Ravaen
Then, He Jumped
Josh looked at the sky and as the dark heavy clouds slowly rowed over the sky like large heavy cargo ships, he looked down. He looked at his hands; his hands seemed to reflect the pale and grey darkness that the clouds cast over the sky. His pants, brown with no particular pattern seemed fitting for this particular occasion. He looked forward across the bushes. The trees and even the light fog that had begun to form. In the distance he saw a grey shape. Like a rhino, it had sharp horns.
The vibrant green of the bushes; the trees and the grass seemed overflown with darkness from the sky above. Josh started to walk. He did not choose to walk. He just refused to stop himself from slowly trudging through the thick green grass. He looked back at his feet. His rubber boots were tattered, torn and not as playful as he remembered them to be. These boots had not been used for a while, but they too seemed fitting for the occasion.
As he slowly walked forward, displeased with every tired step. The grey shape slowly became clearer. He started to make out a high tower, huge windows and massive walls. Like his boots, this building was also broken. The tower had collapsed where only a stump remained. The walls were worn and the windows loaned for the return of the glass. The building did not frighten Josh. It seemed welcoming. He entered the grand gate, curious and bewildered by the size of the building. Without consent his body dragged him on. There was rubble everywhere, lying in piles like discarded lego pieces. He started to climb the twisting piles of broken rocks. It seemed like hours till he reached the top. As he looked down over the bushes, trees and fog. He saw his previous milestones pass before him. When he learned how to walk, when he first went to school, everything flashed before him. Then he jumped.
He fell for what seemed like an eternity.
Right before he hit the ground he screamed and then, out of nowhere, he awoke to his bedroom. It seemed shifted as usual. Everything seemed slightly off. He slowly walked down stairs, through the corridors and across the cold marble floor. He reached the kitchen quietly and started to search through each white drawer. He searched until he gave up. His parents had hid it from him. The sweets that he was longing was gone. He sat quietly at his usual spot. Waiting for the rest of the house to awake. As he waited he thought about what had happened as he dreamed. This had happened to him before, but not in the same way. This time it seemed so much more realistic. Like it was all real. He realized that he had started to tremble and from then on Josh decided not to think any more of the matter. He was not going to tell anyone about this though, as it was just a dream. As the house finally awoke. Josh’s parents stormed down stairs and started talking to him. To Josh, all he heard was shrieks and screams, but deep down he knew they were telling him something. As he climbed into the front seat of his family's car he looked out at the trees. These trees were very different from his dream. These trees were alive. Moving ever so slightly from the wind. Josh knew he liked paying attention to small things; he liked details. He never lingered on big ideas. That is why he focused on the small movements of the trees and the small water droplets that had formed on the window.
When he arrived at his school he jumped out of the car as normal, looked around at the sandy ugly structures that created what he supposed was the school. Josh looked at his Mom’s face and tugged her skirt. He did not want to go to school and this was his final attempt at convincing her. He knew it would not work so he slowly walked into the building.
Suddenly he remembered the dream. The building in the dream seemed reminiscent of this atmosphere. It was like a smell that he knew, but did not know the source of. It twisted around him. Josh cupped his ears with his hands and hoped that everything would go away. He started feeling a tear forming, but he refused to let it go. He squinted to try to prevent the tear from falling. After he had calmed down he went into his classroom with the other children. Their expressions seemed dull.
After Josh had gone home, he thought about the dream again. He thought of how green the bushes in his dream had seemed more vibrant and green than the other greens. How the bushes just shone like torches in a cave. Later, when Josh had finished eating he played around a bit in his room and went to sleep.
He saw the chapel again. This time there was no fog, only the clear chapel up ahead. Yet again he got pulled towards it. Everything seemed so similar, but for some reason, Josh knew that it was different. It was similar to how his room felt. Everything seemed shifted, but just a tiny bit. He slowly climbed up the rubble and yet again, he jumped. The chapel flashed before him as he fell and his stomach felt empty. He felt extremely scared, like someone was watching him. Josh felt the cold eyes staring into his back. He tried turning around in the blaze of green and grey stripes flashing around him. Then it went completely black.
He awoke to the sound of the birds chirping. Another morning, like usual. He went down stairs and waited, once again for the house to awake. This morning, his parents did not scream and shriek. Well, not as loudly anyways. They seemed tired today, it was usual for his parents to be tired from time to time. Josh ate his breakfast like usual and ran out to the car. He kind of wanted to go to school today as Josh was planning something. He knew his parents and his teachers would disapprove of this, but Josh did not care. He also knew he had to be extra careful.
After school had finished, the plan started to set in motion. Instead of leaving from the main exit, Josh ran to the back exit and left the building. He sprinted from the school, towards the woods. He started feeling the rocks scratch his boots and the bushes tearing them up. They started to look like they came from the dream. He ran as fast as he could. In the distance he heard a faint shriek of his name. It called for him. He knew it was his parents. He ran into an open field. It looked fairly familiar. The thick smell of grass and the faint wind blowing. As he slowly turned his head he saw it. He saw its high towers in the distance. It's huge openings where windows once swayed their mighty size. Josh started feeling sick and sat down, grabbing his stomach like he was about to throw up. His curiosity overwhelmed him and he forced himself to run towards the chapel. He reached the top and as he looked over the hill he could see his parents and some teachers reaching the opening. Josh had decided what to do. He knew they would be disappointed but it was like he could not stop himself. He waited and then, yes then and there, he jumped.
Like everytime before, he woke up. But this time the noises he heard were clear, he could make out every word that they said. Things like he was going to be ok and that it would get better soon. Before he reemerged from his deep sleep, he saw his parents over him. For the first time in forever he saw their faces clearly and for the first time ever; he cried out of happiness.
