The Place We Call Home

Many people on this beautiful, miraculous planet that has been taken advantage of for so many centuries don't know what is really out there in the wild. What do you think about when someone refers to the word "nature"? Do you think about flowers or apple trees? Do you think about insects or sea animals? Or do you truly wonder, what is really out there?

A wizened, wrinkled man stood among the magnificent scenery. His bare feet were settled on the creamy, smooth sand as the placid waves washed the clammy beach. He slowly raised his head and the harmonious ocean settled beneath his eyes. The magnificent sight left him astounded. His eyes gleamed at the sight of a whale's tail emerging from the deep blue ocean and falling with force back into the inky water. The surface of the ocean glimmered and the old man’s eyes swept the horizon where the ocean got deeper and deeper and the colors got bluer and darker. The furthest the man could see was where the azure sky merged with the deep, gray waters.

The sky turned into an amber color as the blazing bitter-sweet sun collapsed below the horizon. It was getting darker, so the tired, old man decided to move on, eager to experience another miracle, nature had to offer. As he paced through a nearby forest, the smell of bloom pervaded his lungs. He drew in a deep breath and the freshness of the forest purified his soul. His wrinkles, tired eyes, and scarred limbs deceived the naked eye for what was truly glorifying was his innocent heart and soul that were hidden deep in a worn-out body.

His tired eyes glistened and a green snake slithered beneath him. He wasn't scared of its beastly, poisonous fangs. He trusted it since he still felt, a sense of belonging to this natural environment. The snake moved over the old man's bare feet and he could feel its tiny scales moving against his soft withered skin. The snake hissed as it slithered on to a slab of stone. The old man smiled at the thought that he was still a part of this natural heaven on Earth; a world that wasn't appreciated enough anymore. He continued to walk through the fresh forest that always sparked something new inside of him. Its precious treasures were abound and he could behold them all. For others, they were lost deep in their metallic hearts overshadowed by the dark, gloomy wall of human progress and development. He, the fortunate one, had never missed seeing nature at its fullest. The unharmed, the untouched, and the undamaged.

However, the old man knew that this unbelievable sight wouldn’t last forever as a gloomy, dark cloud of dust emerged and exploded beyond the bright towering trees that spoke to his natural soul. He knew it was nearly over; an unbelievable current of love, excitement, fear yet relief, and nostalgia that surged through him. All that would be felt next would be sadness, fear but no relief, anger, loneliness, darkness. He walked towards it, fearlessly, after being at his home in nature he knew whatever happened on this ravaged Earth wouldn't influence his heart or soul further. Deep down he knew he had gained a spiritual confidence, kindness, and maturity that others never would. But what about this generation, and the next, that would never have the chance to experience this unbelievable journey? He felt forlorn as the dark cloud got bigger and bigger.

Suddenly, he spotted a little girl. Her platinum blonde hair rested on her meek shoulders that had never been exposed to the bright luminous sun. Her black dress contrasted her eager blue eyes that revealed a hidden energy. Yet she was tired and restless like she had seen unbelievably alarming sights. Presently a small smile crept across her tired face at the sight of the old man. He was a rare sight. She hadn't seen anything like him before. He had sand on his feet and olive green leaves stuck on his cotton-like hair.

“Hello!” She whispered, her hidden energy too feeble to be revealed. The old man smiled, but his smile was ripped off his face suddenly, as behind the beautiful, tired girl, loomed, gray, metallic buildings that blocked the sunlight from coming in. It was dark and gloomy. The man gasped as he saw how matters had gotten worse as human influence had hit the Earth harder.

“What’s wrong?” The little girl wondered while looking back at these surroundings which she called home. Smoke pervaded the old man's lungs and he coughed harder than ever. He couldn't breathe whereas the little girl seemed now immune to this toxic atmosphere. The little girl couldn’t possibly know any better as she was born in this lifeless world under the influence of man. His bare feet were now getting colder and colder and he could feel the hardness of the ground and the scraps of metal being blown about like daggers in the strong, forceful wind. The vigorous wind blew away the leaves from his hair and the sand from his feet.

The old man froze now, like every last piece of his home was stripped away from him. He closed his eyes and panted hard. He tried hard to bring his imagination back to life, to get back to his home. But in all his despair the person he still ached for the most, wasn't himself who had his home taken away from him, but the little girl who hadn't had the chance to feel sensations that only he and his generation had felt. It wasn't only the green, the blue and the yellow but the feelings and emotions that were naturally born and not forced upon people. He ached for her as she had never experienced an unforgettable journey of nature and she had never learned to use her imagination. She would never understand what had shaken the old man so much and why he feared the place she called home.