I didn’t
feel right at all. Too idyllic. That’s what it was. Everything was far too perfect; far too
flawless. The pristine colours of the
countryside passing by blended fantastically; so much so that I knew they
couldn’t possibly be real. It was as if
I was staring at a jigsaw puzzle put together by the hard working hand and eye
of some higher being.
‘Start with the corners,’ I could hear
them saying, ‘then gather the edges.’
I almost replied to the imaginary voice in
my head but I was too fascinated by the soft pastel pinks and oranges that had
been gently brushed in between the wispy strands of grey and white clouds.
I stared some more. Was that a thumbprint I could see…surely
not? I concentrated again, this time on
a cluster of quaint cottages that backed onto a smooth, green slope that
gradually grew steeper until it met the faint blue of the sky.
The hill was pocked with rabbit burrows
and as I sped along the train tracks, a shadowy group of fir trees came into
vision.
Standing tightly together in military
formation, something was amiss. In the
centre, a white square-like shape with semi circles jutting out from two of its
sides, and one semi-circle cut in stood out from the darkness like a shining
tooth in a mouth of disease.
My head began to pound. More and more deathly white voids began to
appear; their designated pieces still had to be located and placed carefully to
consummate this peaceful scene.
The landscape eventually turned to nothing
as I neared what should have been the bridge.
The pale white grew brighter and brighter and brighter until I had to
shield my eyes with my hands in pain. I
tried to scream for someone to alert the conductor that we were heading into a
river of never ending loss but my tongue had turned to ash. My eyes began to burn and my tears evaporated
into nothing. Finally I collapsed into a
deafening silence.
*
‘How is he today then?’
A hand was lightly placed on my shoulder
to go with the hushed question.
‘Nothing as usual, Doctor?’
‘Still no name or address either?’
‘We’re still checking our records but it
doesn’t look promising.’
‘Ok…well make him comfortable and keep me
posted with any progress.’
‘Yes, Doctor.’
Tomas Bird - A Meadow Like Path 2018
