The delicate blades of grass stroke her skin. With eyes closed she lies there, feeling the warm rays of sunlight gently caress her body. Oblivious to anything but there and then, she is content.
Her peaceful state is interrupted by a sudden change in the atmosphere. The air around her begins to tremble with change. She no longer feels safe. Forced to abandon this place of comfort, she rises and looks around. To her left there is a forest, its giant plant life both reassuring and daunting. She feels something, pushing her forward, into the unknown. No longer comforted by trivial normality’s she advances.
Two roads diverge in the wood. She faces a dilemma. Which one will she take? Does it matter? Will she regret having taken one path and not the other? What will be the outcome of her decision? Again, a gentle push forward. She chooses a path and begins to walk. One small step at a time. For now it is okay. She has overcome the worst; it will all be fine from now on, won’t it? Nothing to fear.
This place is different. Not bad in any way, just different. She can hear the birds singing, high in the trees above her. The grass is soft beneath her feet. Every now and then a lone branch will snag at her clothing, but only for a moment, then it is gone, forgotten. Sunlight filters through the canopy and her path is lit up before her. All she needs to do is to keep following this trail. She knows where to go. But what should she expect? The question takes too much effort to answer right now. She can think on it later. At the moment she is once again content.
Traveling along this path she is lulled into a sense of security. All too soon the forest is cut off by a deep chasm. Looking ahead she can see the trail she was following, it continues on the other side of the gap. She is now forced to make another decision. Continue…or turn back. The forest stands like a comforting guardian behind her. Its presence is reassuring and once again she feels the need to move forward. Nothing can be gained from re-entering the forest. Looking ahead, her mind focuses on where she wants to be. The other side of the gorge. The distance is wide but something tells her she can make it. Putting enough space between herself and the edge of the cliff, she begins to run towards it. She can feel her heart racing, sending the blood pumping through her veins. With the wind in her hair she reaches the rim of the chasm, and leaps.
Once the support of sturdy earth beneath her feet is gone, panic overwhelms her. The jump moves in slow motion and she makes the mistake of changing her focus from the other side of the gap and looking down. Immediately her mind is overcome with doubt and fear. How could she take this risk? She will never make it!
But she does.
Her feet touch the ground. She stumbles and falls, her hands scrabbling for purchase in the dirt, as if there is a chance that she has still not quite made it. After a moment the realization hits her. She is safe, and she relaxes. Her hands and feet are scraped and bleeding from the landing, but she is secure. Getting up she looks around and sees that this landscape is very different from those she has encountered before. The earth is dry and strewn with rocks that jab at the tender soles of her feet as she walks. Maybe this was a bad idea. She turns to look at the forest across the gap behind her, but it is gone. She can never return to that place. The only way to move is forward. At first each step is painful and filled with uncertainty, but the path still lies encouragingly before her. After growing accustomed, she is content.
At times a light breeze will lift her hair from her shoulders and tickle her face, refreshing her spirits and filling her with a new hope for what may come. When the breeze dies down though, reality strikes and she grows weary of this never-ending path. Her feet are caked in dirt, her mind is malnourished and she is constantly looking for other options, other trails she can take to put an end to this meaningless suffering. Occasionally she will catch sight of these other paths in the distance, but after closer inspection she realizes they are not for her, and continues on her way.
At long last the scenery begins to chance. The dry earth transforms into sand and she tastes salt in the air. Reaching the top of a small hill she sees a giant ocean before her, and not far out, there is a small island. The sight of this island causes her heart to swell and brings tears to her eyes. She knows within her that is a place where she can once again feel safe and happy. Stumbling blindly forwards she runs towards the sea, the island getting closer and closer. Before she even realizes, the water is up to her chest. Another few steps and the ocean floor disappears beneath her feet. Taken by surprise she goes under. The water closes over head. The salt burns her eyes, stings her chafed lips and the water fills her mouth and lungs. She becomes disorientated and fights against the undertow, kicking towards what appears to be the surface. Her head rises above the water and she takes a gasping breath, only to have a large wave crash over her, pushing her back towards the bottom of the ocean. She is helpless. Although she continues to rise to the surface the waves continue to smash down over her head, forcing her under, again and again and again! She longs to be back at that place where she was happy and safe, that grassy meadow where the sun lovingly sent its rays to warm her skin. She can never return to that place, it is long gone, only a memory. Sadness overcomes her. When at last it seems all her strength is gone and the urge to surrender herself to the ocean is becoming too great to resist, she spots a light above. Shining down through the surface of the water, the sun seems to be calling her. It’s telling her not to give up. She is so close to her goal. Using her last bit of strength she kicks herself upwards and her head once again breaks the surface of the water. This time there are no waves to push her back, the sea is calm. The island is so close now, she begins to swim towards it and once again joy fills her soul. Her feet find stability as the ocean floor returns and she pushes herself up out of the water and on to dry land.
Her wet clothes cling to her body and damp tendrils of hair clutch at her face. Walking across the sand she reaches an area of soft grass. Her legs tremble and the muscles give out. She collapses from exhaustion. Laying there, her chest heaving with fatigue, she closes her eyes and lets the sun embrace her soaked body. Delicate blades of grass stroke her skin. She is content.
