In the cool, deep quiet lies a covering of stillness. There, unlike any other place, my soul finds rest.
I turn, gently in place, with my eyes lifted up. The dark and otherworldly canopy radiates peace, and its ebb flows over me. I smile and close my eyes, opening up to the gentle and resolute forgiveness. What a gift in this moment. Undeserved, but mine nonetheless.
Nearby leaves flutter with joy as they are tickled by a passing breath. Light flickers as a ray penetrates the leaves. The faint but ecstatic cry of a bird pierces the silence. Rocks crunch beneath my feet.
The moment is gone, and so I move again, slowly, but gaining speed. A smoky cloud at the horizon turns leisurely, catching and consuming all that approaches it. By implacable fate, I must live within its borders, at least temporarily, and so I travel. Time and space flow past me in waves, and I feel the variations on my skin. The heat rises as the whirlwind becomes inevitably adjacent. Its tendrils tug at my clothing as they swirl by. They draw me in.
I stop to steel my mind and brace my shoulders for full immersion, and am reminded of the fleeting nature of circumstance and locale. I turn to look back. The dim, unwavering wall rises in a distant gradient. It beckons, no it reminds. I smile and turn away.
“Thank you,” I murmur under my breath.
