The Pear Effect

I have been imprisoned here for twenty-four hours. Wherever I am, I seem to be lost in a world that is heavy and claustrophobic. I can feel my surroundings pressing down on me, suffocating me, making me feel minute and irrelevant. There is no light, only the dark and moistness. A cloying underlying scent of dampness and fertilised soil pervades my entire being.

...Why am I here?

Above my head, I hear noises, almost like the sound of soft raindrops. This makes me realise I am thirsty and my body is craving water. Magically, the moistness seeps in around me, and my body relishes in being rehydrated. I breathe, I grow. But where is the sunlight? This darkness is all-encompassing.

My body hurts, I feel cramped and confined. I need to find a way to stretch and expand. Maybe if I push hard enough against this shell that surrounds me, I might be able to create more room? Pushing. Pushing. And riiiiip! What just happened? What did I do? The shell suddenly splits open and I begin to unfurl from within.

Oh, stretching feels wonderful! I can move my limbs and wiggle my toes. I begin to spread, to lengthen, to push my arms above my head. I know if I reach high enough I will eventually escape from this darkness. There must be freedom somewhere!

I have lost count of how many days I have endured this darkness. I cannot take it anymore! I need air! I need sunshine! I need to find a way out. Reaching. Feeling. Pushing. And then it happens. I feel cool air and openness around my hands. Oh, it is exquisite to wave my fingers, backwards and forwards. There is warmth! Can you feel that? It tickles my fingers and radiates downwards.

I push my entire body towards the intoxicating warmth. Slowly I feel it upon my head, my limbs, my body. It feeds me and nourishes me, and I revel in the luxurious feel of sunlight on my skin. My body celebrates by unfurling and climbing, becoming me. Becoming strong.

Rain falls softly, and a breeze blows gently. I survey my surroundings and burst forth with happiness. There is soft green grass below me, undulating in the wind. My body is strong and firm, and my head and shoulders touch the sunshine above me. I am no longer a child, I am now an adult, and I celebrate by decorating myself with an abundance of delicate white flowers.

My peaceful slumber has been disturbed. Something is tickling my fingers and arms as it scurries along. It is soft, grey, furry. Make it stop! The swishing tail is too much for me. But oh my, I am ticklish. I burst forth laughing, causing my arms to sway and my fingers to flutter!

...White petals rain down on the ground....

What is it doing? This weird creature constantly runs up and down my body, ticklish little claws gripping firmly. And then clunk! I can hear something hitting me. Nuts? Seriously, nuts? Why is it filling me with nuts? I don’t eat nuts! Oh look, it has a friend who wants to help. No little buddies, don’t fight over the nuts! I am sure there is enough for two?

Why am I hearing a noise I do not recognise? Munch. Munch. Munch. Where is that sound coming from? Oh my goodness, where did those holes come from in my fingertips? They have been ruined! My perfect, glorious, beautiful green fingertips look like holey cheese. Oh, the horror and shame! How can I hold my head high when I have been defiled in such a manner?

Wait. I can hear a buzzing noise. Weird, it sounds like it is hovering all around my head and arms. What are you doing! Stop, I tell you! Stop! That is my nectar, stop stealing it! Why are you not listening to me? What if I run out? What do I do then? No, no, no! Don’t try and sting me, that will not be necessary!

Ok. Fine, I’ll share!

Ohhhh…look at those pretty things fluttering around my head in this lovely warm sunshine. There are so many of them and in such glorious colours. Their flapping rhythm is so soothing and mesmerising to watch. They look like they are floating on a cloud of snow, up, down, flitter, flutter. Hmm…my eyes are getting sleepy.

...Zzzzz…

Oh, I must have dozed off watching those fluttering creatures. They were so pretty! Why can’t I move that arm? Why is there something heavy sitting on it? Hold on, it feels like something is sticking into me? Wait, there is a creature staring at me from inside it. I can feel it rustling, and was that some flapping I just heard? Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. Are you kidding me? You have an entire family in there! Can I ask exactly how noisy they get when they are hungry? Should I try and block my ears at feed time?

Listen to that! The entire family has learnt how to whistle and sing. This free entertainment is an unexpected bonus. Maybe I can dance to their tunes? Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! That was not my smartest idea, what with me needing to keep my arms still and hold their little stick home! Maybe I should open my arms to other families that need shelter and a home? After all, music soothes the savage beast…and all that!

I saw the strangest thing today - creatures, that walk on two legs. They had the audacity to sit below my arms and lean against my body without an invitation from me. And then they did despicable things that made me blush! They got so close together I couldn’t tell where one body started and the other body ended. I thought one was trying to suffocate the other one. How can they breathe when they are locked at the mouth like that? And don’t even get me started on the weird noises that these two-legged creatures create. My poor ears will never be the same.

Suddenly, I feel like it is getting cooler. I can feel the difference in the breeze, and the warmth from the sun is weaker. My flowers have long since disappeared and in their place are my gifts of food. The distant greenery that I once viewed has begun to change, with tinges of yellow and orange appearing in every direction that I look. My arms are heavy, and I feel like my body is bending with an added weight. I feel full. I feel proud. I am achieving my dreams.

I am broken. I am shattered. I feel like I will never be whole again. Today, the two-legged creatures returned, and they did the unthinkable. Every single piece of food I created was taken. Removed from my limbs. They stripped me bare. I have been left naked and traumatised. How could they be so heartless and cruel? What did I ever do to them to deserve this treatment? Let me be.

...Let me cry for what I have lost...

I can feel a cold flutter landing on my limbs. My fingers have withered and died, forgotten on the ground, blown away by the gusts of wind. There is whiteness again but this time it is not created by my flowers. It is icy and wet, not at all inviting like the sunshine that I am desperately missing. My limbs feel old, heavy, tired. Waves of drowsiness wash over me, lulling me into an eventual slumber. I close in upon myself, determined to hide from the harshness around me. I shrink from the coldness that torments me. And then I dream. I dream of the warmth I once knew. I dream of spring.

I dream of the pear tree that I will once again become with the arrival of a new season. I have purpose. I have life.

...I will continue to be...

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