Orchard
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Picturesque.
The only word that swims through my mind for the second I take to process what I see. An orchard of gorgeous trees with crowns of purple and pink, petals littering the ground around the base of each trunk with a most unique pattern of spirals. Those selfsame petals litter the sky in an unending dance of wind, but seem to be caught in slow motion when observed. The grass, endless shades of green as far as the horizon touched the cerulean sky with not a cloud in sight... nor, I notice, is there a sun. But the scene is bright nonetheless, and more uplifting than my favorite song.
I breathe in, taking in a fascinating floral scent. My steps forward are sluggish but steady and I don't know where I'm going, I don't intend to let anything stop me from my foray into the orchard. The petals on the ground part at my passing, refilling the spaces I had been walking as if they were liquid.
Apart from other trees, I see a clearing with a single sapling, its leaves a mixture of the jovial pinks and purples of the surrounding foliage. Beneath it lies a blanket, its orange and red cross-hatched pattern in stark contrast to the colors of the orchard. My steps carry me forward before I even know what I want to do, and I find myself lying down on the blanket.
I breathe out.
I can't close my eyes, but I feel more relaxed and relieved of stress than I have in years, the weight of stress and worry for the future gone in a near instant as I watch petals dance in the air. I almost wish I could join them, I feel so lightweight compared to what I was.
I breathe in. That floral scent, the beautiful sky, the weight off my shoulders, they all begin to bring tears to my eyes, and I still can't close them. Is this what I've been missing?
I breathe out, and I open my eyes, tears still filling them.
I breathe in, and the harsh chill of my room nips at my nose, that ephemeral floral scent replaced with the soft peppermint I keep my room laced with as my dream abandons me. The darkness is pervasive, the only light source from my phone charging on my nightstand. The warmth of my blanket keeps me from getting up, and I turn over on my side instead.
I breathe out, and mutter a quiet promise to myself that I'm afraid I can't keep.
“One day."