
Precipice
I take a step and the ground beneath crumbles into rubble and falls, pebbles bash repeatedly against the rocks like bouncy balls until they reach their end. Down below, a river gushes angrily, lashing against anything that has the ill-luck to come in its way. Storm clouds are gathered above it. Typical change!
When I look into the distance, these turbulent waters meet the sea and find solace. The waters in the distance are blue and tranquil. They’ve found their rhythm, their new routine.
I know if I fall, I just have to keep afloat until I reach the calm seas. But the initial turbulence scares me. There is so much about me that will change and yet nothing will. My nationality will get a new ‘an’. A move to a new country, a new continent beckons. I will be uprooted yet again. I will unlearn and learn yet again.
Why did I come this far, all the way to the edge? I remember someone pushing me out of my box of comfort. When I look back, I see myself. A version of myself who wished for something to happen, who wished for a break from routine.
There are moments of extreme excitement but once they pass, all I want is to run back into the comfortable bosom of status quo.
I have to decide. It’s now or never. Stop fidgeting and jump. “Take the leap,” my brain urges. The heart however, wants to run back, get the piece of myself I left in that box. But there’s no time for that. Everything around me is crumbling fast. Change is the only constant.
To muster courage, I take deep breaths and roll my shoulders. But really, I’m doing everything I can to delay the jump. I hear a low tinkling, like a wind chime in a salubrious breeze. It’s a little green glass bottle with a cork stopper. It looks like it came straight out of a medieval apothecary. It’s lying flat on the ground near my feet.
The label on it reads ‘Liquid Strength’ in beautiful cursive handwriting. I peek into the contents of the bottle. In the dancing green potion, I see the darling faces of my family, my very own brew of liquid strength.
I take a long, deep swig, close my eyes and jump. The winds of change toss me around like a feather in the wind. I don’t know where they’ll take me but I embrace them and hold on tight.
This is an interesting piece. It reads like a mix of fiction and non-fiction. It left me wanting more.
Creative non fiction for sure! Hope the leap is all that you hope for.Wishing you the best and chin up. Change can be good 🙂
My brother is a much bolder sort than I am. In his younger days he engaged in activities such as sky diving, hang gliding, and rock climbing. Me, I hate it when my car has to stop on an overpass. Or an underpass.
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Apologies if this is a duplicate comment. My other one got sent to Spam. I tend to have trouble commenting on WordPress blogs.
My younger brother is a much bolder person than I am. Before he injured his back falling off a ladder truck (he was a firefighter/paramedic) he used to partake in activities such as hang gliding, sky diving, and rock climbing.
As for me, I tend to freak out if I have to stop on an overpass. Or an underpass.
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Still loving your fictional stuff, always a brilliant read.
Its beautiful writing,Hema! I need break out of the comfort box too!