The Climb

Every day when I went to school, I walked past a tree a tree. It was an old cherry tree that stood there ever since I can remember; my grandmother told me that it was already firmly rooted and stout even when she was a child. I remember climbing to the very top of it when I was younger, attempting to escape reality altogether. The higher I climbed, the further away from the ground I was, the more the world of my imagination consumed me. The firm branches of the tree carried me to distant lands in which no one has ever set foot. In those lands I could be free from all the worries of modern life; away from my parents fighting, away from the horrible events I saw on the news channel that my grandmother watched religiously. I used to climb to the top of that tree every day until one day, I didn't. I never knew the real reason behind it.

It hasn't sparked an interest in me again until one day some 10 years later.

It was an early Friday morning, and I was a bit behind my schedule. As per usual, the road to school took me past the old cherry tree. I was walking at a relatively fast pace when, suddenly, I stopped dead in my track, my focus disrupted by a bird - a small sparrow - building a nest high up in the branches. I stood still under the tree's enormous bough and watched the little bird fly back and forward to its construction sight, bringing in twigs and bits of moss which it wove together with all the precision of a skilled embroiderer. I was already late for school, but there was something about that diligent bird in the branches of the old, almost ancient cherry, that prevented me from continuing my journey. Standing there and watching the bird build a new home took me back to my childhood, back when I spent most of my free time in the tangle of branches, my second home as it were, the centre point of the many adventures my mind has taken me on.

I can't remember exactly what happened, but without informing my mind, my arms grabbed hold of the bottom branches and stubbornly pulled the me up into the bough of the tree. My thoughts disappeared completely, leaving a blank space behind. The blankness left me feeling numb, without control over my body.

When I was among the branches, the surroundings were immediately familiar to me. I knew exactly which branches would take me to the top. On the way I scraped my knee, ripping my favourite pair of jeans and staining them with blood, but I didn't care, I needed to get to the top to escape the coldness of the world. I had to stop halfway to catch my breath and get rid of the extra weight of my bag and heavy winter jacket. I hung them on a nearby branch and proceeded the climb. I began to lose the feeling in my fingers, the freezing winter air scorching them mercilessly. As I climbed the branches became thinner and weaker, barely able to support my weight, but I wasn't concerned, remembering that the branches were able to carry me all those years ago.

All those years ago...

In my thoughtless panic to escape I didn't realize that my perception of the tree was composed entirely of memories.

That was the trick.

As I stood on the very last few branches, I heard a faint snap under my feet. It was at that point that reality decided to shake me awake. It forced me to notice the trick. I wasn't a child anymore; I'd grown taller and heavier. In fact, I'd grown too heavy for the thin branches at the top of the tree to carry me. The happy childhood memories failed me. The snapping noise grew louder and by the time I realized what it was, the branch I was standing on broke off, descending rapidly to the grass underneath, taking me down with it. As I fell everything seemed to pass in slow motion: the branches rushing past me, the sparrow fleeing from its project to escape the meteorite my falling body.

It was only at that moment, my last conscious moment, that I became truly happy. Falling through the bough, staring at the grey sky webbed with branches, all my worries being flushed away, I felt lighter than ever.

I smiled.

I remember hearing a terrified scream as I hit the ground, and then everything went blank.