Beyond The Treeline

Written for a figment contest and can be seen here. It was a fun exercise in writing.

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The edge of my world is marked by a line of tree's. The council has taught us we must never go beyond that line, for to go beyond would mean certain death. To ensure we follow this rule they have placed an invisible barrier just inside the tree line. You cannot see it, but you can feel it, and when you get too close the air begins to feel alive. There is a buzzing like a hive of bee's, your skin tingles, and the hairs on your arms stand on end.

There is only one time in my life that I stood close to the tree line; it was in First School. The Instructors took us on a day trip to see it and explained that the only surviving humans in the world live here behind that barrier. They told us how many years ago, a sickness had washed through the entire population of the world and killed almost every living person. A group of survivors came here and closed themselves off from the world and the sickness outside. Those who made it inside the tree line before the barrier was placed did not become infected and the elders from that group became our first Council. The Instructors had each of us walk slowly towards the tree line so we could see what happens as we get too close. I stopped as soon as I walked near enough that the hairs on my arm began to lift, a couple others went closer. One boy – Colin – walked until he was almost close enough to reach out and touch the bark of the nearest tree. He turned and looked at me – his brilliant green eyes locked on mine – and as he stood there blood began to run from his nose and his whole body started to shiver, until his eyes rolled back into his head breaking his gaze as he fell to the ground. The instructors rushed him to the infirmary but he did not come back to First School. I do not know what happened to him, but I have never walked close to the tree's again.

Today is the first time I have come back to this place. I have been dreaming of something beyond the tree line. At first the dreams came drifting into my sleep, as gently as dandelion seeds being carried on a breeze. They were just the haziest memory of sound and color. But they grew until they became the rhythmic pumping of blood through my veins, until they were a frantic beating of wings in my chest and I knew I had to come back.

I stand several yards from the tree's and breath deeply, not knowing exactly what I have come here for or what I hope will come of it. I move closer, my eyes searching the forest beyond the barrier. And that's when I see him.

Colin.

I know it is him, he has the same eyes. He is looking at me now with the same intense gaze he had that day in First School. But he is outside, and this is not possible. Nobody can live outside, we are all that remain. And even if someone could survive out there, there is no way past the barrier.

But he is there just the same. Staring at me so intently it feels as though he can see into me, and then his lips move to form my name. It is just a whisper but I feel it to my bones.

Mira

Without thinking I step closer; my skin begins to tingle. I step closer again and raise my arm towards him; my body starts to shake. I open my mouth to speak his name; a drop of blood runs over my lip and hits my tongue. I feel my legs give way and I fall into blackness.

The last thing I see before the darkness overtakes me is the piercing green of his eyes.

Meadowlark

This is an excerpt of a story I wrote in 2010. This story met with a disastrous end when it was somehow completely deleted from my computer. All I have left is this small excerpt that was saved in a different location.

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I hear her voice before I see her. A slow mournful song, thick with loss and longing.

My fingers fumble with the trap I am setting as the song washes over me, pushing and tugging in turns, like waves crashing to shore. And then, silence. Deep, penetrating silence as though the entire world has stopped and is holding its breath. I realize that I have been holding my breath, and as I fill my lungs with new air the forest around me is once again filled with the sounds of life.

Slowly I stand and turn in a circle. I am trying to locate where the voice had come from when it starts again. Leaving my trap behind I walk towards the sound, moving quickly through the tree's and up the trail, her voice pulling me along on invisible threads until I am standing at the edge of a wash looking down.

She's kneeling in the mud and snow at the edge of the river below me, her hands grasped tightly to the hand of a girl laying beside her.

"Lark." I say to myself, her name caught in my throat. I've seen her at the market with her mother and sister. Her mother sells herbs and medicines while Lark and her sister sing for coins. I've only ever spoken to her one time in all the years I have seen her at the market, a mumbled apology for bumping into her. She'd just smiled her forgiveness and we both moved on. I always wished I had said more, I've imagined a thousand conversations... I just never had the courage.

