Hidden Courage of a Boy

Suddenly his stomach lurched. Bending over, he dry heaved in a pile of crumpled leaves; his hawk temporary taking flight. Rising, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He was bone weary. In desperate need of somewhere away from the madness, he searched for a place to rest his body, heart, and soul; a place to deaden the day’s deeds, a quiet place to escape into the world of sweet dreams.

The humid, windless night fails to distract me; instead, it persuades my heart to find tranquility and serenity with nature. Glancing back at my dimly lighted, compact camping tent, I vaguely distinguish the figure of my sleeping sister. Her loud snores and dissatisfied sighs only serve to remind me what I left behind. Having lived in St. Louis all my life, I had grown used to the heart-warming, whitish glow of street lamps outside my windows, their light shadowing the shape of my car. Yet, this was blackness that I couldn't recalled seeing before. One that was absolute, as if a clumsy student spilled ink all over the desk. When I tilted my head skyward, I beheld the canopy of dazzling stars as they emerged amongst the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then, but still enough shimmering stars to illuminate the dark night. Upon further examination, like a biologist studying under her microscope, through my miniature telescope I found the key to another world- a world of beauty, love,

A huffing wind arose, stirring the branches of the oak trees. The clouds doubled up on each other menacingly as the rain fell in torrents. The musty, damp smell of wet earth engulfed me and blocked the acute smell of night from my den. My leather soles softened upon the mossy ground. I shook my warm coat. Slowly, I awoke from my slumber because the darkness was my time to prowl. In daylight, I am seen.

Black Clouds scrawl across the sky creeping in from the east like a sea of clouds overhead. Their shadows fill the night with a hysteria atmosphere promising nothing but destruction and disaster. Howling, husky crying wind cries in the night like an injured wolf. All was silent until a growing rumble cracked across the night sky. Within seconds a flash of lighting scattered like zigzags through the black canvas. Drip, Drop, rain began to slowly drizzle down from the heavens and formed it to buckets of rain tapping on the rooftops also as if the rain was demanding an entrance

The cold wind bit at my exposed neck while I walked towards the bench. Near the clouds above, a ray of light pierced the thin veil of mist and landed on the dewy grass. I sat and listened to the wind, the birds chirping and the occasional splash from the lake. So peaceful, so quiet. I looked at the pale sky and smiled. A large whoosh, made me flinch and close my eyes involuntarily. A small pigeon watched me with it’s cocked head. I chuckled, just a bird. Suddenly a rumbling in the ground rippled the water. I turned to see a bright light then crimson spilled into the sky as a boom echoed through the park. A clearly visible shockwave headed towards the gates. I was always scared. Screaming, then

Before dusk, the canoe strapped to the top of the car and everything ready to go, we head off to call it a night early, knowing that our sleep would be limited. Three thirty am the clock read as I arise from a basement blow up mattress. I walk upstairs with no trace of being tired but just appreciating silence like I never had in my life before. Not a single noise in the house then to think it couldn't get any more silent we go outside. Although it may be August, a sweatshirt is needed for the brisk humid morning air that tickles your skin before the sun arises. An hour and 15 minutes... We

I was so tired, even attempting to keep my eyes open was a struggle. My whole body was drunk with fatigue after a hard day’s work, constantly staring at a computer screen and typing away as if in a solemn trance. My bony white hands, their blood frozen by the bitter winter frost were clutching to the steering wheel like a helpless man gripping the edge of a cliff, desperately holding on picturing his fate. My brain wanted to give in, to remain in the lapses of sleep that I kept drifting in and out of. I took a fleeting look outside, the weather beaten road looking everlasting. The endless rows of mud splashed dense hedges that thrive with life in the spring but appear lifeless with their menacing razor-sharp thorns in the harsh winters.

As soon as the cry was made audible, the boy enabled his legs to take full control of him, and at once charged into the thick forest, towards direction of the cry. He zipped past numerous trees, some of which he’d never seen before, consequently leading to an apprehensive mind that distributed lies. He disposed of them continuously in order to keep up his momentum. At once there was another, more distressed wail that flooded the boy’s ears, and he felt a strange sensation start to rush through his body. His legs picked up speed, as the rough fingers of his hand curled into wrathful fists. The once abundant amount of trees slowly decreased, creating a clear path ahead, allowing the rich and tall grass to come into view.

