Aloof Souls

CHAPTER THREE

A tear ran from the end of my right eye as I finished reading the last line of the postcard. I didn't feel sad, but the tears continued falling. I was hesitant in putting the card down as I re-read the last line over again and then again, and again and then the whole passage one more time. I memorised every sentence, absorbed in every syllable like the postcard was going to be taken away from me at any moment. My mind was in such a tangle, it felt blank yet saturated, with no room for any new thoughts. Thinking about everything but also nothing at the same time. Thoughts whizzed straight through my mind, in then immediately out, without the time for processing any of them. I could feel them filling my mind, as thoughts came barging in pushing out the previous. Like a fast food restaurant at peak hour.

I finally left the postcard on the parcel and decided to leave the cottage to get a change of environment and hopefully clear my head with the fresh lakeside breeze that drifted from the surrounding hills. The cottage I had been staying in for the last 15 years was located on the side of a country road, running across a large flat plain which was filled with patches of different flower species making the land look like a mural of art from a distant. Behind the cottage only several hectares of land away was a sizable lake that stretched out towards the northern mountains. There would often be mute swans grazing around the sides of the lake and a bunch of other water birds such as the classic mallard dipping its beak under the water whilst calmly floating across the seemingly undisturbed water surface. It definitely embodied a picturesque scenery, which forced a mystical sense of peacefulness when amidst it all, like you are melting, becoming completely in sync with nature.

I left with my light orange bucket hat as the sun was in full force by this time. The earth was warm as I trudged along a dirt trail towards the lake. There were several squirrels rushing around at the sense of my presence, ducking and weaving through the shrub. It would have been quite uncommon for them to encounter any humans, as not many people pass by this area. Some geese were calmly waddling past, probably on their way to the lake for lunch, which reminded me I had to keep this outing brisk as it was nearing 12:30.

The breeze now accompanied by the rays of the sun felt refreshing rather than chilling. This provided a very lovely sensory experience, harmonious with the scent of blossoming flowers and the sound of the wild fauna. It was probably just over 20 degrees, the perfect weather to have a picnic. This remained a passing thought as I've never once intended to have a picnic in the countless beautiful spring days that have passed. The idea of having a picnic alone felt oddly forbidden, even though there probably wasn't anything wrong with doing so. It's strange how certain, mostly trivial, social norms become subconsciously ingrained in our attitude where you only come to notice it has sneaked into your brain when the occasion arises. With this I wondered what other strange perceptions of life I possessed, lurking at the back of my consciousness.

I strayed from the path of the dirt road, drawing my attention to a squeaking sound that came from behind a fallen birch tree. The tree seemed to have been struck by lightning however lightning rarely occurred in this area with light rains being the worst of weathers. It was slightly charred at the breaking point which gave that impression however on closer inspection it may have been from the weathering forces of nature over time. It wasn't unusual to see fallen trees around the lake however this one seemed to emanate an ominous sense of sorrow. Like it wasn't ready to fall. A sense of regret as if it had fallen short of fulfilling its life duties. Unable to accept its fated decay. I searched around the roots for where the sound originated from, but it was not as trivial of a task as I had first imagined. Whenever I thought I had identified the location of the sound it evaded my searches and seemed to disperse towards a different location. This went on for about what felt like half an hour before I noticed a small burrow behind a congealment of branches and leaves. I slowly and gently brushed away the leaves, wary of what might be lying behind these defences. For all I knew it could have been a sabretooth tiger reincarnated from the prehistoric. Small fireflies escaped as I dug further in which transpired an ethereal sensation. This burrow really felt like it was connected to another world.