Drama Collection

Trapped

I need to get out. The close confines of the dark, crowded living room make me short of breathe. My previous day of traveling on trains, trapped in metal tubes still lingers with me. Whizzing past fields and bodies of water, able to appreciate them but unable to enjoy them. The thin wall of glass that separated us both a blessing and a curse. My urge to escape is challenged by a desire to not encounter another human being. I want to reach a place where nature is my only companion. Above all this I need a clean house. The two day old pots and pans leer at me from the corner of the kitchen. In the end I decide to clean with the hope that the tidier the house becomes the less overwhelmed I will feel. It works for a while. Each section of the kitchen I restore, the clearer my head feels. When this technique begins to lose it's potency I call on Eddie Vedder to help power me through. The first few songs of the 'Into The Wild soundtrack' allow my mind to float away from my dull chores. As the album progresses however the resonating themes of escape and freedom begin to taunt me. With the kitchen looking a little better I feel I can now leave the house and later return to a more inhabitable living environment. I decide the lighting tree as my travel destination as it is usually deserted.

I walk through the small churchyard you have to navigate in order to reach the lighting tree. It is quiet and still. With each new step I feel freedom drawing ever closer. Although the church is relatively peaceful the large overhanging trees and the nearby road are still a bit overpowering and so I push on, eager to reach a more open landscape. As I pass the small cluster of council estate houses beyond the churchyard I can hear raised voices but to my relief I make it to the path that runs alongside the allotments without actually encountering another soul. I swing open the gate to the lightning tree field hastily, excited by the prospect of blue sky and tall grass. Wading through the overgrown foliage I smile and take in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of damp grass and clean air. The niggling headache that has been hanging over me all morning suddenly lifts and I feel a great pressure lift from my head. I scramble up one of the fallen limbs of the split tree and perch on the edge, letting the warm afternoon sun bathe me like a warm bath. I feel renewed, reinvigorated and relaxed. Now I can return to the house with a improved state of mind and body.

© [Daniel Ashby] and [Ashby Tales], [2014]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Daniel Ashby] and [Ashby Tales] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.