The Memoirs of Charlotte Hamilton

Chapter 2

Charlotte scrambled to her feet. Sensations she had never felt before raced through her. It was almost too much to take in. It was so beautiful and thrilling at the same time. Where was she?

Looking around, Charlotte's eyes widened. She was standing in the middle of a large meadow. A slight breeze stirred the bottom of her nightgown, sending healthy bright green grass into small ripples around her feet that tickled her skin. The ground was cool, moist and exhilarating. Slowly, Charlotte made a full circle, though she remained standing in that one spot. Around her in the distance she was surrounded by a forest of trees. They stood tall and strong, their branches waving gently in the cool wind that aroused thousands of leaves in a dance whose rhythm sounded in the form of a hushed rustle.

Glancing towards the sky, Charlotte's breath caught in her throat. The sky was a bright, cheerful blue, undisturbed by smoke. The air was clear, crisp and clean and smelled fresh with the growing of flowers and grass. The sun shone down merrily on her but the heat wasn't oppressive, only comforting.

"I must be dreaming," Charlotte gasped as she took one hesitant step, feeling how the soft dirt underneath the blades of grass gave way just enough to cushion her bare feet. She laughed in pure glee. "So much color, oh so much color! I've never seen anything this beautiful in my entire life! I never want to wake up!"

New sensations awakened in her that had been asleep, dormant for her entire life. A sense of peace and calm. Something stirred deep within her, arousing a sensation of curiosity. Slowly she began to walk towards the woods, taking in everything around her. A few bluebirds flew overhead, calling to each other in friendly chirps as they soared gracefully away. Charlotte watched them in amazement, having never seen such beautiful colors on the animals in her life.

When Charlotte reached the woods, she paused and her breath caught in her throat. So many new things were all around her, each competing for her attention. The rough, brown bark of the trees, the tender green leaves on the low hanging branches, and, what quickly won her over, a rippling stream that wound its way to the unknown, gurgling merrily as it went along.

Charlotte carefully stepped down the gently sloping earth towards the bank to the edge of the stream and bent down for a closer look. The water seemed to be calling her and she slowly reached out and dipped her hand into the cold wetness that swirled around her dangling hand, playing with her fingers. She gasped.

It didn't take long for Charlotte to sit down next to the stream and she watched it with endless curiosity. Cupping her hands, she placed them into the water and lifted her dripping palms to her lips and tasted the drink. It was nothing like the flat, stale water back in the city. This was cold and refreshing.

For the next several hours, Charlotte continued to explore, finding various sorts of flowers and other plants to catch her interest. Eventually she found her way back to the meadow. The sun made her sleepy and she lay down in the soft bed of grass, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The harsh grating of the alarm clock startled Charlotte awake. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, almost expecting to still be in the meadow but only her gray, dreary room met her hopeful gaze. With a heavy sigh, she sat up and turned off the beeping clock. It read 4:31 a.m.

Stumbling out of bed, Charlotte fumbled around for her slippers and slid her feet into them before shuffling to the bathroom where she took a quick shower and dressed in her scrubs. Scooping her hair into a ponytail, she applied a fresh coat of makeup, dabbing the powder on her face and coating her eyelashes with mascara. That done, she fixed herself a quick breakfast of oatmeal and hurried out the door, locking it behind her and stuffing the key into the deep pocket in her shirt.