My legs move, before I can even think and I am moving down off the trail into the wash, being careful not to slip on the wet rocks and searching for handholds in the exposed roots of a tree growing above me.

I hadn't thought she'd noticed as I came up behind her, but just as I approach she quiets her singing and turns to look at me over her shoulder. Her eyes are a storm. Grey and green, with flecks of gold, staring at me between strands of yellow hair.

She turns her gaze back to the hand she's holding. Her sister Wren, I realize. The girl is dead. Her leg twisted at an unnatural angle, her eyes staring into nothing. Blood spread out beneath her head, a steaming crimson pool carving little canyons into the snow.

"She tripped." Lark looks towards the trail above us. "She tripped and fell over the edge. I was singing for her... Wren loves when I sing, I thought if she could just hear me..." Her voice is broken; jagged shards of glass cutting free of her mouth.

I kneel beside her in the mud—this girl I barely know—and reach out to her, touching her shoulder. She is no longer singing, and once again I realize I am holding my breath. The water off the melting snow seeps into my clothes, but I stay still. Frozen. I glance between Lark's profile and the vacant eyes of her dead sister, not sure what to do, because nothing I can do would ever make this right .

She lets her sister's hand go and turns to press her face into my chest. Her tears come quickly then as she gasps for air and cries out. The sound barely above a whisper but louder than anything I have ever heard. Her whole body heaves and shakes with each sob. Her knuckles are clenched, white, grasping onto my jacket as though it is the only thing keeping her anchored here to this earth. I wish I could shield her from her pain but all I can do is whisper her name into her hair.

Let's Talk Blogfest Entry (5-17-2010)

This is an entry I am moving here from my old site.

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When I heard about the Let's Talk Blogfest I got really excited, and then I realized CRAP! Everything, my entire WIP was deleted, which means I have nothing to enter... which means I have to write it really fast right now. Which means, I apologize in advance for the not so greatness of this entry. Also, sorry to anyone who came earlier this morning when only part of my entry was posted.

I don't think the scene needs to be set up much, you have Gabe and Marah out for a late night swim. Enjoy! Or not... I know its pretty terrible, I should probably be embarrassed... but hey, this is what one of my first drafts looks like! :)



"Come on Gabe, That water is just waiting for us!" The moon was high and full, its reflection swaying on the surface of the waves that were gently lapping at the sand.

"I'm coming. Are you sure its okay for us to be out here?" Marah had reached the water and was kicking off her shoes and pulling her dress off. Under her dress she had a black and white swimsuit.

"Sure, I'm sure... Besides, it's not like anyone is out here anyways." She flashed me her brightest smile. "Come on, have a little fun for once."

"That crap doesn't work on me you know. I pride myself on my ability to resist the charms of the legendary Marah Greenwood." I said, grinning.

"I'm legendary am I?" She was knee deep in the water now, slowly walking backwards, motioning for me to follow.

"So, they say." I pulled off my shirt and tossed it along with my shoes into the sand next to her stuff.

"Oh really? And what exactly is it that they say?" She stopped walking when the water was waist high, waiting for me to get closer.

"It's a secret. I also pride myself on my secret keeping abilities." I stepped into the water, which was surprisingly warm. "No amount of torture will ever make me talk." I was only a few feet away now.

"But Gabe, didn't they tell you?" She took a step towards me.

"Tell me what?" She took another step, meeting my eyes. She was close enough now to touch.

She moved through the water until we were standing so close I am surprised she hadn't heard my heart speed up. With one hand she reached around my neck, pulling me even closer, then with her lips against my ear whispered, "Sometimes, torture can be fun." She smiled at me again, then turned and dove into the water swimming out towards the moon.



So, that's the entry. Be sure to check out all the other entries HERE.

A new writing place!

For the last year or so I have had my photography and writing all on one site that I had built using squarespace. But when I transferred my site over to wordpress this last week, I found it was incredibly difficult to transfer all of my posts to my new site, AND my photography site was not conducive to sharing my stories. So, I have created this space to hold my stories :) Hope to add some soon!