True Gold

Prologue

The clouds ask me if I am alright and I say that I am fine but I'm not really, I am just pretending because I don’t want them to see my fear. The sun asks me what the problem is but I wave it off  because I don’t want her to know that my world is crumbling to pieces around me. The moon asks me if I'm sad so I quickly change the topic so he won’t hear the sadness tearing me apart. The winds tell me to cheer up and I ask why I wouldn’t be cheerful before walking away so  they won’t see me crying from the weight of my life.  The stars assume I am sad so they sing me a song before I smile because I am scared that they might find out the mind shattering thoughts ripping at my very being.

Apparently I am excellent at lying.

The clouds, sun, moon, winds and stars believe my words and say goodbye. So I find myself walking home with rain being my only friend. The only one that truly understands my emotions.

She pours down on top of me, not in an aggressive way but in a comforting way as if she is patting me on the shoulder and telling me everything will be alright. But she isn't saying that, she is telling me a story of the time she soaked the leader of our land and how it made her feel so powerful because humans couldn’t hurt him (with all his guards surrounding him) but she could depress him to crying point.

I love listening to her stories. They always make me feel so happy. Her voice makes them sound so beautiful and joyful. It is common for humans to see the rain as a depressing object getting in the way of their life but she is more than that. She is always happy and only comes down to earth soaking everyone to tell me, and others like me, stories and sharing conversations. She is the exact opposite of depressing.

But because humans have misinterpreted her over the years she is constantly surrounded by sadness whenever she comes to earth. The reason for this is because of humans lack of brain usage. The average human uses about 10% of their brain, which makes them unable to speak with the elements. If they could only use half of their brain they would be able to hear the stars sing , listen to the rain tell stories, listen to the moon's powerful words, crack jokes with the sun, dance with winds and have a honest conversation with the clouds. But they have grown ignorant, and have forgotten to understand what they are looking at. There is only a few of us left. Only a few who can talk to the elements, and we are becoming rarer by the day.

 The rain has finished her story now. Her words have moved on and now she is telling me how I need to be strong and brave. She wants me to make her proud. But how can I possibly make her proud when the odds are against me? Doesn’t she know about the slim chance of me coming out on top? She must. She is just comforting me and telling me never to stop trying in her own way.

Tomorrow will be the end of me. I know this for certain. There is no way that I can beat the odds. Tomorrow, my life will end, wether I want it to or not. There is no denying it. I sever, my connection with the rain and crawl into the depths of my mind. I pray for darkness, for it to wrap me up and hide me from the world. But it is slow to come.

I walk off my usual route home and enter a sparse forest. Its not really a forest, but the trees are so tall and there are so many that they go on forever. The foliage isn't dense either. Lots of holes let sunlight through, creating sun beams that warm my body.

I walk through the forest for what seems like hours until I reach 'my home'. Technically it isn't home. I don’t even live here. I live with my Mother and brother in a house on the outskirts of town. But there is something about this place that makes me feel like I belong. This place isn't my physical home, but it belongs to my heart and soul. This place screams me.

I step into a lush meadow. The grass is the greenest green in the world, and no one knows about it except me. The outskirts of the meadow are flat but soon start rising until it peaks in a low hill, about half the height of one of the trees, which average about 8 metres. The meadow is surrounded by tall trees that make a perfect circle around the hill in the centre. The area of the meadow has a diameter of roughly 100 meters which is the perfect size to fit me and all my problems.

I half run-half walk up to the top of the hill where the breeze rustles my hair. I allow my emotions to run wild and the first tear comes rolling down my cheek. If there is one place I feel safe, it is here. If there is one place I love, it is here. And if there is one place I belong, I belong here.

I don't know how long I stand there watching the approaching rain clouds and balling my eyes out.

Overhead a large strike of lightning hits the edge of the meadow and I fall down in shock. It takes me  a moment to process what is happening and by the time I have figured it out another stroke of lightning strikes only metres away. I look up at the dark rain clouds looming above me and realisation hits me. I run for the trees. I am no longer safe in my meadow. I have been discovered and now there is no way I will be going to my house with my family. My time is up.

With deep sadness, I leave my meadow and head even deeper into the woods; deeper than I have ever been before. The trees grow larger and closer together here. The foliage is dense and no light gets in. I stumble through the darkness for what must be hours, with the lightning high on my trail. And then, so suddenly, a huge strike hits centimetres away from my foot and I get blown into a tree. My immediate response should have been pain but I feel nothing. My sight starts blurring as the rain begins to pour and the wind begins howling. They all know what's happening now; all the elements. But they cant help me anymore. I slip away from the world into darkness. I will not see the moon tonight.

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When I wake, the sun is just rising. Birds are singing in the trees and the deep forest that seemed to be so dark and dangerous has become a warm and safe haven.

Why am I still here? Why haven't they taken me? Its now I realise that I am sitting in a small patch of sunlight; only half a meter in width and length. Of course! The sun is protecting me! Why wouldn't she be? They are all protecting me. It is so obvious now.

The wind is blowing my hair around. The moon can only just be seen over the brightness of the sun. The stars are always by my side and I hear their faint singing. The rain has left it mark from last night; dew is dripping off the nearby leaves and the ground is damp. I can smell the rain too. Its that nice smell after its rained, one of such purity and cleanness. And up above me the rain is hiding in the clouds; clouds that look fluffy and white.

I open my mind to them and they shoot me with hundreds of questions that I don’t want to answer, only the rain holds back because she knows all the answers.

"What happened? Are you okay? Why did this happen? How come you didn’t tell us? Who did this? Why did they do it? Why aren't you answering us? Can you hear me? What did you do? Did you know this was going to happen? I don’t understand…" Their speaking enters my head but gets lost in my mind. He did this. He sent the lightning after me. A sudden thought entered my head. Where is my locket? I feel my neck. There is nothing there. Nothing...gone… taken! That’s why I am still here. He didn’t want me. Just my locket. A sudden panic boils inside as the meaning of what I have just discovered sinks in.

I must get my locket back. It is essential. I must.