Mini Tales: Shadows

I sat below a dying tree..

I felt it’s broken branches. I snapped several in my hands. I felt the brittle fibers fall through my fingers. I looked up through the leaves and saw the sun glimmer. The clouds slowly but surly passed by. I laid down beside this dying tree, and I heard the leaves crunch below the weight of my body.

I hid myself beneath the shadow of my tree. Strange how comfortable the shadows felt around me. It reminded me of being greeted by an old friend. It was safe.

I laid there and time passed. The air grew cold. My eyes closed. I became buried in the dark. Seasons rolled by and suddenly a warm spring wind brushed my skin. I opened my eyes. I looked up at my tree; I thought it was dead. But there above me were new branches and small leaves forming. Life was shooting out of this old broken tree.

I placed my hand on the trunk and felt the warmth in my body. Maybe it wasn’t the shadows that comforted me. Maybe it was the growing warmth of this old tree. I sat up and felt my muscles move. I had been dormant for so long, I forgot the sensation of movement. I began to walk, allowing my toes to be kissed by the soft grass. I was asleep no longer, my soul had been awoken.