The Lost Road

It was funny, he thought, they things you don't notice. He had lived in this town for ten years, and he couldn't remember ever seeing this little road, even though it was right on the road that he took to and from school every day. But at the time, he was wrapped up in junior high life, probably running down this road every day with his head full of plans and victories, or worrying nervously about how many points his reputation had risen or fallen today.

Now, he was older, and he moved a little slower, mostly because his body made him. But still, he found it odd he never noticed the little street, especially since it seems like something he might have explored during one of the long, drawn out games of war they would play during the summer days.

But he had a lot more free time now. He had left this town a lonely high school nerd, and now years later had returned as a successful man. He could afford to spend some time walking around and thinking. The road also had a nice misty charm this early in the morning. He thought for a second that perhaps that is why he had never noticed the road, because he was never up this early in the morning in his younger years.

It was also possible that the road had been built since he had left town, but after a few steps he ruled that idea out. The road had faded, cracked pavement and on either side shrubs and trees encroached on it. After a hundred feet, the pavement gave out entirely, and it became a gravel path. He hoped he wasn't walking up some trigger happy yahoo's driveway.

What originally had started out as a lark started filling him with deeper curiosity. The vibrant green trees seemed to be about ready to spill out into the roadway. He again wondered how he could have missed this walk. Just when he was wondering where he was, the trees on his right opened up, and he saw a little cottage, underneath some taller trees. On the front porch were an old man and an old woman. The woman was knitting, and the man was rocking back and forth in his chair. He was surprised that his town, which he always thought was a cookie cutter suburb, would have this charming of a scene. The old people waved at him, and he waved back.

The road took a sharp left, and he thought that his jaunt was soon at an end. But he saw that although the gravel path ended, a grass trail continued on past a small bridge. He now realized about where he was. The little bridge went over a small creek, that then went into some blackberry bushes, and tumbled down a hillside. He was over the city park he used to play in as a child. He has always wanted to climb this hill and see what was at the top. Him and his friends had tried to cut tunnels through the blackberry bushes with hedge clippers, which, despite some valiant efforts, had never come to anything.

And so now, he was finally getting to see.

And so far, it seemed as beautiful as he hoped. The trail was wide and flat, but still full of verdant grass. The air was just warming up, and the mistiness of the morning was dissolving. Butterflies were fluttering to and fro, and the low buzz of insects humming filled the air. He walked higher and higher, twisting around, and occasionally seeing glimpses of the city below through the branches of trees. From this viewpoint, it no longer seemed a boring little suburb at all.

The soft warmth of the day mixed with the excitement of discovery.

Eventually, the trail ended. At a stone staircase, which led up to the very top of the hill. At the base of the staircase was a tall, thin woman dressed in a long white dress, with long green hair that reached down to the grass, and seemed to merge with it.

"You came" she said

"Yes, I finally did" he thought that this made sense now, even though he thought that it shouldn't.

She reached over and took his hand. It was small, and cool, but grasped him firmly. She led him up the stone stairs, and he smelled the warm blackberry blossom smell of her hair.

"Don't worry, don't worry, at least for a little while. Just look at the sky..." she said, as she turned around and embraced him at the top of the stairs.

He embraced her back, feeling her dress slide up and down against her skin underneath. She looked up at him, and he saw the darkness of her pupils, dilating out to fill up the green iris' of her eyes. They seemed very dark and deep compared to the oceans of light and warmth around him. They slowly fell to the ground, and he could feel the coolness of her hands on his body start to warm up.

And for a little while, he stopped worrying, and merely felt the depth of those eyes and the warmth of the grass around him.