I stand silently, my eyes closed tight, remembering. This place
was a safe haven, a dream. This place will forever be remembered for its
powerful healing touch. I will remember how the rocks felt beneath my feet, how
the grass swayed in the breeze. I will remember the nearby oak giving me shade
to drink in my surroundings. I will remember the two birds that always seemed
to twitter from deep within the branches, lost to my sight, but seen with my
soul. But most of all, I will remember the pond...
I nestled myself upon the grass, feeling several stray blades tickling my belly button. I instantly felt the earth beneath cool me from the heat of the day. My barefeet took turns rising and falling back into the grass, my pigtails falling around my face as I lowered my chin into my hands. My brown eyes widened with delight as the water before my face began to brighten and shine from below. Small movements darted from here to there, until my eyes adjusted to the beauty, revealing the small mermaids. Their slim, slippery bodies were as agile as any fish I had seen, and no larger than a koi. Their tales glistened with intricate designs that seemed to glide upon their scales. Their long hair trailed behind them as they swam, some blue, some white, some red. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was entranced everytime. One or two would slowly swim in circles until they were just beneath the water's surface, smiling in such a way that melted my heart. I could feel their magic radiating from them, rising from the water like steam from a cup of coffee. I knew they were magic, the sight of them made me forget all my troubles. They made me forget everything.
After my absence was noticed, my mother would call for me in the distance. Before leaving, I would skim the water with my fingertips, my attempt to communicate with these creatures, other than with my locked eyes. Once my fingers stroked the moving water, the ripples circled outward, causing the scene to disappear until my next visit.
Now here I am again, after many years away. Upon opening my eyes, I am battered once again with the scene before me that made me close them in the first place. I am no longer standing upon lush green grass. I look down to me feet, my boots planted firmly against dry cracked earth, blackened. My eyes wander, taking in the skeletons of trees, twisted and bent in unatural positions. Ash. Ash everywhere, leaving a layer of sooty history. No water in sight. The pond is now nothing, leftovers. This place holds sorrow and death, and endings. My heart aches for what it use to be, for that magic that I use to prance to, that touch that enfolded me in my younger days. I turn away from this scorched place, now foriegn to me. I try to shake the image from my mind, but it stays, leaking, contaminating my memories. My new unwanted companion.
I nestled myself upon the grass, feeling several stray blades tickling my belly button. I instantly felt the earth beneath cool me from the heat of the day. My barefeet took turns rising and falling back into the grass, my pigtails falling around my face as I lowered my chin into my hands. My brown eyes widened with delight as the water before my face began to brighten and shine from below. Small movements darted from here to there, until my eyes adjusted to the beauty, revealing the small mermaids. Their slim, slippery bodies were as agile as any fish I had seen, and no larger than a koi. Their tales glistened with intricate designs that seemed to glide upon their scales. Their long hair trailed behind them as they swam, some blue, some white, some red. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was entranced everytime. One or two would slowly swim in circles until they were just beneath the water's surface, smiling in such a way that melted my heart. I could feel their magic radiating from them, rising from the water like steam from a cup of coffee. I knew they were magic, the sight of them made me forget all my troubles. They made me forget everything.
After my absence was noticed, my mother would call for me in the distance. Before leaving, I would skim the water with my fingertips, my attempt to communicate with these creatures, other than with my locked eyes. Once my fingers stroked the moving water, the ripples circled outward, causing the scene to disappear until my next visit.
Now here I am again, after many years away. Upon opening my eyes, I am battered once again with the scene before me that made me close them in the first place. I am no longer standing upon lush green grass. I look down to me feet, my boots planted firmly against dry cracked earth, blackened. My eyes wander, taking in the skeletons of trees, twisted and bent in unatural positions. Ash. Ash everywhere, leaving a layer of sooty history. No water in sight. The pond is now nothing, leftovers. This place holds sorrow and death, and endings. My heart aches for what it use to be, for that magic that I use to prance to, that touch that enfolded me in my younger days. I turn away from this scorched place, now foriegn to me. I try to shake the image from my mind, but it stays, leaking, contaminating my memories. My new unwanted companion.
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