It's Still Life

Day 27: Imagine you are a character in a wildlife-themed adventure novel. Describe the perilous situation you find yourself in and how you escape.

Cherry Pickin’ Crows

There’s no writing yourself out of this one. Think. And don’t panic. It doesn’t help. Nor does shouting. Your pipes will go hoarse.

I often talk to myself like this. I lost my voice once, and didn’t even realise until Mum asked me a question. I was all croaky sounding. You don’t need a voice when you’re doing all your talking inside your head.

I’m 6. I’d tell you my name, but your knowing it doesn’t change anything. I’m healthy, happy, and a bit short of 6-years in height, and I’ve walked into a field of tall wheat – forgetting to notice where I came from, well … I mean, I know where I came from – a little village with a deep-flowing, placid creek that goes under an arched stone bridge, and there’s a footpath leading out of the village to the church with its tall spire, two bells, and a brass cross on top.

Anyway, this mess I’m in happened when I went chasing after crows that were eating cherries on our tree. And now I’m lost in this field of wheat, stalks as tall as me, and the horizon’s lost in wings of crow, chirping sparrows, buzzing insects, weird snapping sounds, and a whole lot of dust.

Are there snakes in here? Stay away snakes; you need to know, I scream a lot, which is apparently really annoying because Mum’s always saying “Stop all that damned screaming!”. Anyway. Anyway. Mum hates when I say anyway, but anyway, I need to get up high, to see above this all. That was me talking inside my head, again, so …

… I jump.

But not high enough.

I jump
and jump, and jump.

And the wheat snaps flat against the dry, cracked soil. Round and round I jump some more. In circles. Clockwise.

Counter-clockwise makes a person dizzy. Don’t try it, unless you’re left handed.

Oh! Tree! I see a tree. Lots of of them. I’ll climb up that one over there closest, and get a view of where I am.

So, I point my outstretched arm toward the tree. And run.

Aim for the tree, don’t look down. If you look down, you’ll run in circles, but if you keep your eye on a far away object you’ll go straight. And I’m bending stalks with my other hand as I run along, marking where I’ve been …

And there’s the tree standing before me, like a lone survivor of an epic battle, like a knight, like Galahad. Up I climb, and it holds me on a branch, strong as stone, and I can see all of the tree’s domain … green cut lawns, the vicarage, flowery gardens, and the church. With the wind easy on my face and teasing my hair back, I run toward that high and mighty church spire, the wind coming from the direction I need to go.

And then I hear the church bells ringing, it’s a have-faith-sound, and it’s welcoming me back home.

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Post 554 words/3 mins reading time. Day 27: Imagine you are a character in a wildlife-themed adventure novel. Describe the perilous situation you find yourself in and how you escape.  Artwork is created using Midjourney. Imagery and poems ©Misky 2023.