“Safe Haven”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

I open my eyes slowly, letting light flood my vision.

This place is beautiful. Birds soar overhead, weaving between the clouds that dot the bright blue sky. A lush, green valley lies in front of me and beyond that, mountains that spread as far as the eye can see. Bright sunlight floods the entire landscape, making the dew on the grass sparkle.

I feel as if I’m in a dream. This beauty… this peace… this can’t exist in my world.

My world has violence. My world has pollution. My world has destruction, chaos, illness, death.

This can’t be real.

Yet, somehow, I know that it is. Somehow, I’ve been brought here, to witness the beauty of this valley. To experience the peace that it holds.

I take a tentative step forward, nervous that this entire world will collapse if I make even the slightest movement.

It doesn’t.

I take another step, then another. I wade through the tall strands of grass, letting it brush against me as I pass. It feels as though it’s hugging me, comforting me, telling me that everything will be alright.

When I finally stop walking, I find myself beneath a tree so tall that I can’t see the top. A soft breeze rustles its leaves. The branches wave, beckoning to me.

I climb, wanting to see more of this incredible world. When I reach the top, I push through the leaves to see the valley from up high.

I discover that this beauty is not confined to this small valley. No, it extends to the entire universe.

When my feet touch the ground again, I let out a sigh and lean back against the tree trunk. I sink to the ground, letting the warmth of the sun’s rays soak my entire body.

I know what this place is. I’ve yearned for it, dreamed of it for as long as I can remember.

My safe haven.

Final Comments: The main thing that I felt while writing this story was that feeling of amazement and wonder of discovering the beauty in our world that we never really think about. Even something like your own happy place is pretty cool, because we, as humans, actually have the ability to create our own ‘happy place’ in our minds. Imagination is just crazy, right?

Overall Rating: 😊