Lily’s bright, laughing face popped up on my computer screen. Twelve years. Twelve years since we’d last seen each other, since we’d traded giggle-filled secrets on the playground swings of Mrs. Periwinkle’s third-grade class. Twelve years since we'd promised to be best friends forever. Life, as it does, had scattered us. I blinked, wondering if this was a dream. There she was, though, her eyes crinkling at the corners just like they used to when she told a particularly silly joke. “Rosie?” she breathed, her voice a little shaky, a little breathless. “Lily!” I cried, a wave of warmth washing over me. It felt like only yesterday we were building magnificent sandcastles on the beach, dreaming of becoming astronauts and princesses. We talked for hours that first night, catching up on everything. Lily told me about her travels across Europe, her work with rescued animals, and her adorable ginger cat named Marmalade. I shared about my college adventures, my passion for writing children's stories, and my clumsy attempts at growing tomatoes in my tiny city garden. We remembered silly things: Mr. Henderson’s terrible singing voice, the time we accidentally dyed Mrs. Periwinkle’s prized petunias bright blue, and the day we convinced the whole class that the school janitor was a friendly alien. Each memory was a tiny spark, rekindling the flame of our friendship. It was astonishing how easily the years melted away. We talked about our dreams, our fears, our hopes for the future, just as we had done all those years ago, our voices filled with the same easy laughter and comfortable silences. We were different, of course. We had grown and changed, our paths diverging and then miraculously converging again. But the core of our friendship remained, a solid foundation built on shared childhood adventures and the enduring power of genuine connection. That night, as I signed off, a warmth filled my heart. It felt like we’d never been apart. The twelve years had vanished, swallowed by the joy of reconnecting with a friend who felt like family. And as I drifted off to sleep, I smiled, knowing that this was just the beginning of our next chapter, a chapter filled with new adventures and the comforting knowledge that some friendships truly are forever.