Eden Restored

Hello fellow readers and writers! The last couple of days I have given a lot of thought to what I would post next. Finally, last night I remembered this story. I wrote Mother Nature's Tale two summers ago after a brush fire swallowed the hills near my home. Fun fact: this is the second short story I ever wrote. My goal has always been to write a novel, but this plot came to me in a cute, tiny package. I do want to mention as well that I consider this an allegory, which is my favorite genre. Somehow as a child I got a hold of a lot of allegories, beyond The Chronicles of Narnia, and they have held a special place in my heart since. 

Exercise Time: Maybe you have been struggling to get a story going. You've had an idea stuck in your mind for years and no matter how many people you tell, no one seems interested in writing it for you. ;) I would encourage you to try scaling it down. Simply write a scene. Or try to fit it into a concise short story. While the length may not fit everything you want, the practice of indulging in your idea will help your creative thoughts flow. 

Eden Restored 

The pungent scent of burnt flesh becomes an every day encounter.

Even the puckered scars that contrast her unscathed skin is ordinary. There is no distinction any more. Her scars become her.

Dressed in the colors of mourning, she stands in attendance for her lost innocence. With an ashen face, she watches them bury pieces of her heart. It was her fault, she says to herself. She could have prevented this. But he was so attractive. His colors and movements were so alluring. He touched her and brought light and warmth to the dark places that nobody else had ever dared touch.

But she could have prevented this.

The sun rises and sets without consideration. Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months. She adapts just enough to get by and then forgets that she had ever known anything more. The sky becomes the unstable companion of her weak will. Some days it might weep for memory of her beauty. Other days it might punish her by withholding shade. She accepts its treatment without complaint.

She carries her shame like a tattoo. She grows so accustomed to seeing it, she no longer remembers what it means.

But one day, an unexpected touch startled her from her restless slumber. She pulled away and tried to conceal her scars beneath her tresses. He looked at her and would not look away. She writhed beneath his gaze.

Each day after that, it was the same. He came and woke her with a gentle touch. She resented him at first, and would not yield to his kindness. She did not want to be reminded of her pain, but he continued to return. His presence became something she could expect. Some mornings she woke before he arrived, but pretended to be asleep.

Everyday he awakened more of her petrified heart. He made himself completely vulnerable in the process and often she lashed back at him in her own self-consciousness. However, she quickly learned that his unwarranted patience was far more punishment than any harsh word of reproof.

He told her stories of courage, sacrifice and unconditional love and with each passing day she healed. These stories were drops of rain on her parched soul. They renewed her hope.

One day, as they strolled together among the untilled places, her eyes stumbled upon a single poppy that sprung up from the dry, scarred ground. She knelt beside the fragile flower and wept at the memory of the meadows. The tiny stalk of glory was innocence reborn among the ashes.

She looked into his eyes, colored with every shade of love, and felt the beauty he saw in her. She glanced back at the precious poppy. It was a part of her. She knew, then, that he had not made her beautiful. She had always been beautiful; she just needed someone like him to remind her of it. Perhaps, had she been aware of this truth before, she would not have given so much away. Although, she could not dismiss the fact that while her mistakes had resulted in an agonizing fire, the flames had not destroyed her. Just like the single poppy, she too was innocence reborn among the ashes.