The Paradox of Fantasy
by Rachel Brumeneschenke
2014 MindSprouts 1st Place Winner
Excerpt
It is winter. The trees that surround this hiking trail are dead and dry, but the limbs wave to me like they are welcoming me. The plants invite me into their home when my boots stroll along the snow and tree roots that act as a journey—steps to my future.
The woods is the place for me to be free, feel free...but the atmosphere looks rather sad. The sparkling of the snow is the only aspect that makes the woods look lively. I greatly detest the cold, dreary weather. It causes my nose to run and my hands to go numb. Oh, how badly I yearn for the end of this calamitous climate. I can’t wait for spring to begin.
No other human entity is around me; the wind and my golden retriever—named Daisy—keep me company. The bleakness does not match my current mood at all (or what I would like it to be); the transcendentalists were wrong to assume that nature will mirror my disposition. But then I imagine Ralph Waldo Emerson telling me, “Build therefore your own world .”
I close my eyes for a brief moment. Hallucinations of warmth and happiness trickle into my mind, while the reality of frigidity and bitterness elude my thoughts. I open my eyes and see that the ocean is ahead of me, creating an impasse with my walk. It is no matter, for I love to feel the sand of a beach underneath my feet, which are now free of snow boots. Palm trees take the place of maple and oak trees. I take pleasure in hearing the waves crash to the shore; it exudes tranquility. I would love to be here, under this bright sun, forever.
Daisy, my trusted side-kick, begins to bark from beside me. I’m sure she notices the change in state as well. What I am uncertain of is the fact that she could be barking for an entirely different reason.
The sound from the waves grows louder as the tides grow stronger. I look out to the horizon to see that the sun is no longer there; salt water instead takes its place in my sight. The monstrous waves crash down over me as if I am in the middle of a hurricane.