Post by Jems on Apr 29, 2005 18:16:24 GMT -5
Whispers of the Night
It was a surprisingly windy night. The shutters on the doors kept banging shut every five minutes but I still remained tangled in my sheets, too exhausted to get up and fasten the lock. Despite the howling bitterness of the drafts, the air was still musty and humid meaning that sweat stuck to my body like a fine sheet of silk. Between the slats in the shutters, the moon slithered its way into the room in shimmering streams of light, so I could see tiny dust particles floating around the atmosphere. Not so far away, I could hear the spit and crash of waves as they broke out onto the cool sand on the beach. I rather longed to walk out and climb upon the highest rock so to feel a shivering breeze touch the pores of my skin. I had resisted the temptation for many hours, resolving to tossing and turning until the silk sheets twisted and tangled themselves in a mess around my ankles. But now the humid room was too much to bear with and I slid out of bed, only pulling on some light pyjamas before heading out into the night air.
The beach was only a mere 100 metres from where I was staying. A wall did not even bother to separate the pavement from the sand and soon I was sinking into the cool grains, the wind mildly lapping at my hair as if trying to beckon me off into a different land. There were no lights. Only the moons soft guidance led me down to the waters edge so I could skim through the salt water. I headed towards the towering boulders that held a far stronger wind that would happily refresh me. Normally I would be scared at such a prospect; walking along a deserted beach on an island that was completely apart from the living world and reduced to waves splintering against sand and the ringing whistle of the wind. But I wasn’t. I was just intrigued. Being brave. Fulfilling my desires and wishes.
I reached the rocks within a short amount of time, and my bare feet lost the gentle caress of the granules but gained a rougher texture of stone as I clambered on top of the surface. The boulders were close together; it was not even necessary to jump from each one as you could merely step. They led a landscape of colours in a triangle and I walked to the highest point that stood furthest out at sea. It was tall and protruding, but not in a domineering manner, but in a way that welcomed you to conquer it’s difficulty in size and stand above the untamed ocean free from harm. The waves couldn’t touch me here, they barely reached a quarter of the way up the sides and only then did they feel like harmless little nudges, almost begging the stone to move aside and let the water drift past. The wind…the wind was wilder, more frantic as it hushed secrets against my bare skin, making my clothes ripple by the force. I felt free. Bonds were untied and released. All tension flung itself out of my system and was swept up by the wind and high into the sky to join the stars that glittered so magnificently.
I did not desire to remember or discover how long I remained up there. After a while I had laid down on the surface and stretched my bodies weary muscles before gaining a relaxed composure. I did not feel the need to shut my eyes; instead I observed the beauty that surrounded me so willingly and breathtakingly. It was pure. Not tampered with by human hands in order to make it into a more magnificent structure in their eyes. It appeared as it was. Held a natural air that could not be destined to differ in the near future or in the present. I felt at one with the land that I had been so preciously offered within my life. I was blending in with the surroundings. All thoughts and feelings seemed to disappear from the brain, no signals were sent out except to maintain breathing, and it was like being thrown into a parallel universe. I was left with a scene that was only observed by those who chose to discover it. By beings that possessed a wild spirit nestling in the depths of their souls and the winds restless howls called them back home when the sun decided to settle its weary rays for a few hours or so.
But there is always a time when things must come to an end. The glowing ball of orange heat started to peep over the horizon in warning of its arrival far too soon for anybody’s liking. Sea birds began to swoop and hover in the musky sky streaked with smoky patterns of purples, reds, yellows and oranges. So I retreated, carefully treading back through the footsteps I had already imprinted into the memory of the earth. I did not glance back at the scenic momentum that had appeared behind me. For now I was a walker of the night, used to the darkest hours in which a word must not be spoken and the on goings of life that were now beginning to stir ceased to remain calm for just a couple of seconds. The appearance before had vanished and failed to exist to our full knowledge as it left behind all the peace and land that begged for attention during its loneliest hours.
And when I let myself into the bedroom, I made sure that the shutters were closed to block out the sunlight that would soon slice through any cracks it could manage. It is not as gentle as the moons glow. Not as appealing. I wanted to block out the bustle of humans as they tended to their daily procedures and the faint music of birds as they fluttered about from tree to tree.
I closed my eyes, feeling a sense of calm wash over my senses now that the room was at a temperature more to my liking. The silk sheets did not seem to be attempting to strangle and tear my limps apart now, but merely rested like a liquid of fine purity upon my naked skin. As I drifted off into another unknown land I could still feel the whip of the wind on my face, and the familiar crash of the waves beckoning and drawing me to them.
And in my sleep I went. The wind immediately caressed my skin in a gentle greeting. The waves cheered with joy as the ocean began to stop its crying temper. And the moonlight bestowed a kiss upon my cheek that sent a shiver cascading down every nerve in my body.
I was home.
