That morning, the sun brought little joy as it beamed through the dusty, vertical blinds in her bedroom. It mostly acted as a blinding reminder of yet another day to muddle through. She peeled herself from the one place she desired to be, lazily pulled up the quilt to give the illusion of a tidy bed, and began her typical morning routine.
After dawdling (or subconsciously procrastinating) with soggy cereal, she scowled at the clock which scolded her for her lateness once again. As she rushed out the door, she was smacked in the face by horrid heat and dense humidity. It was the kind of weather that makes one miss being overtaken by woolen scarves and puffy layers along with the other Midwestern marshmallow people trying to keep their nose hairs from freezing. Instead, she cursed at the broken air conditioner in her car and braced herself for another ride to work drenched in sweat and disdain.
It wasn’t always this way, she thought wistfully as she sailed down the side roads. She used to be a dreamer. Her dreams were so grand and lovely that she lived blissfully on the fine line between vision and madness. Fueled by relentless passion that gave her the hope needed to face any obstacle, she believed that she was made for something wonderful. She believed she could do anything—be anything—with the help of God.
So, what happened, she wondered? How did her paradigm shift so severely? How did a seemingly promising young woman become so jaded? Cynics might have said that she grew up, as we all must. Die-hard optimists may have claimed that she just wasn’t positive enough. Some Christians—the unfortunate kind that are proficient in pointing fingers—might have ruled that she obviously had unresolved sin or didn’t pray hard enough. All these theories found a way into her thoughts, but what was the truth? This question haunted her mind unyieldingly like an eerily translucent poltergeist occupies a condemned turn-of-the-century mansion.
It was this dizzying thought that she was lost in when, all of a sudden, she came to a screeching halt. She snapped out of absent-minded autopilot just in time to stop herself from hitting a young, oddly dressed boy standing in the crosswalk. Shaking violently and struggling with her heart that now beat wildly within her stomach, she pulled her car safely into a nearby parking spot and closed her eyes. As reactive tears fell, she took a deep breath and looked up towards the park to her right. To her great surprise, the boy, donning a tunic and boots akin to a young squire’s of Arthurian tales, stood near her window, eagerly beckoning her with to follow him into a wooded area nearby. Perhaps it was guilt over the near-tragedy, or a spark of childlike curiosity, but something moved her to leave the confinement of her vehicle and follow the young lad into the trees.
To be continued…
Loved it! Can’t wait to read more!
Thank you Jeni! I know that you like fiction (I remember reading a lot of the same books in school,) so your opinion means a lot!
I feel like I’m about to step into Narnia. I need to know what happens next!