Down That Path. / Ann.

Original oneshot.

You walk down the road. It is untouched, barely walked upon. The colour of the ground is so clear it seems more white than brown. You can see every single thing upon the ground, from the deep footprints of men to the lonely snail headed down that path.

The road stretches on and on ahead of you. The grass, short and slim, fills your view, cut off only by the brown line that is the road. You can see its every twist and turn, every change in the direction of it. You can tell it is long, longer than you had ever imagined. Even though it is, you feel peace filling your mind. Deep down, you know you made the right choice.

The wind is chilly. You cannot tell just how cold it is, but you know it is not too cold. You feel the sunlight on your skin, on the light skin of your arms and neck. It feels good to feel them both, and you cherish the moment, smiling to yourself at the feeling of pure happiness washing through your veins. It feels as if it is the first time you have ever felt so purely happy, feeling no other feeling that might taint the happiness.

Life is simple that way. You know where to find anything you are looking for. You know where you can lie down and where you can wash, eat or drink. You are not concerned, though, and you have not been since the very moment you stepped upon this road. You feel no hunger, no thirst, no need to clean yourself. When you first started walking, you wondered whether you might feel those, but being this far down the road, you already know you will not.

When you look at the ground, you often wonder who had passed there before you did. You wonder who they were, what they did and how they felt. You accept the road, accept yourself in the peace inside your mind, but you know that not many men do. You wonder whether they liked it or not; whether they were happy or upset; whether they felt safe or not, and the more you think about them, the more you want to meet them or at least imagine them.

Sometimes you do. In the dark of night, in the dawn on a new day, in the bright, colourful sunset, you often find yourself thinking about these men and women who had previously been where you are. You try to imagine them, imagine the dark haired English man; the sweet-looking Italian woman; the American teenager who pre-matured; the Indian man that at last became a grandfather. You can see them all inside your mind, walking together, even though they each passed this place alone. You can see the differences between them as well as the similarities, and you wonder what they would have to say if they knew you would be there.

At other times, you think. You think about the past and present and future. You think of your decisions and your feeling, about the people and places that changed your very being.

You remember your childhood. You remember running with the other children. You can see your best friend, running there with you. You can see your worst enemy. You can see the teachers and the other children; all gathered inside one room that once seemed so big but now seems nothing but small. You see the people who effected your childhood, who changed the way you were thinking and feeling. You see them and you smile at the sight, because you love each and every one of them for turning you into what you are today.

You remember being a teenager. You remember fighting and flirting and kissing. You remember feeling sad and angry as well as you remember feeling smart and in love. You can see your friends, your favourite pizza place and your first mate. You see the final moment of your adolescence and smile at the thought of how much you have changed and how much you have been through. It seemed so tough and horrible back then, but now you know it is nothing but a fraction of the challenges you are to face.

You remember adulthood. You remember your first class; your first apartment; your first job. You remember the first one you have ever slept with and the one you knew was the only one for you. You remember your wedding and the birth of your first child. You remember changes, affecting your soul and changing all you knew about life and yourself. You remember being different than you are today or ever was.

You smile at these sights, knowing you are indeed pleased with the way your life turned out. When you started walking that road, you had no idea what will become of you. But as you are nearing its end – you cannot see it, but you know it is there – you realize you are pleased with what you are. You realize that everything you have been through made you stronger than you ever thought you could be. You are happy.

You smile at the feeling of the wind caressing your cheek and close your eyes. The sunrays gently touch you and make you laugh out loud. You are happy. As you walked down that road, the road which seemed so long but in truth was short, you have seen and learned more than you would ever have imagined. You remember it all now, as you look back with a smile and only a bit of sadness.

It was not all pretty. There were bad moments as well, moments and days when you thought you could not continue your life. Moments in which you were certain you are to die sooner than you hoped for; moments that you thought were the worst, but every time you beat them to find a worse moment. When you look back you know none was really as bad as you thought.

As you reach the end of the road you smile. You smile because you know despite the bad moments, you feel happy about your life. You wish you would understand it sooner, but you are pleased that at least now you feel that. Better to feel it late, you tell yourself, over not feeling it at all.

You lie down in the last time. You lie down in the grass, smiling at the last sunset you will ever see. The wind is chilly but you don't mind, for you are happy, and nothing, not even the cold, can take that away.

You close your eyes with a smile and a final breath.