A note:As I promised, to those who've read my blog, I've been hard at work. I have returned to my roots and put non-fiction writing on the back-burner for a while. As a warning, this is a very long piece that has ended up into a book; wasn't my first intention. Since it's long, I thought of putting up one installment after another, if everyone enjoys the first installment. It's kinda like breaking it up. It will hopefully make it easier to read. As always, crit it as harsh as you want and I love feedback - good or bad. Without further ado, the story.
A Perfect World
by Jessica Bruce
Whoosh! A sharp breeze shot up my faded black shorts and exited underneath my armpits. The air was chilly. The season was changing. I could tell fall was coming because even though my body was lying on the soft earth and my head was arched and supported by my arms, which was underneath my head, my eyesight had a clear view of the trees stretching for miles on end. I was lying on a steep mountain, in which a few hours before, I had finished hiking up top of it.
The trees were extraordinary. Every year, the colors are captivating. The mountains once a year burn into a fiery blaze; swirls of red and orange seep into the greenish leaves. You'd think, for someone who is a Vermont native, one would be used to such a sight.
I pressed my left hand on top of my head and ran it through my black hair, still lying on the ground and gazing out into the glorious sight before my hazel eyes.
"Man, what an awesome sight this is," I said quietly to myself. I was alone, but that didn't matter. There wasn't a soul around. That was the way I enjoyed it. No Game Wardens could force me to leave, if I wished to stay towards dusk. I wouldn't have to listen to stupid chatter from teenagers, about 'who is going out with who' type of thing. And I surely would not have to clean up other people's garbage. Even though, their trash wasn't mine, I'd feel guilty that a beautiful place would receive such intolerable abuse.
Few more hours drifted by. I guessed it was still in the late afternoon, even though the days were getting shorter, the sun was still full and bright. I ran my hand through my hair once more and closed my eyelids. My mind started to wander and I started to fall into a deep trance. I was awake and alert to my surroundings around me but I started to get to thinkin' about a very strange thought. The more I dwelled on the subject in my head, the wilder the daydream became.
What would a perfect world be like? The sentence kept playing through the darkness of my dream over and over, until I saw a faint blur.
* * * *
The silhouette stood, but the face looked distraught. The figure appeared to be frowning; lips crooked sharply downward. Also, the face appeared to be thinner and delicate, not which a man's face would appear to be. A man's facial features are usually thick; the neck broad, bulging jawbones, and the stubble of small flecks around the chin and beside the ears, after a few days without a shave. The figure also showed a hint of long black hair, draping waist length.
As the image grew sharper, the silhouette still seemed uneasy. The lips were still pointed down but its body wasn't showing signs that it was afraid or nervous – no shaking or shivering from fright. The eyes were the most distinct facial feature it possessed. A most unusual sight indeed - two gaping black holes in the middle, where eyeballs should have been. It had ears and a nose to. I'm not sure if there were teeth, since the mouth had not yet opened. I'm not positive if the figure was a man or women or if it was human, but since it appeared to look more like a female person, I decided I would call 'it' a girl.
I'm not sure if the girl sensed my curiosity, since I was also standing, glaring into her face, staring into the two deep pools of blackness above her nose, but she began to walk slowly towards me. I was fine from a distance. I wasn't at all nervous or frightened by her unusual facial appearance from afar but as she crept forward towards my body, I felt bullets of sweat instantly emerge around my bushy, black brows. I couldn't move at all. My brain told my legs to turn around and run! Run like a raging river - quick and steady, my brain instructed. But my muscles would not cooperate. The soles of my bare feet felt like an unholy force had nailed them tight to the green and mossy ground. I had no choice but to stand firmly and hope like Hell, I would live another day.
She continued with the same pace of footsteps, slow and steady. Her lips were still arched down but her long black hair swayed back and forth, despite how slowly she was walking. As she crept closer and closer to me, I was able to get a clearer vision of her. The women was very pale, a ghostly white! But that was not the creepiest aspect of her. Her head, arms, legs; the women's whole body…
It was translucent!
My eyes could peer right through her! On the other side of her stomach, I was staring at trees and shrubs. But her eyes – all I could see in them were two black charcoals. The holes were dark and dank. Even though she was much closer to me now, her eyes never changed.
By now, my legs and arms were shaking uncontrollably and my T-shirt was soaked in sweat. I tried again to run but I still could not move. Sheer terror started to flow through my veins, as I could feel a lump in my stomach and my heart bouncing.
"Oh, please. Let me live another day. Please. Please. Please," I said quietly out loud, making sure that horrendous thing didn't hear my silent plea.
The women - human or alien - reached my frightened body. She was no more then three feet away from me. Why can't I run? Why can't I move my legs at all? I kept asking those questions a million times over inside my head. I tried to stiffen up and not shake so much. I didn't want, whatever it was, to think I was scared. Often times when a predator senses fear, like a snake for example, the animal strikes!
