she noticed me staring right away. I cleared my throat and looked down to the ground, pretending not to be bothered by the water in my shoes.

She wrapped the towel around herself, holding it closed under her arm, “What’s your name?”

“Henry.” I replied. “You?”

“Mary Beth.”

“Are you from around here?”

“No, I’m from Ohio, but I go to school in New York.”

I laughed, “Why would you come to Minnesota for your Spring break?”

“Well my roommate and I decided to go on our first Spring break together. I wanted to go to Florida, but she wanted to visit home...and she won the coin toss.” She laughed, “It’s not that bad though, at least it’s warm.”

“Yeah, it’s usually pretty cold this time of year. I guess you got lucky.”

We sat on the bank for what must have been hours. She told me about her life in Ohio, she was raised by her great-aunt, a woman she was more than happy to get away from as soon as she could. I told her what it was like growing up in Altara Springs, and how different life was in California. She talked non-stop about how she was majoring in English, and how one day she would be an “award winning journalist.”

Her hair had completely dried by the time she realized how long we had been talking, “I should probably get back before they think I’ve been eaten by a bear or something.”

She stood up, her towel still wrapped around her, I quickly followed, “Oh, right, me too. I’m sure my grandma is wondering where I am.”

“Well…” she smiled sheepishly, “it was nice meeting you.”

"You too.” My reply was followed by awkward silence that went on for a moment too long.

“Hey,” she interjected, “do you maybe want my number? I know we go to school kind of far away from each other but...we can still text...if you want.”

“Yeah!” I said with possibly too much excitement, “I mean, sure, I'll take your number.”

She laughed at me while I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I flipped it open and had the sudden realization that it was now ruined from falling in the pond. “Oh...shit. Um...could I give you my number?”

“I don’t have my phone, I left it back at my friend’s house.”

We re-entered that awkward silence that we grew so fond of. I thought of asking if I could follow her back to where she was staying, but it sounded too stalkery in my head.

“I should really get going.” She muttered as she took a few steps back.

“Well, wait...how can I find you? Just tell me the number, I’ll remember it.”

She laughed and continued walking backwards, “I’ll tell you what, smooth guy, if the weather is this nice next Spring break, I’ll come back. We’ll meet again, right here.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her suggestion, “That’s a whole year away, won’t you forget me by then?”

She shrugged, “A guy who swims fully clothed, kind of unforgettable.” I caught one last look at her smile before she turned away and followed the trail into the woods.

I stood on the bank and watched her disappear from my life, almost as quickly as she arrived. I would forever remember that day as one of the strangest occurrences in my life. I flew back to school the next day, and was surprised to feel a new sense of drive and determination. My grades improved, I finished my first year of college with a decent GPA. I grew close with my roommate, a man I still refer to as my best friend.

I went home for summer break, and every day I would visit the pond with a sliver of hope that one day Mary Beth might be there. Summer came and went and I never did happen upon her, but I never lost hope that we'd see each other again by the time Spring break came around. Unfortunately for me, a warm March in Altara Springs was a getting struck by lightning type of occurrence.

It was one of the worst winters Altara Springs has ever had. Not only was the temperature below freezing, there were snow storms almost every night. That year winter lasted in Minnesota until the end of April. My roommate invited me to join him for Spring break, they had planned a trip to Las Vegas. I was tempted to say yes, but I had a gut feeling that I needed to go home.

Even my grandma suggested I go on the trip with my friends, but I insisted. Everyday I dressed from head to toe in winter wear before starting my sixty minute trek into the woods. I would sit at the edge of the frozen pond until I could no longer feel my back end, and then a few moments more. I held onto hope everyday that she would come back despite the cold, and watched it slip through my fingers as the sun set on the final day of my vacation.

I tried my best not to sulk while my grandma drove me to the airport. I remember sitting at my gate waiting for what felt like days, just praying that my flight wouldn't get canceled so I could get back to school and forget the whole thing. But, I suppose another stroke of bad luck was bound to happen. I thought about calling my grandma to pick me up, but with the drive to the airport being over two hours long I thought it best just to stay the night. I grabbed a seat and settled in. I remember having my nose in a book, dozing off rather than actually reading, when a familiar voice grabbed my attention.

"Is this seat taken?" Mary Beth asked.

I looked up and smiled as the feeling of delight and confusion consumed me, "How...why…"

Her smile grew, "I took a flight to get here four days ago, but we had an emergency landing in Michigan because of the weather."

"I'm guessing your roommate won the coin toss again?"

"No," she placed her bag on the ground, "she's in Florida with her boyfriend."

I began laughing, and she followed along. I stood with the intent of hugging her, but when I met her eye line, her gaze pulled me in like the tide. I stared at her lips, soft and supple and mine for the taking. Before I could make my move her hands reached up as she gently took hold of my face and pulled it closer to her own, bringing us together for a long awaited kiss. A kiss I cherish, but still second best to one we shared two years later as husband and wife. I always thought things like happy endings and princesses could only exist in fairytales. But I suppose you can find just about anything in this world, even if you're not looking for it.