PSPA

1

How can you have a concrete experience of the world without seriously believing in magic? - Shuttle_River.

I am standing in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of an immense green meadow, the sun is rising on the horizon of a bright red, surrounded by an orange plateau and a very fine yellowish circular line, enveloping the sky of a light blue with its warmth.

I stand there, almost contemplative, watching the small white clouds disappearing into the sky, and I also feel light. I have always wanted to sit on a cloud and see the world through their eyes.

I raise my hand and, as if caressing it, my fingers lift it up and place it on the palm of my hand. I stand still until the cloud moves away from my palm and I watch it disappear in silence.

I lie on my side and rub my cheek on the fresh dewy grass of the meadow, which immediately brings relief from the heat of the sun to my overheated cheek.

I close my eyes and the surreal silence of the place allows me to listen to the beating of my heart and the heavy breathing coming in through my nose and out of my half-closed mouth.

I feel so at peace with myself in this moment that... "Lately I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things we could be..."

And in an instant I return to reality, although I can still feel my heart beating and my breathing heavy, but now I am aware that I am lying on my bed and that the alarm on my cell phone will continue to ring until I turn it off.

Annoyed, I reach for the nightstand, keeping my eyes closed, and grab my phone, opening half an eye and then turning off the alarm. Once it is off, I toss the phone back on the nightstand and return to my dream.

I pray to my mind to take me back to that place of peace, but the next thing I know I hear my mother scream, "Benedetta! Get up!"

She knows I've blithely ignored the alarm and that I'm not going to get out of bed because it's too good to stay under the covers and pretend that responsibilities will disappear out of nowhere, the way they came out of nowhere.

I've never been a morning person, until yesterday morning I got up at 10 o'clock, and only because my mother called me, otherwise I would have woken up at noon. Fault of my nightlife and the books and shows that keep me awake until at least 3am.

I calm down and make sure that I stop reading or watching an episode of the show at 1 o'clock . It's a good compromise if I want to face the new school year with more courage than now.

"Benedetta! You'll be late, it's already late!" my mother shouts again.

"Yes Ammi!" I call from upstairs to let her know that I am alive and that unfortunately no aliens abducted me during the night.

I shake off the blankets and place one foot on the floor, struggling to place the other foot on the floor as well, then sit up and search with my hands for my glasses on the bedside table.

I put them on once I find them and finally open my eyes again, no turning back now.

I watch my little sister Viviana still dozing blissfully and my big sister Eleonora's bed empty.

We are woken up one at a time, so that we can go downstairs and have the bathroom free. The first to get up are always my parents, then Eleonora, me and finally, the princess of the house, Viviana.

I sigh and with a bounce stand up, reach for my pink slippers and then walk out of the room with heavy steps...it's as if some imaginary thread is actually dragging me.

I pass by the mirror in the room, positioned next to the door, and snort resignedly. I've never been a fan of summer, but waking up late and not having the constant anxiety of homework and questions wasn't bad.