Nature's Gift

I stepped on the porch and the full weight of the day fell on me. It was one of those fresh, striking mornings, where the rising sun lights up the whole world, and the birds seemed to be racing from branch to branch. The wind felt as a gentle hand rushing across the land, rustling the leaves in a sort of symphony. I stretched and noticed I was smiling widely.

At long last I had a day completely for myself, away from family and friends. I intended to make the most of it. I've been looking forward to this day for weeks now, and luckily nature obliged, gifting me most magnificent weather.

Our house was sitting next to a corn field, connected to the road by a humble dirt trail crossing the property. The house itself was ''antique'' as Father called it. I thought ''old'' would be a better description, but I kept that to myself. Scattered around our lawn were decrepit things, that lost their initial purpose through time. One could almost guess what these objects once were, perhaps over there a collapsed chicken coop? Elsewhere the shadow of a rusty tractor overgrown by weed. And other such forgotten things sure to fascinate a child's budding mind.

When I was younger I used to play around, exploring these enigmatic ruins of the past, spending hours inspecting and daydreaming about their purpose. The chicken coop surely was once the home of ingenious dwarven farmers, and the tractor their mechanical god. I would make of myself cartographer, and keep track of these fabulations in my sketchbook... How simple life was back then, playing for the sake of playing. My imagination as real as the sky.

Today I strangely felt the same as I did all those years ago. I wanted to play outside, by myself, and explore, forgetting all the worries of my life, if only for a day. And so I jumped off the flight of stairs as I did when I was younger. I landed both feet on the dirt trail, the sound the same as it used to be. At that moment I felt it, that playfulness, that innate curiosity of my childhood.

I had planned to go for a walk in town, following the dirt trail to the road and then maybe spend some time at the park, crossing the bridge like I usually did. But today that thought seemed most boring, most ennuyeux. Both hands on my hips I stood there, in the middle of the trail, wondering what to do. I yearned for the unknown, the extraordinary. Away from roads and signs and people. What to do?

I turned around, both hands in my pockets, my mind racing. At that moment I froze. Perched there on a rock, a few meters away from me, stood a massive eagle; its eyes piercing me with its wings spread out in the sunlight. I had never seen an eagle up close, and that animal was a true beast. At least compared to the birds I usually see. It was standing between myself and the house. I felt the urge to go back home and forget all about this nonsense, yet the eagle didn't seem willing to let me pass. I pictured it as the guardian of a temple, and myself a foolish intruder. The eagle seemed as amused to see me, as I was surprised of it.

I was about to turn around once more when the eagle screeched and flapped its wings, taking flight. The bird of prey gained altitude until it was but a speck in the sky. I stood there watching, as the eagle flew in circles high above me, before taking a sharp turn, hovering slowly, almost inviting me. It screeched once more and my legs began moving on their own. I had the sudden urge to follow it, and so I did. After all I didn't have anything better to do. Besides, the eagle was flying toward the mountain to the east, that was a few miles away from home, beyond the corn field. I didn't know the mountain's name, or if there were any trails there for hiking, but it didn't matter. I happily followed my new friend, my mind as blank as the sky above me.

The corn field went on for a while. I could see the edge of a forest on the horizon, under the mountain. Getting around was easy since the corn didn't have the time to grow much yet. And it wasn't too hot, despite the sun, for the wind was sure to refresh me every so often. I loved the sound of the ground under my footsteps, and my breathing. That was all I could hear, along with the wind blowing and the occasional screeching of the eagle, reminding me of our new friendship. Seconds became minutes and I made it to the edge of the field, bordering the wall of trees.

The forest was dense, almost impenetrable. Between the field and the forest was a pretty deep channel, making it quite hard to cross to the other side safely. I didn't want to get wet, and the bottom seemed to be filled with water. I heard frogs croaking. Perhaps I could make a run for it, and jump all the way to the other side. I pictured myself falling down there in the muddy water, joining my new friends the frogs, as the eagle would watch from above, laughing.

I took seven steps back and saw myself run like a mad man, leaping as if my life depended on it. In the air I looked down and saw hundreds of frogs looking up to me in incredulity. I landed on the other side, a bit too close to the edge to my liking. I laughed and laughed, the little frog's eyes being a bit too silly for me. Now the forest was much chillier than the field, blocking the sun. Fortunately I could still hear the eagle high above everything, his screeching covering my short breathing.

What surprised me most about the forest was the unevenness of the ground, making it quite difficult to traverse. I thought a few times about turning back, about how silly this all was. I continued. Perhaps I wished to see where exactly this eagle was taking me. Some trees were much bigger and taller than others, and there were bushes and fallen branches everywhere. There were birds as well, in much higher number and variety than in town. Every step I took was accompanied by a new melody. And often I could spot one of the musicians, a blue bird on a branch over there and a red one over here. Yet every time the eagle screeched from high up there the forest fell into complete silence, only to begin again a few seconds later. Or was it minutes? I seemed to have lost the sense of time, and simply embraced nature for what it was.

