I Wish...

6

The clouds had moved to cradle the sun in its fluffy arms. The birds had begun their journey to find insects for their young, and the wind had picked up slightly. And where was I on this fine and lovely day? On a tree, my tree. The wind up here was the absolute best. The rustling of the leaves, the way my red hair moved with the wind, and the feeling of the bark under my hands all tied into the feeling of freedom and oneness.

Of course I had at least one book with me, I wouldn't just leave myself to die of boredom. A little shelf and swing were nestled into the tree branches towards the top of the tree. Climbing up wasn't difficult due to the fact that the tree had been here since before my time and I'd been climbing it ever since I was allowed to. Of course my climbing was kinda slow 'cause of my less than perfect legs, but I got where I needed to.

Once I'd reached the shelf and swing, I grabbed a book and immersed myself in a good story.
~⊙ω⊙~
Hours had passed. It was midday, but it seemed so dark. The wind had gotten rougher. I smelled the rain before it came down. The books would get wet! I scrambled towards the tarp I kept in a box on the shelf. The tarp jumped as I opened the box, the wind yanked at it eagerly. My feet slipped slightly, the tarp became looser and the wind, as if angry, started to tear it away from my wet hands. I grabbed at the tarp and shoved it over the rattling bookshelf. I threw my body weight over it to keep it down. It flapped against the wood and my skin roughly.

Thunder crashed loudly, lightning illuminated the sky a beautifully terrifying white. Getting off the tree is top priority, but first I need to make sure the tarp won't fall off. The tarp, almost in reply, flapped angrily against the shelf. The branches were swaying dangerously in the wind. I grabbed one end of the tarp and tied it to the branch the shelf was on. The thunder boomed again and the lightning flashed brightly, but I continued to tie all the ends of the tarp to the branch. My books would not get wet, not on my watch.

"Rubicea!" I heard in the direction of the house. I didn't respond, I needed to concentrate on getting down now that the books were safe.

The bark looked slippery. The drop was high. I could break my legs again. Fear flashed through my body as I considered all the consequences of trying to go down. I was stuck in place, my body paralyzed, as I looked at the drop. The thunder shoved me out of the trance. I needed to get down.

I carefully latched onto the branch under the one I was previously on. I continued to inch my way down, branch many branch. The thunder startled me, I slipped. My arms grappled for the nearest thing. They grabbed air and rain. I fell. I saw a branch, I grabbed. The branch swayed away from my grasp. "No!" I yelled. "Rubicea!" my mom yelled from a few feet away. She dashed towards me. "NOEL!" she yelled. The world was a blur. A beautiful light show. A scary painting. I reached for any branch I could find. They were all too wet from the rain. The world almost in slow motion.

Branches snapped against my back. Leaves sliced and slapped my skin. Fear felt like a strange memory. What I felt now was terror. Adrenaline filled my body with a tingly feeling, it sharpened my vision. I looked for the tree trunk. I dove. I braced myself for the impact and shut my eyes. My body and hands collided with the trunk. I hugged it with all my might, my knees, toes, and fingers digging into the bark. The world stopped falling. I opened my eyes. The rain was till pelting, the thunder still crashing, the lightning still shining, and I was alive.

I crawled to the nearest branch. I continued my pursuit to the floor. My hands bled. My clothes had torn and my body still felt the aftermath of the adrenaline and terror. I eventually reached the floor.