Adventures in Life and Writing

She closed her eyes and simply floated away, letting the darkness come over her. Her mind turning towards that secret place in her head, to the place where she was at peace. The place where the trees went soaring up into the sky and no matter how long she climbed she never reached the top. She vowed that one day she would reach the top and look out across the vast expanse of sky that would be before her. Maybe today she would venture up into the sky.

Ever so slowly the black begun to change. Beams of light burst through the darkness creating pillars of light. Gradually things began to come clear. The trees about her towered over her small figure. Their bark was covered with mosses and lichen. These giants soared into the sky and were the oldest she had ever seen, each time she visited them they seemed to have aged even more. She stepped towards the nearest one and ran her hand across the bark and moss, rough and soft. It was pleasing to the touch as was the strong woody scent of the many plants that came to her nose. As her eyes continued to travel around she saw the ferns and flowers fighting over the ground. Each one trying to get the most sun so that it would grow big like the trees around them.

Her eyes returned to the giants all around her. She carefully scrutinized the one that her hand was touching. She began to circle around it looking for a good place to begin climbing. Her eyes finally spotted the bear bread that she would use as her steps till she got to the first limbs. She hugged the tree as she made her way up; it seemed this time as if the bear bread had been laid out just for her to step upon. Though they were far apart, they still were close enough that she did not have to stretch far to reach the next piece. It was like climbing a grand spiraling staircase that went up for many feet. She paused for a moment to look up, the air was thinner here and she could barely even begin to see the beginnings of the branches. The view seemed different than normal this time. The picture wasn’t quite the same but it was still pleasing to the eye. She leaned her head against a large spot of moss breathing in its earthy wet smell. Heaving a deep sigh she began to ascend once again.

The view before her along the limbs was amazing. It seemed this time that something inhabited this place. Homes were built around the trees and sturdy limbs. Many of the limbs seemed to have been coaxed into different directions, turning at odd angles but providing good support. The bear bread steps continued on up higher where more homes and large areas to sit and stand were. She slowly began to explore this new area, this first level. The trees seemed to be glowing with pleasure, not a nail pierced their bark. Everything was grown into the shape it was. Very few of the homes were made of anything but the living trees and plants that abounded in this forest place. Inside the homes even beds and tables seemed to be knobs and branches that had been grown specifically for their various purposes. The beds had soft moss covers and pillows that weren’t even attached, but still thrived like the moss attached to the trees.

All that was before her was beautiful and amazing. It seemed more real then ever before. The scents were much stronger; it was if she was in a real thriving forest. Everything was much more pleasant. Each touch of an object brought more feeling than she was used to. It seemed as if her secret place had become a real forest and there were others here to share it with her, but she could not see or find them. With a sigh she carefully sat down upon one of the moss covered chairs at a table. There was food sitting before her waiting to be eaten. She carefully began to sip at the glass of wine; the taste was new and unknown. It was full of vibrant life. It smelled and tasted strongly of berries, but in a mix that she was not used to. It was much more elegant than anything she had ever tasted before. It was much stronger too, it would be easy to get drunk off of if not drunken slowly and with a meal.

Her hand slipped over the elegant metal fork beside the porcelain plate. The etchings in it were amazing and beautiful. So delicate that it seemed impossible for a human hand to make. The food that she ate with it was just as amazing and delicious as the strange wine. It filled her belly, leaving it warm and sated. Slowly her eyes began to droop.

She picked herself up and crawled into the bed in the next room. How odd it was that she was getting sleepy. In this place she had never gotten tired before, only exhausted from the endless climbing or exploring of the forest. Her eyes finally closed with her last thought, this was no ordinary trip into her secret place.