Writing Assignment 3

He had traveled far, but he finally reached his new home. A leaf fell as he entered the forest. It at first fell straight, but the wind lightly blew; allowing it to dance through the air before it settled into the eroding dirt. As he headed further on, the sun began to rise with the mid-afternoon. Light trickled through the leaves, emitting warmth in short bursts. There was such stillness in the air that was missing from town life. The more of it, the better. All was fine until halfway through. He heard some twigs snap and jerked his horse around, looking for the source. He leapt down and grabbed his sword, prepared for any creature that would come. But nothing did. The forest returned to its natural stillness but he soon thought there were still knifes poking through the air of silence.


He soon reached a clearing and stepped off his horse. Standing tall and firm, he breathed a sigh of relief while the rings under his eyes were blots among the daylight. A rock formation led to the steeping structure that was the waterfall. It’s rushes, splashes, and crashes were a welcome change from the dead silence of his journey. Just beyond it, piercing the top of the sky was his final destination, the mountains. Now all that was left was himself and nature. He gathered all his things together and sent his horse off. It galloped steadily back into the encasement of the forest. He wondered if it would find a new palace or would (return) come back home since they had him for so long. He began to climb the rocks along the waterfall, a nice change from stiff riding. He soon reached the top of the waterfall, a new king of nature’s land He ran his hand through the running water and took a drink. It was like a dream, a unreal sense of being. All the energy came right back to him, a pleasant welcome of spirit. He knew he must get as close to the mountains as he could before nightfall. Foreign colors were slowly creeping into the pureness of the sky as he set off toward the mountains. The breeze whipped his hair, the air filled his lungs, and his legs carried him forward. Getting closer to the mountains, he noticed a peculiarity. Most of the land in this region was grass filled and lively. But as he looked toward the mountain, snow soon covered the land. But there was plenty more before the mountains. Before the real test. He wondered if he might see himself again, as he did in the plateau eons ago in his mind. He had covered good distance for a man of his state but he soon stopped himself for he felt he had traveled far enough for one day. His resting spot was patch of grass near a hillside heading toward the mountains. From it, he could see distant tress that look like bundled dark specters. The innocent blue of the sky was gone and it was night. The stars began to fade into view as the land returned into a state of slumber. He had set out all he needed for tonight; a blanket, meat and bread, water, and as always his sword by his side. He heard a few animals but nothing to get worried about. His mind began to drift, as it always had done in this journey. He thought about the forest, how he had overreacted to something minor like the twig snapping. What was it that drove him? He honestly knew it had to be nothing, but somehow his fragile mind saw something else. Beyond the trees was something. The very something he had traveled many miles to get away from. But what was it exactly? Maybe tonight’s the night, but deep in his soul he knew it would catch him eventually. He finally rested his head among the grass and began to sleep.


His mind soon entered a state of such drifting, it felt as if his psyche was floating beyond his being, into the world of thoughts and dreams. It jumped among many things until it decided and he slipped away. His dream wasn’t a cloud but like smoke from a opium pipe, hanging in the air like perfume and surrounding like fog, drifting him in. He thought about home. A simple one, he had a garden (he wasn’t very good yet) and plenty of land to thrive off. He saw his wife, his beautiful wife. She was short, a bit thin like him but she was lovely. She had bundled blonde hair that he wished she would let down, and piercing blue eyes. Every time he looked at her, he saw all the wonders of life and happiness itself in her eyes. And their daughter, his little bundle of joy. They could give him all the gold in the world but he wouldn’t take it over his time with his daughter. She was how old now, 5? 6? She looked just like her mother and she was just bursting with energy, running everywhere, him chasing her, them laughing on the ground. It was perfect.

But all this soon faded, the smoke now turning darker and a redness through somehow. There was a scream, a cry for help. It was first a echo but then he could hear it clearly, cutting into his ears. He ran forward into the darkness until he saw someone. It was himself, it all came back to him. He was a knight, among the most respected and celebrated in the land. He would vanquish any evil that threatened his kingdom but he denied the resulting celebrations to return home. He had now gotten himself lost somehow. He thought he knew every tree and rock in this land, but he was still unsure. He continued riding forward, desperately wanting to be away from here. The vegetation was growing in masses near him, looking like an abyss he did not wish to pear into. He soon stumbled upon a cave built into a massive rock. Light shone from within, so he cautiously dismounted and walked into the cave. A women stood in the middle of a elegant natural room. The roots and rocks combined with the sophistication of her belongings. She was combing her long brown hair by the fireside. He spoke up and she turned around in surprise. He was instantly taken away with her. She had a exoticness in her look, a bit tan, but she seemed so foreign and wonderful. She excused herself and introduced herself as Liv. She invited him over by the fire and they soon began to talk. They talked so spontaneously, he felt he had already met her. In the middle of their conversation, a thought rushed to his mind. He had heard about a woman who seduced knights into her home and they never returned. But could she be that woman? He said to her he noticed all the strange objects around her home and what she did. She said she was a sorceress but nothing further. He worried. Is she hiding something? His mind was at a end of who she really was but her looks calmed him. She was so hypnotizing, he soon began to feel something. His hands began to shakes as he grabbed her and kissed her. His hands soon felt around and pulled down her dress. She was pushing now, asking what he was doing, trying to force him off. But he didn’t. Something in him wanted her and nothing could stop him from this. What happened next was like releasing a animal from a cage. He soon entered a state of ecstasy, she was crying and screaming, but he had to get it. Finally his mind came back to focus. There he was putting his armor back on as she lay naked by the fireplace, crawled up and whimpering. He walked out silently, never looking back. On the way back, thoughts rushed into his head again. What was he now? That he could use his good standing to feed his dark sinful desires? Was he walking a thin line between a animal and a decent man? Who was he?

He jolted up, sweat all over his face. He felt it, he could feel his rough beard, and some tears building up in his eyes. He looked at the sky with sorrow in his face, his eyes looking for reason. He soon fell back asleep, his demons and angels now gone from his mind.

He finally awoke. He tilted his head toward the distance and was struck with the sight. It was now dawn and the sun was slowly rising, among the palette of colors that remained from the night. It was the most amazing sight his mortal eyes had seen; this brightness coming through the dank and dark, a unstoppable vessel. A idea soon crossed his mind, a whispered phrase as a drop of water. Always returning. This idea of always returning was a revelation to him. Such a simple idea but it was everything he needed right now. It had such a cleansing sense to it, he felt like he had truly returned; a man again after eons as a animal. He sat and thought more. He wondered if he would continue on until he reached the next town and begin a new life there. Or start toward the mountains. But he also thought there was still the chance of heading back, seeing his family again, making everything right. He realized that he could not change what he had done, and that was fine by him as long as his mind was free of all pain and darkness. The sun soon became the ruler of the sky again and he had a sense that everything would be fine.