simpsity

Light. It was unavoidable even when she closed her eyes as the familiar red glow shone through her eyelids. When she opened them she had to squint but adjusting to the bright sun rays was easier than it had ever been. Green surrounded her and it was not the only color, but the color itself made her wish she could remove her eyes to absorb as much as she possibly could without limitations. She inhaled the crisp air, expanding her lungs as much as she was able. She stepped out from the tall trees, not yet feeling the sting of mosquitos or the insistent buzzing of little bugs with more legs than lives. Her feet flexed awkwardly over soft dirt and patches of moss. It felt freeing being without the confinement of shoes, even as she pricked her toes along the edges of jagged pebbles instead of smooth stones it was real. Her steps were just as slow but no longer awkward as she savored each imprint she left on the ground. It was real and she found that beautiful, and it was beautiful because it was real. The dirt made way to mud, and the mud made way to wood. The planks were smooth and old, the chestnut wood darker and rounded near the edges they were connected along making the dock. The barrier between stability and adventure. She feared no splinter as it looked as though there couldn’t possibly be the risk of one. She crossed the threshold of safety into one of the unknown, the thought of which made her heart rate spike up. She toed the edge of the last plank and leaned over to stare into the deep blue. The wood was damp and the water still, and her gaze rose to admire the silent body, eyes meeting the breathing wood before taking in the white tipped, ancient, mammolithic crests. She adjusted her stance along the edge without thought as she attempted to breathe in the very essence of the landscape for her mind to reach for when she couldn’t come to find peace here herself.

… Light. It was unavoidable as it penetrated every last one of her senses. Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her sweaty form. Her nose burned with every thick intake of smoke. Her ears were ringing as every muffled sound moved through tar to make its way to her. When she opened her eyes she had to squint to try and see through the smog and the light— fire. She clawed at the ground to get up, gravel burying itself underneath her nails as she tried to gain some semblance of stability. When did she fall? How did she fall? She choked on ash, and her lungs condemned her attempt to live. The weight of corrupted air pushed in on her as she rose her head to find some clarity. It was not provided. She felt sticky with moisture, melting as the fire wished to overtake her very soul, destroying the body that it inhabited. The ringing remained but it was not all she heard. The cries of the damned surrounded her and she ached to join them in releasing their mortal suffering into the world. Her mind would not let her. She felt her lungs collapsing as a phantom pressure constricted her ribs to the point of risking fracture. Her arms shook as she rose and her knees dug into the ground she could no longer see as her vision began to black out. Some muffled sound found its way to her ears, her voice vibrating throughout her weak frame and she collapsed back into the earth that swallowed her whole…

Light. It was unavoidable and she didn’t want to avoid it. She never wanted to leave the anchor that granted her safety. Her lungs burned as she inhaled her first real breath. The pressure on her ribs lessened but her pain did not. Still she could take it. Pain was real. Living was real. Her head throbbed and she reached up to try and hold her head. A hand stopped her, and she opened her eyes fully despite her vision being blurred by tears, or lake water, probably both. Him. His face was twisted in worry but it was overcome with relief, she wished to reach out with the hand he was holding to smooth out the furrow in his brow. He opened his mouth to speak, yet the silence went unbroken and it stitched them together rather than providing uneven footing. He didn’t need to say anything, she could already feel what he wanted to say, what he felt, any explanation he wanted or had to give her. She must have slipped. A laugh escaped her at something so absurd. In losing her footing she nearly lost her life. He mirrored the smile she didn’t realize had spread across her face, as always bemused by her sheer ridiculousness that never failed to perplex him. She allowed herself to relax into the soft mud and ignored the point of his grip to reach up and boop his nose. He was real. She was real. He shook his head but his smile never left, neither did hers. Breathing came easier, then just as easily came assurance. Her eyes would not close, not from the bright sun, and not when he leaned down and she felt the soft press of his lips lingering on her forehead. Her eyes never left the light, and he would not leave her.