Lost

 I thought I would share a piece of writing I created a couple of years ago for a competition. I did not get very far with it, but as I was going through my work this evening, I found it and thought that putting some work out there might give an insight to some of the non- children related writing I have done.

So here is Lost, written to be read like a sleep meditation type story.

Lost

 She was lost.

Tired and worn, she stopped walking. Her feet ached from the day’s activities and were gently pulsating after each step she had taken.

She stood and surveyed her surroundings.

The field around her was brimming with lavender, the heavy scent sailing across the warm early summer breeze and surrounding her with calm.

A gentle hum  from the frenzied bees busying themselves from flower to flower caught her attention. Strange, she pondered, how they are not distracted by the slowly descending sun, signalling the end of a busy working day.

How she envied those bees, still able to carry out their daily work until the setting of the sun, whereas her weariness had already taken hold of her and left her unable to contemplate another task. She knew that she should at least try and make her way onwards to find her way home, but the thoughts of such a journey filled her with dread. She brushed the thoughts aside and smoothed the sides of her skirt, as if the gentle strokes downwards would send them downwards to the ground.

It didn’t matter that she was lost and alone.

The contemplation of being alone did not bother her as it would usually, She was free to soak in her surroundings solo and allow everything to melt into one around her. There was no need for stress here, no home for it amongst the aromatic foliage that surrounded her.

The sky was turning from blue to hues of purple and orange. She knew sunset was upon her and she decided to sit and allow it to unfurl her. Finding a clear patch of ground amongst the lavender, she took a deep breath and leant back on her arms, supporting the heavy weight of her body, but also her mind.

The birds were circling in a mesmerising murmuration above her. Never before had she seen such a wonder and the sound of them flustering and swirling around her left her in total awe. How wonderfully in tune nature was with her mind, swirling thoughts and endless tasks spinning around her busy brain like these wonderful birds. Yet she knew she needed to let these thoughts fly and begin to leave her behind.  Not an easy feat at the best of times!

She closed her eyes and just let herself be.

For once, this moment was all about her. There was nobody else she needed to consider and she was not at anyone’s beck and call. For a moment, she thought she had heard someone call her name, but it was only the gentle brushing of the lavender against one another in the breeze.

She lay back with her head softly brushing the ground. Her hair naturally bunching up underneath her to create a pillow. She should be uncomfortable, laying there on the ground, but she was not.

How perfect was this moment? She couldn’t picture any other time she had felt so much at peace, despite her predicament. Who would have ever thought that being lost could have become the least stressful event of her day? Laying her hands at her side, she felt connected to the earth, as if she could feel it’s heart beating beneath her……or was it her own heart she could feel slowing and beating in time with her breath?

She dared to open her eyes. Just a little.

The sky had turned from purple to black and the first glimpse of the evening stars were beginning to blanket the sky. Night time was creeping it’s way towards her. She should have been concerned, cold even with the fading of the sunlight, but again this fleeting thought was brushed aside. She was where she needed to be in this moment.

As the moonlight brushed her once flushed and reddened cheeks, she succumbed to her tiredness. She allowed herself to let her stresses slip away with the sunset. She took 3 deep breaths of the twilight air and gently drifted away into slumber.

 

Tomorrow was another day. For now she was lost in peaceful sleep.

Copyright C L Maskell 2024