Perfect

The plateau, a mesa of warmth and woven shadow, beckoned to the benefactor and watcher alike, promising sights heretofore unseen in a mystical dance never beheld before, and in dreams never to be viewed again.

Forgoing the temptation, the benefactor sat briefly on the edge of the plateau, legs dangling, then slid over and slowly climbed down.
The oppressive stillness of the area surrounding the plateau was washed away in the clean, cool breeze spinning its way down from somewhere vastly higher—up where the light shone down in illuminating rays.

Across the soft, wavy plains, out into the vast corridors lined with great walls—sheer vertical cliffs decorated with ancient motifs of symbols and faces.

The corridor steepens, winding down to the valley below, where the path widens and splits into the open expanse, or through the arch and into the mystical confines where fire and ice meet and mix… ledges of fire occasionally roaring, roasting anything caught unawares.
The cavernous, frigid caves—filled and littered with scraps and scrapes, also of those who fell and were left.
The crisp, clean aroma wafts through this mystically dangerous place.

The benefactor waves a hand, and water pours from silvery branches.
In basins, the water is caught—enough for the day, perhaps two or three.

Reaching up, the smooth bark is ripped aside, revealing intricate wave upon wave of manna.
My excitement grows as the benefactor produces a small, smooth container, which rattles like rocks or gems.

My stomach growls of its own accord. I look up once more, grateful for my benefactor and the kibbles that fill my bowl. I purr my fleeting gratitude.

Similar Posts

  • Going Nowhere

    The book lay open on the desk, the cigarette in the ashtray still trailing smoke. The soft murmur of the television barely covered the incessant ticking that filled the room with audible angst. The darkened room filled with a flickering puddle of light from the movie being played. The oasis of light from the desk…

  • Just In Time

    The fog-laden evening chilled him to the bone as he stood beneath the street lamp. “I am getting too old for this,” he mutters. The juxtaposing hard-soft glow of the lamps created an eerie duality of light on the street. The longshadows dancing in the wind-blown lamplight. The headlights shine on him briefly as the…

  • The Park

    The damn birds… the incessant cooing. If Patty could think of a better punishment… she would. She could not forget her little Katie’s laughter from the back seat. Her daughter, so bright and joyful. They had been laughing about something. Try though she did, she could never recall what. The pigeons filled the road ahead,…

  • Outside the Lighthouse

    Out across the sea, the beam of light sweeps, searching… guiding… waiting for someone to see. The rain pelts the windows, hammering in sheets and droves. The storm rages. His coffee… different… a slight hint of salt and iron. He had emptied the last of his bottled water yesterday, so he was using water from…

  • One Word

    The sounds have clicks and ticks and various inflections that I just cannot recreate. Ever since I arrived, the natives… let’s call them benefactors… have been incessantly hovering, though, odd enough, their attention is erratic. My food, normally provided regularly, is sometimes forgotten. This means I have to sidle up to the bars of my…