Bloodmoon Eclipse

I had spent the last two days inside of a self-imposed prison �" held captive by four walls and one deliberately closed door inside of a small one-bedroom apartment. I was paralyzed and afraid; unable to emerge from my manmade cocoon for fear that once I slowly wriggled my way out, there would be no way to return to the safety and comfort of what I once knew as my only way of life. Fear that once I crossed that threshold into the light of day, my whole world would shatter to pieces when the door clicked shut behind me. My world is very fragile these days.

But it was time. There was an energy inside of me that I could not calm while remaining inside of those four walls and behind that deliberately closed door. So I gradually and purposefully emerged - with my 35 pound four-legged best friend pulling me along by his taut blue leash, his kind brown eyes pleading for me to go faster. He had been my patient accomplice inside of those walls. Contentedly curled up in a ball and quietly snoring at my feet, he was my source of comfort and warmth in a place where everything seemed cold and sterile.

As I walked deeper down the wooded path, lush with undergrowth and almost every surface covered in a vibrant shade of green, the world seemed to expand around me and I felt dwarfed by comparison. I was surrounded by the rolling hills that stretch in every direction as far as the eye can see; by the towering fir trees, hundreds of years wise, who grew as a sapling in a world so different than the one today. The awe-inspiring beauty and serenity of the forest brings a security that no manmade shelter can provide.

The echo of my lone footsteps and the gentle jingling of my dog’s weathered and outdated tags clinking against one another serve as the percussion section to an incomplete, but happy symphony. I round a curve in the path and the treetop canopy parts to give way to a sky full of sunshine with blue-grey mountains lining the horizon. And for the first time in days I feel like I can breathe. Fully, completely breathe. I square my shoulders and raise my head high as I fill my lungs with an abundance of fresh air that has not yet been circulated and recirculated throughout a prison of four walls. I take a moment to relish the feeling of renewal flowing through my body and experience a euphoria rarely encountered in an unaltered state.

Nature and I understand each other in a way that no human bond can replicate. It’s a relationship founded on love, respect, and appreciation that is tender and caring; expecting nothing and taking nothing. As a girl who grew up in a world of cold, hard edges and right angles, the softness of the tall grass billowing in the wind and thick, strong tree limbs heavily peppered with leaves that rustle overhead create a peace that I had previously been yearning for all my life.

I marvel in the beauty that others can only try to replicate in artwork or download as a screen saver on an outdated computer in a corner cubicle overlooking the parking lot. As the sun begins to set the tiny creatures begin their concerto. Crickets and small frogs perform their nightly songs; invisible to eyesight, but saturating the environment from every direction.

Further down, the path begins to narrow and reaching tree limbs begin converge and block out the remaining pink light illuminating the sky from the bloodmoon eclipse. As the sides of the path close in, I brace for an impending sense of claustrophobia, but instead a warmth began to creep through my body as if I was being embraced. And I felt safe, as if the trees were sheltering me from the outside world, beckoning to me to join theirs. And for a small space in time, I do.

Reviews

[Robert Parlange]

This has a great opening and it drives the reader forward. It kept my interest and I wanted to know “why.” Why was this person barricaded with his/her dog.

I wasn't quite sure what was going on at the end. What exactly is a “Bloodmoon Eclipse?” Maybe I'm just a little dense or something.

You might want to be aware of the “tense” of the sentences. It tended to wander between present and past tenses. Remember to keep the story “active.”

Good story. Keep writing.

[Pseudonymous]

My apologies, my first time back to writing in years upon years. The tense did tend to wander, I will clean that up a bit or be more mindful of it in the future. The end result was a highly edited version of an original stream of consciousness that spanned pages.

The bloodmoon eclipse title was a little more personal than an artistic decision. A huge change in my life was happening during a highly anticipated celestial event (the supermoon bloodmoon eclipse) and whenever anyone mentions that night or if another one is brought up in the future I will forever remember the overwhelming emotions taking over me that night.

I appreciate the feedback, or even just being able to share my work with someone else.

[Robert Parlange]

Like I said, I can be a little dense sometimes.