A beginning

I was walking as the hot, humid afternoon was waning towards the twilight hours in the Appalachian summer. The trail led from the downtown area of my small town to my home about a mile away. Sweat was pouring down my face as return home from work was all uphill and more demanding in the hot part of the day. The smell of honeysuckle and the light filtered through the deciduous trees along the trek eased the burden of the journey. The university city was expanding and the forested trail that was half of the walk to and from my daily labor was invaluable as the glut of rundown student housing and large apartment buildings crept into the residential areas, showing just how filthy and irresponsible college life can be. Greek “tradition” involving the consumption of too much alcohol followed by staggering through the streets and making crude comments about anything that passes through their blurry vision was not uncommon. Fortunately the morning journey was before that crowd awoke and the evening trek before the partying began. Working late could be awkward, however.

It was then that I realized that everything was connected and that everything must obey my will. Now that I am thinking about it, I realize the fright and shock of the passengers of the small plane that stopped in mid air as I wished it would because it was making too much noise. It was bothering me on my journey. I could hear the engine above the chatter of the squirrels and twitter of birds along the trail. The juxtaposition of it grated on the back of my mind. I couldn't have that happen right then. I didn't want it to break the repose of my walk. The plane had to stop... AND IT DID. The plane just hung there suspended in the air, defying the laws of physics that had been taught to me. I almost didn't notice it and would have gone on my merry way since I felt it was right and natural for the plane to stop, as the racket it was making before only broke the peace of my reverie.

Then they came. Lightning fell from the sky. The earth erupted around me. The air was being sucked out of my lungs and my body wanted to fall apart, explode, combust and shrivel to nothingness all at the same time. I was totally confused by this onslaught, but my will to live was stronger then their will to destroy me. I wished the onslaught would stop. I sought protection from the flora and the earth that surrounded me. I wanted to know who or what was attacking me and desired that the attack would end.

As suddenly as it began, the attack stopped. I felt my body return to “normal” as my breath returned to me. I felt very tired.

I saw two men walking down the path toward me. The portions of the path that were destroyed in during the attack grew back under their feet. They were talking to one another, but I could not quite understand what they were saying. They didn't seem surprised by the devastation that surrounded the area. One of the plants that had been protecting me from the attack bloomed a soft, cushion-like blossom that was the perfect shape and texture for me to relax in perfect comfort. The men soon arrived on the path beside my blossom-chair. One was tall and had sandy blond hair and a strong jawline. The other was of a normal build with raven hair and a nicely trimmed beard. They looked straight into my eyes.