The brisk cold air lightly touching my bare arms as I walk to the car. A long three hour car ride lays in front of me on our way to Yosemite. Crammed in the back seat with a tower of blankets in between my sister and I. I put in my headphones and try to drift off to sleep. I awoke two hours later, when my car came to a screeching halt. I looked outside to see cars going for miles, as far as my eyes could see. I look over next to me and see my little sister drowsy as she awoke from her slumber. I rolled down the window and a light breeze entered the car. The familiar scent of pine filled my lungs, and at that moment in time I knew where I was. It took only a few more hours to reach our destination for the day. The distinct smell of a new place was intriguing to me. I take in my surroundings and layed down on the soft couch and cuddled in a blanket that was as soft as silk. The warmth embraced me and I drifted off to sleep for the night.

It was the second night of the stars covering me like a cape and the definite smell of the wilderness filling my nose. The darkness of the night was a crow that swooped down and surrounded the backdrop of Haliburton forest that was illuminated just hours earlier. All of the vibrantly painted trees were turned into ghostly silhouettes and the cabins that lined the street disappeared, victim of the darkness. The light that came through the gap between the window and the curtain tried to open my eyes like a crowbar prying open my shut lids. The stars were like effulgent slivers of silver that freckled the spill of ink that was the sky and engulfed the burning trees of bonfire reds and golds. The lively capriccio and leaf-carpeted floor of the forest were hushed by the night. The darkness melted the day like the sea melts castles of sand. I turned on my side, the warmth of my sleeping bag making me flushed. I felt the heat rising underneath my eyes and I looked around the cabin. Right above me was a wooden plank however it looked just like a contour to me, just like most of the other things in the room. Right beside me was a window which had its curtain slightly agar so I could see the stars outside. On the right was a lone, empty wooden shelf and beside it, another bunk bed where my friends Alyana and Erica were sleeping. Anavi was sleeping above me and her snoring resonated in the room, but that wasn't what was keeping me awake. A certain restlessness was taking over me and

With every soft step as I approached the leaf-filled ditch, my low top Converse kissed the road’s cracks. I felt the satisfying crunch of stale leaves through my black canvas shoes when I stepped off of the pavement. They flew up with every shuffling movement I made in attempts to avoid the prickle of thorns. I was hypnotised by peaceful nature surrounding me. Blissful serenity was soon interrupted by a breeze that tousled my hair and nipped at the high-points of my face. Chilled air climbed through my jacket to the bottom of my spine. The warmth that had been in the wind just weeks ago had either evaporated into the sky or crept into the earth. Gentle chills danced through the overgrown weeds at

The sky was a dark denim blue. The birds had not yet started to chirp, all the lights were off, and the sound of noise was yet to be heard. I sleepily walked to the car with my duffel bag seeing only darkness before me. I could slightly see the ground beneath me. I shoved my bag into the trunk of our van and crawled in the back seat. I covered myself with a blanket and drifted off into a light sleep.

The wind was weaving its way harmoniously through the treetops at sunset. It created a mystifying ambiance within the forest. The sun was gleaming through the tree branches, leaving its last little slivers of warmth before dropping down below the hills for its lingering night’s sleep. It almost seemed like a picturesque dream all together with the hushed silence.

The dull lights cast gloomy shadows over the mouldy creased tent as the smell of dirt and mud lingered through the frosty air. Off in the far distance, we all heard the disturbing crunch echoing in the quite of the night. For a few seconds, only silence prevailed, while we remained still; our feet sinking deeper into the mud anxiously anticipating another sound to be heard. Instead, only resounding silence followed.

Nightfall had approached. I opened the large double hinged pine window that was perfectly centered in the middle of the guest room and climb into the old brass bed. My head fell into the softness of the pillow, my body stretches releasing all my worries and stresses from the day. The warmth of my grandmother 's hand knitted blanket grasps my body from interacting with the psychical world. I lay there and listen to the sound of the leaves rustling outside the window, and in the distance I can hear my grandfather 's clock “Tick,Tick”. I close my eyes, unable to see the outside world, my mind drifts into a dream world without thought.