She was not much taller then I was, maybe a few inches. I stand at five feet and four inches. The ghostly women's lips started to ease upwards into what it appeared to be a smile? The ghost flashed the inside of her mouth. If sheer terror and the immobility of my legs weren't a sign of pure rotten luck, try picturing a row of tiny needles for teeth! Her smile was so shocking to my nervous system, I'm surprised it didn't immediately shutdown and I fainted dead away.
Her teeth were short but sharp, exactly like pins and they were yellow too. The funny thing was, when she exhaled, her breath smelled like a sweet smell of nectar. The breath was reassuring. Maybe she would not swallow me whole after all!
The women began to move her lips up and down. I cocked my head to the side, trying to see if she was trying to say something. She mouthed the same movements that her lips did before, but louder this time, so I could hear what she had to say.
"Hello, my name's Epotiene," she said in a robotic voice. It sounded mechanical but muffled also. I wondered if she had a tongue, but didn't dare to ask.
She scratched her chin in a thoughtful way and continued to speak. "My name's Epotiene," she repeated again. She gritted her yellow teeth back and forth. It reminded me of sharp nails grinding against a chalk board. Wincing from the grinding of the teeth, I continued to listen carefully. What choice did I have? I was still paralyzed from the waist down. "I'm not human," she mused. "But I'm not what you humans call a 'ghost' either. I prefer to be called a spirit," she said in her mechanical voice.
Epotiene's voice, though it did not sound normal, was soft and quiet. Every time she spoke, I had to stretch my neck outwards to hear anything. But thus far, the ghost seemed friendly. If it wasn't for her sweet-smelling breath and soft spoken voice, I'm certain I would have collapsed long ago.
"You, human!" she barked. "Come closer to me!" I was no longer frozen in place after the sudden mood swing from Epotiene. My legs sprung far backwards, nearly losing my balance and falling on the emerald ground. I was shocked. One minute she acted calm and seemingly friendly, the next shouting orders to me. Not wanting to offend her, in fear of the ghost pouncing on my body and doing something horrific, I scrambled to catch my balance and bolted forward. This time I was eye to eye; in this case eye to eye socket, in front of Epotiene, breathing heavily.
"Humans," she grunted. "What is your name?"
"Uh…Muh, muh…na, name is Jess…Jessic…ca…ca." I was still freaked out. I was not sure which was more frightening about her; the robot voice, her sharp pin needle and yellow teeth, the two black holes or the fact I could see right through her! Imagine a real live ghost and its standing an inch in front of me!
"Excuse me?" she said back into her soft spoken voice.
I wiped the beads of sweat on my temples away. Throwing my shoulders back, trying to appear brave, I sucked in a deep breath, hoping I could calm my nerves and speak more clearly. "My na…na…name is Jess…ica." Wasn't much of an improvement but I was hoping the ghost understood this time.
She nodded, rubbing her chin. It appeared she was thinking about something, so I stood toe to toe with her still and waited for a response. "So, Jessica it is?" I nodded, with confidence. "Very well, Jessica. As I said before I am a spirit, but I'll explain about that subject a little later on. First, I know why your aura has planted itself in my lovely forest."
Aura? Why the hell is this 'thing' speaking about auras? I did not bother to ask myself further questions. I wanted to know more about this ghost and what she wanted with me. So I placed all questions aside and craned my neck further out to hear her voice. Even though she was less then an a few inches from my feet, her voice was so low; I was wondering if I was going deaf.
I missed a few things Epotiene had said but she continued to talk, not taking notice of my mind wandering. "Your aura came here because you were searching for an answer," she paused and then asked "Am I right, Jessica?"
I gulped.
"How did you know tha…I mean wha…what I was think…thinking?"
"I know many things," she mused and smiled happily. I shuddered when I saw the gruesome yellow razors again.
"What do you mean?"
"I meant what I said. Just that." The ghost tilted her head, and glared into my face. Scratching her chin, she appeared to be studing my appearance. "Most humans would have ran for the hills if they took the slightest glance at my face. Only if she knew how much I wanted to before! You seem brave and courageous. I like humans that have some spine to them. So, I'll let you in on a little secret of mine, human."
"Listen closely," she said quietly in her typical mechanical voice.
"I'm not from your -," The shade stopped abruptly. "What year are you from, human?" I was annoyed being called a human when she knew my name, but I said nothing and answered her question.
"Two-thousand and four, ma'am."
She barked a shrill laugh after my comment. I stood my ground though. I was slowly adjusting to her antics, but I still suffered from a mental weakness – terror!
"I haven't been called ma'am in centuries," still laughing. My jaw felt like it would crash ten feet underground. I was more shocked then ever before. Did she say centuries? "Well anyway, hum-"
"It's Jessica!" I shouted. A new form of energy was starting to boil over in my veins. I was sick to death of being called 'human'.
"Very well…Jessica, it is?"
I nodded solemnly.
"Very well then, Jessica. I asked what year you're from because I am from many hundreds of years ahead of your time. To put it simply, I'm from the future."