The woods grew thinner and after a few fallen trees I came upon a clearing. I stepped into the sunlight and giggled in its warmth. By now the sun had risen quite a bit, and it was much hotter. Still quite agreable, especially here, between the mountain and the forest. The grass was lush and unkept, waving in the wind. Bumblebees and crickets and a few dragonflies greeted me, the unlikely traveler, before going back to their business. I was looking for the eagle yet I couldn't find him, or hear him. Did I lose him, or perhaps it lost me? What I was hearing, though, was the very soft flowing of water, and that reminded me of just how thirsty I was.

I ran along down the clearing and sure enough there was a river downhill, not really wide but big enough to be called so. Its waters were shining in the sun, tickling my eyes from a distance. Near the water was the eagle at last, its wings once more spread out, maybe so that I could spot him more easily. I was laughing as I approached, and the eagle didn't seem to pay me any mind. The shores were full of pebbles, and the water was as deep as my ankles. So fresh. I formed a cup with both my hands and drank my fill. It was the best water I ever drank, and probably ever will. I gasped and looked around. Besides the eagle I was completely alone. Not a soul in perhaps miles around. I laid there on the shores, my feet in the river's flow, and looked up at the sky. What a perfect day this has been so far.

I wondered, would it be too much to ask, for each day to be as simple and carefree as this one? No more work, chores, boring social events and family masquerades, simply me, alone and free, exploring as I used to do when younger, and foolishly believed I could do so forever, until inevitably time passed and reality kicked in, breaking down the door, making itself at home, as I watched powerless, my shattered dream scattered around me, replaced with a big orange sign marred in capital letters : DUTY. And the bliss of my daydreaming was thrown out the window, as a pesky bug one can't bring himself to squish. The machinations of society swallowed me, this clueless child, and made me like all others, mere replaceable pieces of a wicked whole and- and-

To my surprise my toes were being tickled in the river's stream, interrupting my downward spiral of negative thoughts. I got up, somewhat dizzy from laying down for who knows how long. I looked carefully on the river bed and surely enough tiny minuscule fishes were munching at my toes. What adorable creatures. What catched my eyes was a sort of flickering glare, underneath the many fishes. I plunged my hand, chasing away my little friends and grabbed the glowing object, that was incredibly heavy for its size. It was slightly bigger than my closed fist, and as it broke the water's surface I fell back down on the ground, holding what I realized was a massive gold nugget! I couldn't believe it. I kept looking at it, and the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I was inspecting it from all sides, hypnotized by the sunlight's reflections. From one angle I could almost distinguish the abstract shape of a skull. A solid gold, incredibly valuable skull. Although it seemed to be nothing more than mere fabulations of my mind, and the gold nugget was simply a mundane shape, I couldn't help but marvel at its beauty.

Sitting there I wondered, just how much was its worth? Just how valuable was this lump of gold I held in my hand? My mind was racing. I figured, that much gold would probably be worth at least a few tens of thousands of dollars, no less. That was lifechanging! I saw myself, hunched over, inspecting my treasure, as the eagle was indifferently gazing at me, unimpressed with my newfound obsession. I was holding the gold nugget between my two hands, turning it over and over, my thoughts, spiraling, as though possessed by the sheer exaltation of possibilities my treasure unlocked.

I dreamt of selling it to the highest bidder, and using the money to buy land and build my own cozy home, by myself. Leaving in the dust my family and friends, that would only grow jealous of my luck. At that moment the eagle screeched in what I interpreted as panic. I heard the ominous flapping of wings in the air. I looked up and surely there hovering above the river, a raven, its terrible black wings even larger than the eagle's. It's eyes were black holes, and as the raven landed at last on the ground, clouds rolled in, blocking the sun. In a few seconds I was now shivering in the cold, paralysed by fear, under the greedy eye of the black bird.

My friend the eagle leaped several times and placed itself between me and the raven. My protector! But I noticed the raven didn't pay any mind to the eagle, or even to me. It's eyes were locked on the gold nugget, and I could feel a hint of madness in the bird's gaze, an obsession, much akin to the one I had a few moments ago. I got up, holding the gold nugget in both hands, ready to make a run for it, when I heard a voice calling me from the other side of the river.

Shocked, I turned around, how could anyone be here? And know my name? It was my mother, arms open, calling for me in a loving manner. I stood there in complete disbelief. She was inching toward me, expecting me to start running in her arms, across the river, to safety. As I didn't, she ordered me, as my mother, to come back to her at once. To come back home, and hand over the gold nugget, for safekeeping. ''We'll keep it for emergency'' she wailed, her hands shaking. I figured as such, she wanted to have it for herself. What a greedy old woman.

