Time Spent with Friends

The sun's rays shine through the foliage of the surrounding trees, casting some spots in light and leaving others in shadow. A bird begins to sing melodically off in the distance and the music a grasshopper makes can be heard all over. The air grows warmer at each passing moment causing small beads of sweat to roll down the man's forehead. He has traveled this path many time durring his lifetime and the warmth does not seem to bother him any longer.

A small breeze blows through the trees, causing the branches and the newly awakened leaves to shift allowing even more light to shine through, giving the man a momentary relief from the heat. He looks upward as he walks, taking note how blue the sky looks from what he can see through the canopy above him.

Spring was coming to an end as life began anew, making way for summer and the time for growth and learning. Lost in his thoughts, the man stepped through to find a small waterfall situated on the side of a rock wall. The sound of the water as it slid down the rocks to land in the pool at the bottom was very tranquil to the man. He walked over to a boulder that sat beside the pool and sat down upon it.

The pool beneath the waterfall was as wide as he was tall, and not that deep. The water was clear enough that you could see all the way to the bottom. If you sat at the right angel facing the waterfall you could even see a rainbow. This was the perfect place to come to collect his thoughts. He used this place to forget about everything in the outside world, only to focus on the here and now when he needed to. Most often of late he would journey here to evaluate his life and whether he is walking the right paths. However, today was not one of those days; today he came just be there, to be at peace.

It was not long before his friends began to appear. He first heard the sound of leaves rustling as they learned of who it was that sat beside the pool. From far away they looked a lot like fireflies, but as they drew closer you could make out the little bodies covered in what consisted of leaves and grass that made up the shirts, pants, and dresses. Their wings were the most beautiful transluscent colors that seemed to almost glow against the shadows.

First one or two came to land near him, then more came. Most went straight for the pond to splash and play while a few came to sit with the man. Their voices were very high and hard to understand, but the man had visited many times and understand them perfectly. The man enjoyed the time he spent here, he always regretted leaving when the time came.

Time slipped by and before the man new it the shadows of the forest began to lengthen. He said his farewells to his little friends and began his trek back through the forest towards his home. The man had very little thoughts as he walked, only remembering today's events, making sure he would carry those memories for a long time.

As he emerged from the forest, he looked toward the horizon and he saw large black clouds that were just crossing over the mountains that he saw. He could smell the rain in the air and knew that it would hit the next day.