Short Story : ‘Reflections After A Beating.’
The grass was good today. It had the length of shag carpeting and color that reminded one of lime green Jell-O. The texture was soft but in a shaggy, rough sort of way. Comfortable, that was what the field by the school was. Comfortable.
Just recently I had opened my eyes and seen this green herbaceous treasure. It had suddenly appeared before me, right in front of my face, suddenly and unexpectedly I had seen all this grass. All of this extraordinary grass which had always been there but was only noticeable today. Like today was the first day I had really got down and looked at grass from grass level.
Rolling over onto my back, I realized this chlorophyllic life form was but a cherry on a very large, very scrumptious visual banana split with extra caramel, ice cream of 10 different varieties and chocolate syrup slopped from one end to next. At the soda fountain of life today, I had an empty stomach and a limitless tab.
I stared into the warm smile of the sun and watched it mambo across a dome of atmospheric gasses, glowing in a cool sky blue. The sweet smell of botanical life permeated the air and swirled around in my head, reminding me of times long past. Times when all I cared about was whether or not dessert tonight would be butterscotch or vanilla and if I could possibly stay outside for another 10 minutes until it got too dark to see or until I was suffering from blood loss brought on by ravenous mosquitoes.
Indeed, even chirping love songs sung by birds seemed to induce a memory of my lost youth. It seems that if I think hard enough I can remember every single day of that mystical time when life was carefree and everything was new and wonderful.
Life, I thought, was good back then. I think if I try I can maybe go back, go back to my childhood and away from that jerk Wenton and his slut-of-a-girlfriend Orlean! In fact, to hell and damn with his whole gang of jocks, preps and bullies! May they all have a horrible accident involving something large, heavy and pointed! To hell with them all!
Yea, they don’t know how good I’ve got it. Even though my nose feels broken and is bleeding like Bambi after meeting Zeke the Hunter, I’m enjoying the sweet outdoor smell. Even though my right eye is swollen shut, I’m enjoying the view. Sure I can’t feel both of my legs, but I don’t care, I’m feeling invigorated by Mother Nature. I don’t care that I may have some broken ribs or that something (cough) warm and wet is trickling down my throat (cough). And even though my head feels like asphalt broken up by a jackhammer, I can still (cough) think about the world around me. In fact, I’m so enjoying communing with the natural world (cough) that I’d prop myself up if only my left arm wasn’t one foot beyond my right side.
I’m relishing this visit to the natural world with every passing, irregular heartbeat. I’m … (cough) enjoying (cough) … why is it getting so dark?