I turned away and ran, but as I did I came face to face with my Father of all people. I froze in place, as his tall and frail figure was towering over me. He was standing there in the tall grass, cleaning his dirty hands with his handkerchief, the shadow of a rictus on his face. He held out his left hand, not saying a single word, expecting me to simply hand the gold nugget over, no questions asked. Behind me I could hear the distressing sounds of a deathmatch between the eagle and the raven. I couldn't turn around to help, for I feared Father would lunge and grab the gold nugget from me. I kept my eyes on him, and I carefully walked around him, aiming for the forest I came from. Father crossed his arms and fell on the ground, on his knees. His sobbing broke my heart. He was crying, and pleading to the sky, about how he doesn't deserve such a child as me, and Mother joined him in his plea. I stood there looking at them, guilt rising in me akin to a dam breaking, its waters swallowing everything. I was about to give Father the gold nugget at last, and apologize, when I saw his eye quickly turn toward me. He leaped, hoping to grab the treasure from me. He slipped on the grass and came face to the ground, moaning there, as I ran away once more, disillusioned. What a greedy old man.

I was growing tired of all this fighting and running. I just wanted to make it to the forest, and make my way to town in secret, as a fugitive. I gave myself a few seconds to take a breather, looking back toward the river. The eagle and the raven were engaged in a dogfight while Father and Mother were cursing the sky. What nonsense! I started running but I stumbled and fell, the gold nugget sent flying in the air, falling a few feet from me, a loud thud. I looked and to my horror a hand was clutching my foot, and others were rising from the ground all around me. I crawled and broke free, and quickly searched for the gold nugget, that was nowhere to be seen. From the ground rose my good friend from class, that was holding triumphantly in his hands the gold nugget. I chased him and tackled him down, yet all around me the ground collapsed and revealed the presence of all my other classmates, all reaching their hands toward me in the middle, toward the gold nugget! I grabbed it with my left hand and held it high up in the air, never will they take it from me. We were all being swallowed by the earth, as they were chanting their maddenning chant, ''not fair, not fair''.

What terror I felt as the ground closed in around me, their hands crawling up my body toward my treasure that I held up so high, and at once I couldn't breathe, I panicked and screamed. I heard a soft, familiar voice amidst the chaos. I opened my eyes and through the dirt I saw her, my little sister! Her light plowed me from down there and back on the grass field I stood once more. To my surprise, I never let go of the gold nugget, I was still clutching it with my left hand. I sat there in the grass, looking at my little sister, walking toward me, both her hands behind her back. I held my gold nugget with both hands on my chest, but she didn't seem to care for it. How odd. She was strolling toward me with anticipation, in her simple happy self. She was smiling. She made me feel at peace, at home after all that nonsense that just happened. I relaxed at last, and my little sister asked me, ''left or right?''. I said right, and she offered me a nice big red apple. I laughed and grabbed it, and she revealed that in her other hand was another apple. We sat together, eating our tart apple, sitting there in the long grass, looking at the clouds roll by, time sitting still just for us.

I realized I had let go of the gold nugget. It was sitting there heavily on the ground beside me. I laughed, and my little sister laughed. I told her I'll be coming back with a surprise. I got up, took the gold nugget and walked toward the river. My parents were gone, so were my classmates and my sister. The clouds were scattering, the sun flickering over all. On the river's shores I held the gold nugget in my hand. The eagle and the raven stopped their fighting at once, looking at me. I had made up my mind at last. I threw the gold nugget as far as I could. It landed in the water, splashing loudly, and at once the raven leaped and plunged in the waters, searching desperately for the treasure. At that moment I felt sorry for the raven, how pathetic it was, plunging and pecking at the water's surface in frustration. I turned around, freed at last, when I heard the black bird croak in panic. I kept walking away toward the forest at last, toward home, empty handed. At the edge of the forest, I turned around and saw down there on the shores of the river, my great friend the eagle, standing victorious over the raven, holding in its beak one of its black eyes. The eagle moved its head up and swallowed it, then took flight, flying high up in the sky, until it became nothing more than a speck. I wondered where my friend was going to head to next, yet the speck dissapeared, leaving behind only the immaculate sky.

On the way back home I stumbled upon a majestic apple tree, sitting there in the middle of the corn field. I walked in its shadow and plucked two nice, big red apples. I was so happy. When I came home, Mother welcomed me back, held me in her arms, and Father asked me about my day. A knock on the door and my friends were waiting for me outside. I stepped on the porch and the full weight of the evening fell onto me. I jumped down the stairs and ran along the dirt road, followed by all my friends. I could see the school bus, and at once my little sister was running toward me, crying tears of joy. I hugged her and offered her one of the apple I had plucked. We laughed and at last I felt that this life wasn't so bad after all.