2005-05-18
Cold Freedom

I've had this story just sitting around for a long time. I wrote it in January. But I didn't care to post it then. I feel perfectly comfortable posting it now though. So here it is, for your enjoyment...


She stood, poised, in the meadow, staring across the grasses towards the mountains and clouds before her. A quiet melody played in the back of her head, looping, over and over, lifting her into an infinite eternity. She opened her mouth and slowly began to speak; forming the words, savoring them on her tongue. Her pace quickened and her tone grew more and more passionate as the full waves of majesty in simplicity flowed over her. Her eyes lost their focus on the world before her and fixed somewhere far away. As her tone reached its climax, a slight touch shattered her glorious beyond. She felt him stir behind her and wrap his arms around her, and lean his head over her shoulder next to her face.

She barely deigned to notice him, struggling against the grasp, staring at the heaven pouring out before her eyes. Her words grew incoherent as she squirmed and struggled and slipped out of his arms and ran a few paces away from him.

She stopped and stared again and her voice resumed its former, strong tone. She brandished her arm across the expanse as she spoke, tracing the scenes before her eyes with her fingers, concentrating hard. She strained closer and closer to this mystery unfolding before her, but she heard him stir again and draw nearer her. His arms were moving towards her swaying frame again, but she caught it this time. She slipped away and then thrust her hand out behind her in a gesture that cried, �stand back!� She stared at him a moment, hardly seeing him standing there, then turned back to her faraway visions. She swayed a moment again, and whispered a few times, then the vision dissipated and flew away.

She watched the space before her a moment, seeing through the air to the remains of that which she had just so carefully watched. She sighed then slowly dropped her arm. His eye searched her non movement a moment, and then he cautiously began to advance towards her; when she spun around, smiled and laughed, then twirled past him, so close that she let her hair and her arm brush against his, and quickly trotted to depart. She looked back as she moved, saying, �Ok, we can go now.�

before & & after