The End
Josh looked at the sky and as the dark heavy clouds slowly rowed over the sky like large heavy cargo ships, he looked down. He looked at his hands; his hands seemed to reflect the pale and grey darkness that the clouds cast over the sky. His pants, brown with no particular pattern seemed fitting for this particular occasion. He looked forward across the bushes. The trees and even the light fog that had begun to form. In the distance he saw a grey shape. Like a rhino, it had sharp horns.
The vibrant green of the bushes; the trees and the grass seemed overflown with darkness from the sky above. Josh started to walk. He did not choose to walk. He just refused to stop himself from slowly trudging through the thick green grass. He looked back at his feet. His rubber boots were tattered, torn and not as playful as he remembered them to be. These boots had not been used for a while, but they too seemed fitting for the occasion.
As he slowly walked forward, displeased with every tired step. The grey shape slowly became clearer. He started to make out a high tower, huge windows and massive walls. Like his boots, this building was also broken. The tower had collapsed where only a stump remained. The walls were worn and the windows loaned for the return of the glass. The building did not frighten Josh. It seemed welcoming. He entered the grand gate, curious and bewildered by the size of the building. Without consent his body dragged him on. There was rubble everywhere, lying in piles like discarded lego pieces. He started to climb the twisting piles of broken rocks. It seemed like hours till he reached the top. As he looked down over the bushes, trees and fog. He saw his previous milestones pass before him. When he learned how to walk, when he first went to school, everything flashed before him. Then he jumped.
He fell for what seemed like an eternity.
Right before he hit the ground he screamed and then, out of nowhere, he awoke to his bedroom. It seemed shifted as usual. Everything seemed slightly off. He slowly walked down stairs, through the corridors and across the cold marble floor. He reached the kitchen quietly and started to search through each white drawer. He searched until he gave up. His parents had hid it from him. The sweets that he was longing was gone. He sat quietly at his usual spot. Waiting for the rest of the house to awake. As he waited he thought about what had happened as he dreamed. This had happened to him before, but not in the same way. This time it seemed so much more realistic. Like it was all real. He realized that he had started to tremble and from then on Josh decided not to think any more of the matter. He was not going to tell anyone about this though, as it was just a dream. As the house finally awoke. Josh’s parents stormed down stairs and started talking to him. To Josh, all he heard was shrieks and screams, but deep down he knew they were telling him something. As he climbed into the front seat of his family's car he looked out at the trees. These trees were very different from his dream. These trees were alive. Moving ever so slightly from the wind. Josh knew he liked paying attention to small things; he liked details. He never lingered on big ideas. That is why he focused on the small movements of the trees and the small water droplets that had formed on the window.
When he arrived at his school he jumped out of the car as normal, looked around at the sandy ugly structures that created what he supposed was the school. Josh looked at his Mom’s face and tugged her skirt. He did not want to go to school and this was his final attempt at convincing her. He knew it would not work so he slowly walked into the building.
Suddenly he remembered the dream. The building in the dream seemed reminiscent of this atmosphere. It was like a smell that he knew, but did not know the source of. It twisted around him. Josh cupped his ears with his hands and hoped that everything would go away. He started feeling a tear forming, but he refused to let it go. He squinted to try to prevent the tear from falling. After he had calmed down he went into his classroom with the other children. Their expressions seemed dull.
After Josh had gone home, he thought about the dream again. He thought of how green the bushes in his dream had seemed more vibrant and green than the other greens. How the bushes just shone like torches in a cave. Later, when Josh had finished eating he played around a bit in his room and went to sleep.
He saw the chapel again. This time there was no fog, only the clear chapel up ahead. Yet again he got pulled towards it. Everything seemed so similar, but for some reason, Josh knew that it was different. It was similar to how his room felt. Everything seemed shifted, but just a tiny bit. He slowly climbed up the rubble and yet again, he jumped. The chapel flashed before him as he fell and his stomach felt empty. He felt extremely scared, like someone was watching him. Josh felt the cold eyes staring into his back. He tried turning around in the blaze of green and grey stripes flashing around him. Then it went completely black.
He awoke to the sound of the birds chirping. Another morning, like usual. He went down stairs and waited, once again for the house to awake. This morning, his parents did not scream and shriek. Well, not as loudly anyways. They seemed tired today, it was usual for his parents to be tired from time to time. Josh ate his breakfast like usual and ran out to the car. He kind of wanted to go to school today as Josh was planning something. He knew his parents and his teachers would disapprove of this, but Josh did not care. He also knew he had to be extra careful.
After school had finished, the plan started to set in motion. Instead of leaving from the main exit, Josh ran to the back exit and left the building. He sprinted from the school, towards the woods. He started feeling the rocks scratch his boots and the bushes tearing them up. They started to look like they came from the dream. He ran as fast as he could. In the distance he heard a faint shriek of his name. It called for him. He knew it was his parents. He ran into an open field. It looked fairly familiar. The thick smell of grass and the faint wind blowing. As he slowly turned his head he saw it. He saw its high towers in the distance. It's huge openings where windows once swayed their mighty size. Josh started feeling sick and sat down, grabbing his stomach like he was about to throw up. His curiosity overwhelmed him and he forced himself to run towards the chapel. He reached the top and as he looked over the hill he could see his parents and some teachers reaching the opening. Josh had decided what to do. He knew they would be disappointed but it was like he could not stop himself. He waited and then, yes then and there, he jumped.
Like everytime before, he woke up. But this time the noises he heard were clear, he could make out every word that they said. Things like he was going to be ok and that it would get better soon. Before he reemerged from his deep sleep, he saw his parents over him. For the first time in forever he saw their faces clearly and for the first time ever; he cried out of happiness.
The End
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