What is past paradise.

It was a remarkable, summery day.

My hair was blowing in the breeze and the sand was slipping from my toes, as I was walking along the beach. The trees and the exotic creatures were all around me I felt like this was home, but for the first time in my whole life I started feeling like I want to get out and venture, Mystery surrounded my thoughts, curiosity ate away at my heart and soul. I grabbed a mango from a tree that towered over my small hut house. I sat down and stare out into the distance, the colours in the water glistening showing my reflection, I wanted to know what was past the water, what was below the water. Every day the desire grew stronger it was like a tornado circulating inside of me, but this day was different. Today I told myself that I wanted to build a raft and satisfy my curiosity, I walked into the forest and picked up some sticks and started working on creating a boat; I looked up and admired the sunset; I wondered if I pass this island will I ever see this sunset again will I see beauty? Thoughts raced through my mind. I dragged my feet and pushed my boat towards the water, and jumped on, I was ready, looking back at the island brought me fear, but excitement, my boat then drifted out so far that the sight of the island disappeared, I look forward and I didn’t dare look back, hours in of floating I could see large towers in the distance beautiful colourful lights, was this my new beginning, I was soon to find out. Suddenly I felt like I was closer to my new beginning. I reached my hand out, trying to grasp the towers and the lights, but it was not within reach. The towers started getting bigger as I got closer and I see a beach; I move my boat towards the beach, but this beach is different, around me I don’t see birds, or animals, I see people, everywhere, and I can hear noises everywhere I turn. Was this what I left my solitude for?

I hopped off my boat, I had nothing on me except the clothes on my back, I looked around and suddenly my mind was spinning, I ran across the beach and walked past a man sitting down playing an instrument, I sat next to him and asked him what his version of paradise was, he responded by saying, “ Being alone on a tropical island, surrounded but nothing but sounds and beauty, the city is so overrated, the smells and the people take away from the scenic beauty, he then turns and starts to play his guitar. I got up and thought I just left a tropical island in pursuit of another paradise. I start to walk into the streets, I’m confronted by loud music, I look to see where the noise is coming from, and I see two men with something large over their shoulder, one man has a large box above his shoulder and the other is singing, so far this isn’t what I expected, but yet I was still intrigued, But I was so hungry, so I walked up to a stand the food smelt so good, I could taste it just through the smell, I grabbed the food placed on the stand, and before I knew it a man started screaming, “ Hey lady!. I started running and I just couldn’t stop, but when my feet did stop, I stopped in front of a tall building where the lights from the building were glistening from the bottom floor all the way to the top, I was amazed, right at the top of the building there was a point, as I spun around, I realised my pursuit for another paradise was paying off, the initial disappointment I felt after leaving my island, was dissipating. Tears streamed down my face and I walked into an alleyway, I saw a back door, pink lights were beaming and I saw people just dancing inside. I ran inside and closed my eyes while I danced, I didn’t feel alone anymore, this was new and this was surreal. I opened my eyes and people were clinging on to one another and the laughter was infectious, I started laughing, this feeling was what I was missing this whole time. A man walks up to me he also has no shoes and says my name is Joseph, he puts out his hand out, and shakes mine, we look into each other’s eyes, and I ask him why he’s here, he says I’m in the pursuit of happiness. I walk out on to the streets with him, and he tells me he can take me somewhere, I follow him as he walks and suddenly he opens a door and we start running upstairs, the stairs lead us to a rooftop, there is a small hole that we have to climb up, he jumps up and grabs my hand behind me, I jump up and I can not believe my eyes, I can see lights flickering everywhere and I look up at the sky the stars start to move closer together and there’s a moon, he takes out two pills and hands me one and takes one, I look at him and ask him what I’m supposed to do with it, and he smiles and says swallow it. So I swallow it and suddenly everything starts going faster and the moon and stars zoom in, it almost like I can touch the moon, we start laughing and fall asleep on the floor, everything seemed like a blur. I open my eyes and I find myself sitting on the street, I open up my hands and I have a pill in each hand, I look around but I’m alone, I turn around and I look up the tower it looks run down and there is no light there is no beauty, and I look down at myself I’m alone, in my pursuit of contentment and a fresh beginning I found a short-lived affair and pills that brought everything to life, was anything I experienced ever real.