Perale placed her book down with a sigh and she leapt to her feet. Her bare feet lightly touched the porch as she hopped over her father’s feet. A moment ago, they had been sharing a companionable silence as they had both been immersed in separate books. Perale had just finished her book and it had left a delighted feeling within her stomach. As she bounced off of the porch, the grass welcomed her feet. Perale lifted her arms to the brilliant blue sky and spun in circles.
Perale breathed deeply as she felt her hair swirl in a circle behind her. The yard sloped and abruptly Perale realized that she was losing her footing. Yet, she continued to spin with a carelessness that she had not felt for a long time. Abruptly, Perale found herself falling backwards. There was nothing she could to do to stop this inevitable motion. Instead of fighting the fall, she happily gave into gravity. The grass welcomed Perale merrily as it had welcomed her feet a moment ago. As her back came into contact with the lush greenness, Perale’s legs flew up in the air. For a moment she felt as though she walked on the sky. Then her legs rocked back to the ground. Yet, Perale’s mind remained in the sky.
Her thoughts hovered there for long moments while her eyes roved around the world around her. Perale could not help but wonder why she had not lounged in the grass sooner. The moist sweet scent of the grass stimulated her thoughts. Perale combed her fingers through the grass reveling in how her fingers brushed through it. From the ground, Perale was aware suddenly of the vastness of the sky. Her thoughts returned to the blue that encircled the world and her.
As her thoughts hung in the sky, Perale’s heart had a strong longing. Of course, she knew it stemmed from reading a romance. To her, romances were like candy or junk food. She loved it, but sometimes it just was not healthy. After finishing a romance, she was always filled with this longing. With every beat of her heart, Perale could hear her heart repeating, “Oh, Lord. When? When?” She grinned to herself as she grasped a handful of grass in a fist. Perale adored romances, but she would not be caught dead with such a book in her possession.
Perale was abruptly pulled out of her musings when she heard the porch door slam. Her head came up as she twisted around to catch the figure on the porch.
“What are you doing, Perale?” Perale’s mother asked. When Perale merely smiled, Perale’s mother just continued, “Well, dinner is ready.” As Perale’s father unfolded himself from the chair, Perale slowly rolled into a standing position. She was not quite ready to leave her thoughts or the lush green grass. Yet, it was dinner time.
(picture is the compliments of folkin'around on flickr)
