Truly Free

• Anastasia O’regan, Grade 7, Merewether High School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

The grass was soft under my feet, fresh, with droplets of dew clinging to the blades. The pinks of dawn were slowly giving way to a cloudless blue sky. I walked, with no real purpose, and stood a the edge of the cliff, hands in pockets. It was a long, treacherous fall for any unfortunate passer by who had not seen the warnings. But it was beautiful.

A waterfall cascaded over the edge, the mist catching the sunlight, making it seem a million colours. It fed into a small pool at the bottom. Past that, an entire world was set out. Trees swayed idly in the wind, the sun making the leaves almost glow. An eagle sat atop a tall pine, it’s watchful eyes scanning the landscape, breeze ruffling it’s pitch feathers. A deer trotted across a meadow holding it crowned head high. There was no city, no man-made artwork to force beauty into this world, for it needs no more. It is perfect. The flowers of spring grow across a field, splattering it with dots of ivory. The sun rises, in all its glory, draining the darkness from the sky, signalling the beginning of another day. These are the simple details that humanity seems to ignore. To forget the importance of. But these simple aspects of the world are the very same things that make it.

So I sit down, hanging my legs over the edge, swinging them distractedly. I’m not afraid. Sunlight presses against my cheeks, warming them. I close my eyes and let the breeze ruffle my hair and tickle my neck. Birds sing little melodies of their own and their songs fill my ears. They are better than any meaningless rap, better than any romance song. They don’t have to try to be impressive, they are simply that way.

It angers me to think of what we have destroyed. Our greed for power blinds us, corrupts us. We have destroyed our home, our people and we have made it very difficult to turn back. But I hope that we do. I hope, with every fibre of my body, that we will not stand around and watch them destroy everything.

I have come here every morning of every day. Since the time I could barely talk, to now, when I am older and wiser. Nineteen years spent living in the presence of nature, and I have not regretted a day of it. Through the passing of my mother and sister, through the depression and pain of loss, I have always found a way to come back. It frees my mind. I don’t have to think, I don’t have to feel. But I can see. And I can see that not everything is lost and bad. It’s a comforting thought.

I’m attracted to freedom, like a moth to a flame, and, as I move closer and closer to the edge, I realise that today that freedom will finally be mine.