She walked alongside the gentle, bubbling brook. She knew
she shouldn’t be out this late at night, but it was calm for her. She was
petrified of the dark, yet there was comfort in seeing the world different from
the one during the day. The overhanging branches blocked out the light of the
moon and the stars so that only shattered pieces peered through onto the
forgotten ground. She was in nature’s graveyard. Leaves, dry and crunchy and
dead, scattered across the ground. This was a place where the unbearable realities
go to die. The creek took all her stresses and anxieties far away, so that she
never had to worry about them. She followed the flowing path all the way to a
small pool graced by overhanding willow branches touching the surface of the
pool, so that it was never stagnant and still. So this is where my reality
goes. She walked along the edge of the water. She could almost hear him
telling her to walk in the pool. She could almost feel him holding her, reminding
her that it was going to be all right. But it isn’t. He is a single leaf on the
forest floor. Dead. Forgotten. Short-lived. She could almost hear him laugh and
reassure her that it truly will be all right.
Almost.
I love that this piece is so mysterious, dark, yet thoughtful if that makes any sense. Relatable in a dark way because all of us have our demons. I liked what you incorporated with the leaf at the end because I guess it could mean whatever you want it to mean.
ReplyDeleteHer pain seems hidden, even from herself. To her, reality seems to be a memory, susceptible to change by her present self. This boy must have formed such a strong bond only through extended periods of time in this isolated place.
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