One of My Prosaic Works

Narrative Essay – English 12
May 4th, 2007

Whoosh~ The gentle morning breeze sailed through the treetops like an ephemeral schooner. A single ray of sunlight shone through the dense foliage like Odin’s spear piercing through a cloudy sky. The sight was awe-inspiring, yet I felt an uncomfortable gaze upon me. Try as I might, I could not find the reason nor the source. So I ignored it. Besides, something else soon diverted my attention. A solitary leaf, caught in the wake of the wind, waltzed toward me and brushed against the fur on my side with the tenderness of a lover’s caress. I shuddered. That sensual feeling spread to all four legs and tail, awakening all my senses. Suddenly, with inexplicable hunger, I rose on my hind legs and drank in the scene.

Feeling fully invigorated, drunk on the scent of the morning dew, I proceeded to search for something with a little more substance to sate my hunger. I scurried up the trunk to the branch above me, ran to its end with a few short hops, and leapt. The joy, the utter freedom of soaring through the air is indescribable. No amount of sugar coated acorns could convey this feeling of purest delight. The way air ruffled my fur, the rush of being at such a height, all helped to propel me forward to a brand new world. Time became meaningless as I flitted from branch to branch among the emerald trees under the azure sky.

I ended my flight upon a massive oak tree. The rough bark under my paws littered with scars. I stepped gingerly. I was again, in awe; this oak was not just old, but ancient. A steady stream of light pulsed through the veins of the oak – life giving and mystical. The oak stood with an air of ageless wisdom, demanding respect from all that stood before it, or in my case, on it.

      I had only taken a few tentative steps when I felt the slightest breeze, and suddenly, all the nerves in my body cried out: MOVE! I jumped to the side just as the massive talons of an owl on the hunt tore pieces of bark off from where I just stood. I could feel the oak quiver, less from pain than from indignation. With one powerful flap of its wings, the owl flew up to the next branch. With its back now facing me, the owl turned its head right round and with its two disproportionately placed eyes, looked right into my soul, calculating its second strike. Truth be told, I was thinking the same; it was only out of sheer dumb luck that I was able to avoid such an untimely death. Without thinking, I darted towards the end of the branch and once again took to the air. This time I did not feel the air rustle through my fur nor the feeling of release as I soared high amongst the quiet trees. This time, only the feeling of sharp talons digging through my flesh and bones registered. I did not feel pain, having been numbed, knocked senseless out of terror. As I waited on the final moments of my life, I could only hope that no one will ever find my secret acorn stash — crack.

Lost Time

   "Wait." Her one word shattering the silence. "Where did it go? I... I must have lost it!"

  He inhaled sharply, having been jerked out of his mindless space staring by her sudden exclamation.

   "What? What happened?"

   "My watch! I don't know where it went! It must've fallen off my wrist!" she said, panic seeping into her voice, as she frantically searched for it on her obviously bare arm. She stood up and looked around her seat, then bending down to look at the ground.

   "Are you sure you wore it out today?" he asked calmly, so as not to provoke her already blazing fire.

   "Yes! I did! I remember checking the time before we got here! Oh, can we please, please go back to that store to ask if they have seen it?"

   He sighed.

   "Alright, let's retrace our steps and see if we can recover it."

   She jumped up and embraced him with gratitude.

   "I know that it's much easier to just buy a new one, but this watch, it means something to me. Otherwise I wouldn't let it bother me so much."

   He kissed her on the cheek, "I know, m'dear." Then patting her arm, "Well, let's get going then, shall we?"

  

  The two of them started on their task, walking slowly, their bodies bent slightly forward, looking carefully at the ground. The passersby all glanced curiously at this awkward pair, wanting to know what they were looking for. He didn't notice them, and neither did she, for they were too engaged at the quest before them that their peripheral vision seemed to have shut down.

   They gradually reached the store where she thought she had lost her watch. She looked at him with hope in her eyes.

   "Fingers crossed!"

   She strode excitedly across floor to the spot where her instincts told her the watch would be. He saw her start to kneel down, hesitate, then get back up with something shiny in her closed hands and a smile on her pretty little face. He smiled back at her as she walked towards him, a little bounce in her steps. He helped her put her watch back on.

   "I honestly don't know how it fell off in the first place. It fits so snugly on my wrist." she said softly as she watched him gently close the clasp of the watch.

   "The clasp is a little loose -- there is barely any resistance when I tried to close it." he said as-a-matter-of-factly, "I can help you fix it when we get home... Well there we go. Good as new." adjusting the watch band so its face faces upwards to the wearer.

   "Thank you..." she said as she looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He kissed her back. "You probably think me frivolous, getting so worried over such a small, minor thing, but now that I have it back, I just feel so much better about everything!"

   He held her waist, looking deeply into those shiny eyes that he has looked into for so many years, and said, "I'm glad that you're happy."

   He then broke the gaze and looked at his own watch.

   "I presume if we head back to the restaurant now, food will be ready for us."

   She smiled and linked up with his arm.

   They walked out to the parking lot. He took out the car keys from his pant pocket, she, a step behind, fixing her lipstick. They both got in, seat belts clicking. The engine started up and they were in motion. The sound of the radio drifted nonchalantly in the moving backdrop, lazy and ready for rest as the daylight departs.

   He was humming quietly under his breath, steering the car to the winding shape of the road. Headlights from cars in the opposite lane passed in and out of sight.

   She gasped and sat up straighter in her seat.

   He gave her a quick glance, and asked, "What's wrong?"

   After a moment, she slumped back down and gave a sigh.

   "I lost it again." Disappointment evident in her eyes and in her scrunched up brows.

   "Oh." A moment of silence. "Would you like me to turn the car arou-"

   "No. It's alright." she said abruptly. "That watch has caused enough hassle for today. Perhaps it's a sign... maybe it's best to let it go."

   He didn't say anything, for he didn't know what to say that wouldn't tempt her mood. He released his right hand from the steering wheel and took a hold of hers.

   They held hands as the backdrop moved on. He sneaked her several more quick looks of concern as they sat in silence, the radio still floating around somewhere in the background. He cleared his throat, gripped her hands a little tighter, as he returned his full attention to the road.

   Many minutes and turns later, he slowed the car down to a stop and turned off the engine. They released hands to unstrap themselves from their seats. Car doors opened and they stepped out into a newly born night. A tiny clank sounded off in the cooling air.

   He walked around the front of the car to her side. She stood up straight just as he got to her. She held up something and in the leftover light, he saw her dangling her watch between her fingers, sparkling a little.

   He chuckled lightly, feeling her happiness emanating in the darkness.

   "I can't believe I spent the entire ride, the whole time, worrying and lamenting over its loss!"

*

Writer's note: I'm not normally one to write prose for I have always had more affinity for the poetic than the prosaic... but I do, at times, think of stories that I would like to write and which are better expressed/presented in prose. I have dabbled in prose before (which I may post in the near future), but I'm not always inspired to write one. But I was today. This story was inspired by a true event, haha. I've also been reading a lot of short stories lately (scary ones in particular) and enjoying them very much, and so I endeavoured to write some myself (yes, I'm hoping to write some scary ones too). I don't want to go all high-school-English-teacher on ya, but see if you can unearth the theme/motif in this story. It shouldn't be too hard, haha. :) Hope you enjoyed!