Two Worlds

The world glistened around Tamia. Shining drops of dew slid down the green leaves of the tree as the sun slowly rose. Not a cloud in sight, the dark blue sky of the night softly changed to the brightness of a promising day.

Tamia had never seen color at all in her life. The world she lived in was bland, everything was grey, but it was normal. Every day, Tamia followed the same routine: get up, walk to school, come home, do homework, go to sleep.

Today, was different. Tamia saw a bright blue light just off her path. Cautiously, Tam wandered over to inspect it. As she got closer, the light dashed away, going from one house to the next, disappearing into the woods surrounding the small town. Tam hesitated for a second. No one was supposed to go in the woods. There were stories of a beast that lived in the woods, though no one knew what it was. However, Tamia felt a pull inside her to follow the light. The light danced just on the outer edge of trees. Gingerly, Tam stepped toward the line of trees. The light pulled Tamia deeper and deeper into the forest until they came to a clearing. The light had stopped, gently hovering over a log house. Tamia walked up to the wooden door. She ran her hand across the intricate design of hard angles and gentle curves. The wood felt almost warm, and she could smell the dryness of the pine. Her hand rested on the iron handle.

She desperately wanted to open the door. She wondered if her parents would miss her. Then again, they usually barely said anything to her. Their conversations were meaningless. "Hey, how was school?" her mom would ask every afternoon and Tam always gave the same answer. Her mom didn't work, she stayed at home. Most days she would garden and clean, sometimes paint watercolor pictures to hang around the house. Never did they speak to their neighbors, it just was something they didn't do. Her dad worked higher up in the government, what he did she had no idea. He never talked about his job or his coworkers. In fact, he basically never talked. There were many days that Tam had gone without a conversation with her father.

She cracked the door open and sliver of shining light peeked out into her grey world. She nudged the door, it opened fully with ease. Instead of seeing an inside to the cabin, a world of color and light appeared on the other side. Tamia scanned the scene before her. White and yellow flowers were dusted through green grass, dancing the wind. A sparkling clear river flowed in front of her, and Tamia could hear the rush water from farther away. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air of this other world.

Tam spun around to find the blue light still hovering over the open door. The door that showed her world of no color. The door slammed shut and disappeared. Her way back home gone. The light moved closer to her, and with one last flicker, disappeared. Spinning in a slow circle, Tamia looked around her. There was no one. No other person for her to see. The once calming scent of the flowers filled Tamia with a sickening feeling, creating a knot inside her. The multitude of colors spun around her and became overwhelming. Tamia fell to her knees as tears formed in her eyes. She was lost and alone. In a world of color, Tamia felt missed the darkness.