An Autumn's Night Dream

  As I,the youth, walked through the somber and quiet forest in the dead of night, I was reminded of my being there and the fact that I seemed so out of place in this natural scene. For I was seventeen years of age with a suit on that would make the richest prince envious, and as I walked through this forest I was reminded of how I did in fact look as if raised by the king himself. The forest path then opened into a clearing, one that allowed the silver moon to peak through the trees and shine bright with a blinding intensity, and I was reminded of my distance from where I had begun, so long ago was it that I could not remember my starting point, as if it were lost among the trail.

In that clearing there was a small structure placed in the dead center . It was a quaint little structure with light illuminating from it. As I stared at the building I saw that it was filled with people dancing and moving to music. Laughter could be heard and the mood was so light it was as if you could feel it in the air. The ladies were dressed in elegant dresses while the gentleman each had on a suit of a slightly different color and a slightly different make to complement his dancing partner. The band was dressed all as one, each in a white outfit sitting near the edge of the structure, they were playing Mantovani's Tulips from Amsterdam.

As I walked towards the structure my body began to pick up with the rhythm of the music. I walked with a stride in my step and a smile on my face. I was overcome with the happiness one hears about from all but is experienced by none. When I finally approached the Place, I was embraced with open arms. Strangers were beckoning me in as if I were a lost friend and I had been found. They were all joyfully dancing with the music. I began to talk to the people; they were all well learned, talking about everything from Antiquities to music to the workings of the inner soul. All were paired off with a dance partner and each had the graceful dancing skills of some one who had been taught the technique of dancing from a very young age and had perfected it. The structure gave the tranquility of a garden and the comfortable feeling as if you were in your own home. At this party there were no troubles. No worries, it was a sanctuary for all who needed it. There were many people at the party of many different ages all getting along and all simply enjoying each others company.

The night went on, and after two hours time I stopped dancing to catch my breath and to observe my surroundings. As I looked about the room, a girl no older then me caught my eye. She turned her head and looked at me. The word beauty gave her no merit. There was no way to describe her using English, French, or Latin. She had eyes as blue as ice that pierced my soul and could see into my inner being. Her hair was long and light blonde and her face was full of life and loveliness. She was wearing a simple green dress that just barely covered her knees and she had the body of a Greek goddess. She and I stared at each other for what seemed like days. The outside world just melted away and all that was left was the two of us. I found my hand trembling and I was unable to move. She saw my hand tremble, then she blushed and giggled. Her face seemed to be one of thought. She was beautiful and I was dumbfounded.

After that eternity of staring, I finally regained control of my limbs and walked toward her. She immediately turned and ran out into the cool night air. I chased her but she was quick and soon I lost her. Through the woods, and behind every tree I looked . . . she could not be found, but I would no sooner give up then I would die. After twenty minutes of searching I came upon another clearing in the woods but in this one there stood a beautiful lake in which the moon was directly over the water casting it's reflection on the pool.

This clearing was different then the other one. It was humbling. it allowed you to look into the perfection of the world in which the Lord wanted us to live in. The trees surrounding us had every color of autumn infused within them. Only the beginnings of there leaves had begun to paint the ground with shades of red, orange, brown and yellow. The warm breeze sent waves through the grass and stirred the leaves so that a calmness could be felt through the whole forest. There was silence. The only noise was the rustling of leaves, yet, for some odd reason, it was not a dead silence. Quite the opposite the silence was alive as if some force was there amongst me making my spirits soar high. This truly was the epitome of the nighttime in the woods, for never before had I felt such bliss that would come close to the feeling that I felt this night.

I walked forward towards the lake, and there she was, sitting on a bench with a flower in her hand. I walked up next to her and sat. No words were spoken for what must have been half of an hour. Finally the silence was broken, and she moved up close to me and laid her head on my shoulder. With with that she let out a sigh, one that let me know she was perfectly content, and that she never wanted to move again. As I looked down at her and I was reminded that I really would make a prince envious.