Clementine

        The day that normal became real was quite a phenomenon. When normal came into our lives, it seemed to be anything but. What made this event all the more intriguing was the fact that it occurred simply due to a change of direction. What seemed ordinary became extraordinary, though what we were seeing before was indeed not what normal was. To put it simply, seeing normal was like putting on glasses for the first time. What we know is not all that it seems; indeed, sometimes you must see it to believe it. Alas, not all of us are willing to have a look. Join me as we go back to the day normal became real, let the story begin.

               It was an early Sunday morning when Lucia awoke. Bleary eyed, she lifted her wool blankets before she fell back asleep. She gently folded her blankets and arose. Her bare feet slid into her slippers that sat aside her bed. Her macaw, Marco, was asleep on his perch. She walked past him and opened the drapes; immediately, she noticed a drastic change. Out of her window, the sky was a dark blue. Every morning, Lucia opened her drapes at 6:40 in the morning to the sunrise. The orange light of the early morning sun would bounce off the dew left on the grass and trees above and fill her small house with early morning sunlight.  Today, though, there was not a hint of the sun’s rays. Perhaps Lucia had slept too much, or too little. Looking at her clock, the time was 6:45 AM. As any person would do, Lucia went to have a look outside. Marco was awoken by her shuffling about the room and joined her to find out what was happening. With Marco perched on her shoulder, Lucia made her way to her front door. By now it was 7AM, churchgoers would be huddling into their cars for the Sunday service. Unless you were like Lucia, you would barely notice this change. When she walked out her front door, she saw the sun. The sky was a pale blue by now, and the sun shone proudly down onto the Earth. On this day, where the sun set, it rose.

               As bizarre as this event was, Lucia was not the slightest bit intimidated. In fact, she was intrigued. She bolted back into her house, giving Marco quite a shock. She must not waste time. After all, she had only twenty-four hours to explore this wonder, or so she thought. Taking off her nightclothes, she glanced at her closet. Today she picked a white sleeveless sundress. The dress cinched at the waist with a flowing skirt that fell just above her knees. She slid into her brown leather flip-flops while simultaneously Brushing her long brown locks. Her hair was a great length, it draped over her shoulders and went down her back until it reached her knees. Today she put it in a simple braid that swung about when she walked. With Marco perched on her shoulder, she took one more glance in the mirror and went to the kitchen. She prepared a bowl of oats with almond milk and set some minced fruits on the table for Marco. This was their routine every day, but today was indeed special. Her energy filled the room; her ferrets must have felt it, as they were up and running about, circling and playing near her ankles. Lucia had a wild love for animals, her pets ranged from snakes to hamsters. While she indeed hated picking favorites, hers was Marco. He was fifteen years old; six years younger than Lucia. Their loyalty was immense, so much so that he went everywhere Lucia did. Once breakfast was finished, it was off to explore.

               Instead of going through the front door, she left through the back. Her house stood in front of a forest with a gate that lead straight to it. When she saw the grass, she froze. The grass was a vibrant green and swayed in the early morning breeze. Sunflowers rose from the ground, but they were not yellow, they were golden. Looking up at the sky, the clouds were swarmed with life. Hawks, vultures, creatures she had never seen before soared through the skies. Beasts roamed the earth and skies, everything that seemed normal rose anew on this day. Herds of cattle roamed the flower filled plains; elk had grown massive horns twice the average size that they proudly showed the world. Lucia stood in awe of the sight before her, but the beast that had her attention was one that floated in the sky. The familiar beast from the ocean now dwelled in the sky. Above her head, herds of sky whales soared about. These were anything but regular whales. They had whiskers like catfish, dorsal fins thrice the size of a sail, tail fins that were as twice wide as a school bus was long. Their skin shone a beautiful shade of purple, their fins glowed teal.  As remarkable as this sight was, few people seemed to see the beasts. People like Lucia were wandering about the fields, some had befriended creatures or even could be seen riding a giant elk. When she turned to face the forest, she froze.

Mushrooms rose above the trees, brightly colored every color of the rainbow. Lucia kicked off her sandals and bolted towards the forest. Marco was hot on her trail. Lucia had a plan as to where she was going. When Lucia was seven years old, her father brought her into the forest. They walked about until they reached a clearing. Butterflies and lightning bugs buzzed about, and a beautiful clementine tree hung above their heads; that is where Lucia is going. When Lucia arrived, she saw something truly magical. The butterflies had wings of glass; the lightning bugs glowed bright purple. And above her head was the clementine tree. A gasp escaped her mouth; Marco was just as awe stricken as Lucia. The fruits were square shaped and looked as if they were wrapped like a gift. They hung from white strings that came from their tree. Lucia gently untied the string from the fruit and took off the wrapping. The fruit was indeed cube shaped, and Marco wasted no time giving it a try. While Marco was busy with his snack, Lucia set him down on a branch and looked up at the sky. She reached her hand up towards a passing sky whale, wishing to only join them in the clouds. Then, she screamed.

Wings sprung out from her shoulder blades; the pain was like none she had ever felt. They tore through her skin, as if they were waiting for the moment they could be outstretched. These wings were the same color as her hair, they were so large that when she folded them, they dragged on the ground. They begged to be used, and Lucia obliged. She bent her knees and pushed off, giving Marco quite a fright. Nevertheless, her faithful bird followed. She rose above the forest, the beasts of the earth seemed so small. Every bird from a hawk to blue jay soared about. Marco quickly befriended an oddly colorful vulture, leaving Lucia to explore. She went straight towards the herd of sky whales. They were so docile they even let Lucia go as far as to ride in their backs. The more Lucia soared the skies, the more this life felt like home. On the ground were those who could not see this sight, and in the sky were those that craved the extraordinary. While this was not everybody’s world, Lucia was proud that she was able to see it.

               Today Lucia still soars the skies. If you are lucky, you will catch Marco playing with his vulture friend. While you may not see what Lucia does, you will eventually. When you find the extraordinary normal, you will feel right at home. Let your imagination run wild, do the undoable and think outside the box. Maybe some say you will see the strings that bear fruits, or butterflies of glass. It is all up to you if you’re up to the task. What do you say, would you like to find normal?