Hope, Life, Joy

Where have the days gone? The days when I will run outside, into the pile of leaves. The different colours of leaves represent multiculturalism that we had. I will jump into the pristine pool. It represents the health of our world. And my parents...well, they contribute to our lives, each day and night, each dawn and dust, each lunch and dinner, all the time. But now...where have the days gone?

Now all I see are ashes, flames, and a polluted sky. Barely anyone lives here, only about 60 people. It is hard to imagine the city we used to live in, because the one seed was removed. We will eventually fall, turn into ashes, unless the seed is restored. 

I had to make our deprived land of dystopia, grow back to our lavish land of sunlight-gold. I had to be audacious.

As I cross the haunted wood-brown bridge, a few meters from the east façade of the old powerplant that is now demolished. Out of the blue, I see a spark, I know I am nearing.

I run on the ashes, that were once trees of serenity. I swam through the swamp that used to be a majestic river, that carried lavish-white swans, that waltzed through the water. Finally, I was at the border. A repeating spark, flickering, as If there was a young boy, joyfully turning a light switch on and off. I decided I had to go outside of the border…

My eyes fogged up, I thought I was at a broken land again, but no...I was in a wonderland. There were blades of peppermint-green leaves everywhere. Birds, tweeting like the harmonising heights of the orchestra. Trees swaying to the beat of the wind. I was home.

I decided to take a leaf back to my one room house. I lay there, staring at the wondrous sky, just imagining the enraptured life I had back then...when I was young. I sang a poem to myself.

Hope, Life, Joy

The sound of nature

I did not accept -

But now I shall nurture

Hope, Life, Joy

Do not neglect

We need this

Hope, Life, Joy…

I must return home...I must bring back peace… I must help. We live as slaves, back home. Wait-what? A note...I opened it. 

From Oral:

Behind You

To...You?

I turn around…

“Hello…” I hear

“Hi...Oral” I respond, stammering on Oral’s name.

“What’s your name?”

“Lost” I respond

“Oh, I see you are quite lost too.” He laughs

“I guess.” I respond a little more joyfully.

Silence...BANG!!!!

Oral falls to the ground. I run…The grass turns into a shade of Brunswick green, the sky turns grey, and I cannot see the border. I just ran forward.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” I say panting… no response, I keep running. They are coming closer. For a split second I am shocked, A horse has blocked me. I take out the leaf and drop it. I say Goodbye cruel world. 

BANG!!!

I’m not dead? I’m flying? The leaf…It is magical…

As I fly I see the people chasing me, as they flee, the grass and the sky beckon me to the border, by enlightening the spark. As I near  the border,  I see many trees falling. Somehow, the leaf knows I want to land. On the land I stretched my legs and had a glance around me. I saw slightly chopped birch trees, then I heard something. A beige horse trotting towards us. So I did something risky. Into my pocket. Then, I pushed a tree. 

ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER

I am finally at the border, I must go back home. I saunter all the way back home, there, I plant the leaf outside. Hope, Life, Joy I hope this grows, for memories. 

1 month later.  

I just walked out of my house and then I realised a stem on the ground. The leaf…I never really paid attention to the fact that the leaf could grow. Well, I was pretty distracted with other things, not about the leaf, until today. I quickly found as much water as I could from a nearby pond and poured it over the leaf’s stem. The next few days I watched over the leaf. I watched it grow all the way until a tree grew. 

Wow…

Lands of lavish gold, pure green grass, trees everywhere, emanating. Like a vast island of joy. My home…

The next day, I went to the library, and saw that there was a book about what is beyond the border. I found out that Oral founded the border, and what is beyond the border. There were also rangers, beyond the border, they were trying to hunt down Oral, to claim the border.

A FEW YEARS LATER

My dad once said that he brought peace and beauty back, but I don’t know how he did it. At least I live in a harmonious place, my dad said he once did, but it became a horrible place to live in. I wonder how he survived. My head is filled with so many questions. 

THE NEXT DAY

I dawdled over to the heart of our city, where the tree of peace is. My dad said he planted it…I don’t believe him.

BANG!!! What? My dad runs to me, he picks me up, he tells me to always believe Hope, Life, Joy. He hides me at home. He runs back to the tree. I see people in cloaks, searching the tree, with horses digging up the tree. No… It was true. 

My dad is running to them. I have to be bold. I run outside too. My dad is there fighting for our city.

He sees me. “ What are you doing! GO!” 

BANG!!!

“Dad?...” I weep. I then stare at the people. I ran to them. They took out their guns. I jump on one of the horses, I ride it, following them. I followed them to…the border.  

“We will be back.” I heard from one of the cloaked men. 

BANG!!! I turned around, and I saw my dad. 

“Dad?”

“I never thought they would come, and now I realise they can talk.” My dad said.

“The leaf I planted is magical. That is how I survived. I hope you have a good life, and remember. Always believe in Hope, Life, Joy.” He then said.

“I will.” I responded.

For Oral, for the world, for us.

A DREAM

I see Oral, he is floating, he speaks, “You have done very well, I hope you and your dad will always believe in Hope, Life, Joy. Please.”