Choice kingdom

The soft grass tickling my feet, the sweet smell of cherry blossoms. The light gently caresses my hair. It all seems so familiar, yet so foreign.

     ​To think that only two days ago, I was wrapped up safely in a blanket. Now, I am here. Looking out at the ocean that seemingly stretches to eternity. Yet, it had to be fate.

     ​I ponder briefly, what I would be doing right now had I not taken that wrong turn. Had I not opened that ever so peculiar door carved into the mountain? Stepping through was as though stepping into another world. One without judgment, without fear, and free of expectations. It was just simply there.

     ​As many questions as I have, I do not feel an urge to find an answer. It is as if they are just floating in my head, perfectly fine remaining where they are.

     ​I shut my eyes, thinking that this might just be a wonderful dream. I could be tending to my plants right now, I think.

     ​When I open my eyes, I am no longer on the beach. Instead, I am in a large garden, but it is not mine. The smell of cherry blossoms is gone, replaced with a faint sound of drums. I am standing what seems to be in the middle of it all. To my left is a large orchard, and to my right fields of crops grow. In front of me are small boxes full of smaller plants.

     ​All of which are teeming with majestic fruits I have never seen before. The colors of the rainbow are dancing across the plant leaves. A small voice in my head says “go one, try one”. I walk over to the orchard. There's a strange tree that’s just as tall as I am. It’s an odd shade of pink, with small barbs sticking out of it. I run my hand along its bark, and notice the rubbery texture.

     ​Its fruit is much too large for its small branches. Yet somehow, it manages to hold it. I pluck off its fruit with ease. It looks similar to an apple, but much larger, and pulpous. I use my hands to pull it apart, as it squirts me with a strange juice.

     ​Once I manage to separate the two halves, I see that it’s completely hollow. In the hollow pit, it’s filled with a strange sticky liquid resemblant to honey. I immediately take a sip, and feel a flood of joy wash over me. It has no taste, but it fills me with strange emotions.

     ​I spent many hours there, perhaps many days. Time seems completely irrelevant, and is therefore forgotten. All I know is that my thoughts are not an intrusion, as they often are. I close my eyes after I feel satisfied, and think of a rainforest.

     ​As I open my eyes, I see the world around me pixelate into a complete image of a rainforest. This time, I’m sitting with my legs crossed. I grip the ground with my hands; the soil feels soft and damp. Looking up, I see the cloudy sky above. I listen, as the thunder rolls throughout the land. Bright sparks of light shoot out of the clouds, and reach the ground below. I smile, thinking of the tranquillity of this all. Suddenly, a shiver runs down my spine.

     ​This time, my eyes remain open. I picture in my mind a place of warmth, and see the landscape before me deteriorate. It’s replaced with a blinding sun. I squint, so the rays don’t reach my eyes as much. I look down, and see the sand beneath my feet sliding away. I’m on a sand dune, I laugh, falling into the dune. Letting the sun warmed sand envelop me in a blanket of dune. I slide down to the bottom, filled with an uncontrollable joy. I roll in the sand, feeling like a child for the first time in a long time.

     ​

     ​As I shut my eyes to avoid the sandy blizzard I was stirring up, I hear the faint voice again. “It’s time,” it says. “Time for what?” I hear my voice utter, as I continue to enjoy the sand. “Time to return… to real life” I can feel the burn in my eyes, never wanting to leave this newfound wonder. “You can always return to Choice Kingdom, but you cannot stay forever. A life awaits you. People that love you. Always remember, your Choice Kingdom is with you wherever you go. Have no fear,” and just like that, it all vanished.

     ​Everything. The bright sun, the soft sand rubbing against my leg. The warmth that sent shivers down my spine. What happened to it all? I couldn’t see anything but the dark, but I could hear my sobs. My useless tears falling into the abyss of darkness around me. How could I return to the abysmal life that awaited me? I try to walk, but my legs can’t move. My arms don’t work, and my voice is silenced.

     ​Slowly, the light returned. The darkness fades, until there is none left. For a moment, I’m unsure of where I am, but I quickly realize I’m at the door. That ever so peculiar door that holds the magic of the universe. My tears are dried, for a reason I’m not sure of. It’s as if an imaginary force has fixed my emotions. In fact, I believe it’s a very real force.

Two years later

     ​You’re probably wondering where I am now, well let me tell you! After the Choice Kingdom, things changed. For some strange reason, my mind had been refreshed. It was as if all the negativity had been released, and I could only think positive thoughts. Of course, this didn’t last forever. Soon I found myself returning to my old ways of thinking. The positivity slowly faded into pure negativity. That’s when I remembered, Choice Kingdom. Even the thought itself sparked happiness. Therefore, I hiked back up the mountain to that ever so peculiar door. The subtle voice in my mind was awoken, “Enter”.