Normally after hearing that, I would have felt uneasy all over again. But hearing that Epotiene was from the future, it made me feel better. At least I had some idea where she had come from, even though she was still a ghost. One other thing I noticed about her was she loved to use adjectives a lot and despite the quiet tone in her voice, she seemed to be strict. There was not a hint of humor in her tone. It seemed to be always straight forward, no fooling around.
"I'm confused. You said you were here to answer my question about a perfect world. What does a ghost from the future have to do anything about answering my question?" I asked as calmly as I could.
"I am not a ghost!" She howled and barred her yellowish teeth to try and spook me. (Well, it worked!) I yelped and stepped a few inches back, slowly. I did not want anything to do with a pissed off gho – I mean spirit! "Don't ever refer me to that treacherous word again!" She continued to flash her teeth but grinding them back and forth as she did earlier; that ungodly noise. It ripped through my ear drums and hurt badly, but my limbs felt numb. I couldn't wrap my hands to shield the ears, nor would my neck cooperate, so I could jerk it away. I was forced to stare into the apparition's eyes and witness a faint flicker of flames sparkle in the two charcoal eye sockets.
I began too shake violently again. New beads of sweat were reborn on my brows. I cupped my hands, as if I was praying. "I'm su…sorry, ma'am. I mean Epotiene! Please, I beg you! Please do not swallow me whole. Don't rip my chest apart with your teeth. I want to live. Just please, do not harm me!" My cheeks began to feel hot. I looked away from her gaze, sheepishly. I regretted blurting out those words. I was almost certain she would be feasting on my carcass soon. I cursed in my head.
The spirit cocked her head in confusion. She let out a long, slow and deep breath and stepped closer to me, so she was again a few inches in front of my face. She lowered her head and spoke softly again. "I apologize, Jessica. I'm not accustomed to dealing with hum – I mean mortals regularly. So, I tend to lose control of my quiet demeanor and retaliate with anger and frustration. But believe me, if you have seen the world as I have centuries before now, you might understand my quick and rash reactions."
"It is OK," I said simply. I was struck with knowing Epotiene had a warm and caring side of her. Something I would have never expected and was glad I had some part of being able to tap into that emotion of hers. My body slowly stopped shaking but I was still sweating a bit.
The spirit nodded thoughtfully. "Well, enough lolly-gagging. Back to the real reason your aura has found me. As I stated before, I am a spirit from the future, and your aura has found me in my green forest. You seek an answer to a most difficult question. The answer can't be said in words. It's too complicated. But that is why you are here and found my home. I will show you the answer in which you seek."
I stood, dumbfounded. I was very confused but said nothing. I would probably begin to stutter anyway. If the spirit was not going to harm me, no point in delaying Epotiene further. I just wanted to get this situated over and done with and be on my way. As much as she intrigued my curiosity, despite my shaking and sweating fits, the spirit creeped me out! Seeing her facial features so close reminded me of a Wes Craven movie!
Her pale, translucent arm reached out and her hand gripped mine. It was funny, since she clearly couldn't physically hold my hand, but there she was; holding it. Problem was, even though I could see her hand wrapped around mine in a hand-shake formation, I couldn't feel her flesh upon mine. I only saw a white hand, attempting to grip mine.
Continuing to not speak, I took a deep breath inwards and noted the woodland, creating a mental map. I was not positive, but in the likelihood of never visiting the grove again, I wanted too never forget. Taking in the surroundings, there were many sunflowers, arching over us. About five yards behind them, there was two raspberry bushes; each about a foot apart and on the left, there was a tall pine tree, resting close to one. I raised one hand over my forehead to shield the sunshine from burning the pupils and spotted a large hole carved into the Pine. I wondered if an animal had a home and smiled, thinking of a family of squirrels that were nestling together inside. Behind a few feet from the pine, a couple more trees dwelled. But they weren't pines. They appeared to be maple or oak trees, judging from the dark brown bark - no birches.
My head shot back and forth, observing as many objects as I could. I noticed a other bushes and different types of shrubs; some had thorns, others were a bushel of dark green leaves, scattered in all directions. The foliage was lush, with the variant of light and dark greens, flooding the pedals. Towards the blue sky, a medium sized bird had its wings stretched and was gliding in the breeze. After a few minutes of watching the bird, it dove downwards, flapping wildly. I had my hand still above my eyebrows, and observed its body moving with a purpose. The bird was flying in the direction of the pine tree and passed the spirit and I with incredible speed, letting out a mighty screeching sound - the melody of a hawk. It cut a sharp circle in the air and flew directly into the wooden cavern!
The earth under the soles of my feet was soft and deep. The grass was overgrown and reached a few inches above my waist. It was a signal that a soul has not traveled through this terrain for many years or never.
"Come," she said, forcing me to take notice. "We will fly."
Anticipating on a return to the emerald forest, I nodded and was set to discover Epotiene's version of flying.
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