Winds blew moderately as the girl stepped outside and drew a refreshing breath of the deep autumn air. Her joints slightly snapped back into place after the cold air had rushed in and out of her stale lungs. A frantic expectancy of release flooded as she picked up her feet, jogging down the sloping lawn. Her loyal companion waited, dancing with vigor, for the creature understood the liveliness in her master’s step. Hastily the latch was flipped, and the old metal gate was thrust backwards releasing the canine.
She was no match for the dog’s dexterity, but the blue street bike was nearly an equal. The beast pranced all around the red, cold, worn-down shed while the girl wheeled the bike from its damp abode. Slowly the bike was guided to the gutter and mounted. Take off. In the middle of the street her desperate yearning was apparent by the force of her leg pushing down thru the gears on the pedal.
Only she could picture the extent of craved solitude. Trees taller than buildings, with fading light green and yellow leaves, their white bark softly pealed at the edges to reveal a light auburn, arms twisted and stretched up to the sun’s outstretched rays. The creek’s sparkling water flowed under a bridge, and at the banks of the stream was grass so long, so soft, and perfect for snoozing in. Oh, she could see it, taste it on her tongue. The appointed vitality began to burn out as she rode with the realization she did not quite know the way to the blissful, desired copse. Her wheels began to spin to a stop.
“Can I help you there, little missy?” asked an elderly man in a white t-shirt and light blue overalls that happened to be doing his yard work. Startled, the girl just about fell off her bike and almost stepped on her pet.
“Oh! I didn’t see you!” she piped out, breathing heavily from the exertion of the ride. A mere laugh was his only reply. “Could… could you tell me how to get to that grove with the river and the bridge over the water and the path right by the side of it?” Again laughter. She wondered if she had not been specific enough, or maybe he was hard of hearing. So she pointed and raised her voice, “The river? That way, I think.”
“I heard ya, I heard ya! Sheesh child! Now lets see, both paths to this creek are behind my house, eh?” His finger traced the two dirt paths, which split in gradually diverging directions. The left was straight and looked well used and looked after, and the right was ragged with weeds and started going up hill.
“The path on the left will take you straight there, youngin- but I recommend the right path.”
“What? The right path?” she thought to herself looking down both trails as far as her eye could reach.
“Don’t be taken in by the left’s false promise,” the Old Man whispered close to her ear in a caring tone.
“But why…” she began but when she had yanked her eyes off the left path The Old Man was half way back to his door.
“HEY!” she yelled, but it was too late. Behind her was the dog, trotting up along side her with a rodent of some sort swinging from the clenched mouth; it looked like she had been having a bit of fun while the two talked. “Alright,” she said mounting her bike once more. The Old Man was going mad. The Old Man just wanted her to travel longer. The Old Man was just that - OLD.
Down the left she began, it was even more beautiful the further down she got. The orange birds sang to her and the squirrels had their mouths full of yellowing acorns. Something, however, was wrong. Where was the punctual pattering of her pooch’s paws? Flipping her head she saw the mutt sitting upright, whimpering, Her tail thrashing, impatient for her master’s return. What had gotten into that dog? “Come On!” she spat out at the seemingly stupid and frightened imbecile.
“Actually,” spoke a rather relaxed voice, “the mongrel is right.” On the opposite side of the trail sat The Old Man calmly eating an orange.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s beautiful here!”
“Yes, but only skin deep.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Look,” he again pointed thru the trees. At first her eyes could not see it, but then the vision came to her. Houses lined behind the foliage; run down residences. Red houses, black apartments, gray buildings alike; all looked grimy, chipped, and covered in graffiti. At the side of one house was a pretty blonde who was being kissed by a tall chiseled male. At first the scene looked inviting, romantic.
“This neighborhood is just old, nothing bad!” she said retorting.
“Past the lie!” he said, he did not yell but his voice some how got louder.
Out of fear she looked again. As the male pulled back he was holding a glass bottle with a gold liquid in it. After the first glance she could recognize the reality. Her face was sunken in and pox-marked; her hair bleached blonde and frizzy. She looked like death. Then they laughed loudly, too loudly. They were drunk. The chiseled male began to heave; he turned and spat spectacularly a brown and yellow fluid that burst from his lips. It went all over the dried lawn, and on his jacket. Once he took it off it revealed the true nature of his physical appearance, skin and bones.
Horrified, she looked back at The Old Man who watched her delicately, sympathetically. He pointed again down the road, apart from the constant rise and fall of hills covered in pot-holes and shoe-sized rocks that jutted out so you constantly had to swerve, there were five male teenagers with similar bottles in their hands. She felt brainless, embarrassed she had come this way and ignored the cautious words of The Elder.
“I see…” was all she could manage. The Old Man did nothing; he continued to eat the orange slices in his palm. “What are they going to do to me?” she asked in a quaking voice.
“Who can tell?” he asked not concerned by the question. The boys drew closer, any minute now they would be within hearing distance.
“Look I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before, I really am! But this isn’t who I am and I need to get out of here, can you tell me one more time how to get back out before those guys get closer?”
“Why, my child, are you asking when you already know how to get out of this mess yourself? “ She waited, but he continued to watch her. “Quickly now,” he mouthed. Nodding she hopped hurriedly back on her bike seat and began to return to her dog.
It was harder, steeper than she remembered on the way down. Rocks were loose and the street bike was not made to grip at gravel. The way she had traveled seemed twice as long and exhausting for she had to stand on her bike and push with her whole body to get it going at a moderate speed. Three times she had thought she was going to crash but somehow the bike would face up right again as if someone was holding it and she would keep traveling.
Finished. Without stopping from the fear of the drunks behind her she easily made her way up the right hand side. She suddenly felt a push on the back of her seat and turned her head to see The Old Man panting behind her and waving.
Though the hill looked steep, it was a gradual lean and she barely recognized it at all. If she thought the other path was beautiful she had only been seeing with her eyes half shut. Up here she could see it all, true the roads were more unkempt but only because they were in the middle of the wildness itself. After the short trip to the top of the hill she stopped and looked around. She could see the entire valley beneath her; trees, people, and houses- even her own house was visible at a distance. The air was so clean, crisp, and cold up there. An enthusiastic howl from a dog barking at a tree with a white feline in it brought her back to the situation at hand- the creek.
The remainder of her journey was easy, even pleasurable. Going down hill had its speed advantages and also kept her cool. Soon enough she first heard, then saw, the creek she was looking for and eagerly followed the water to the wood. The wood was even better than she imagined it to be, so much more crisp than in her mind. Green, blue, brown, and the sunlight surrounded her sight as her ears filled with the sway of the trees and the babbling of the brook. Her faithful companion hopped on her lap when she finally sat down and together they fell into a peaceful slumber.
*~~*
No comments:
Post a Comment