The Gravel Road

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Gravel crunches under my feet as the night sky opens above my head and stars wink in and out of existance. Crickets chirp and coyotes howl across the lake. The dark water ripples and frogs call to each other with echoing voices in the dark. Gravel crunches under my feet as the full moon sinks behind the trees and the sun rises over the world. Gravel crunches under my feet as curtians of willow branches are revealed in the light, waving in the gentle breeze. A bright blue sky emerges from the burnt orange sunrise and endless birds cry from their nests, hearlding the dawn into existance. Gravel crunches under my feet, as it has every night for the last week. An endless gravel pathway through an endless summer’s dream. The crunch of gravel fades under my feet as I awake in my bed once again, never reaching my destination.

My waking thoughts are consumed by gravel pathways in the countryside. Eat breakfast with orange juice, the color of the sunrise over that lake. Get dressed, summer cotton shirts in my closet beg to be worn in such a place as that dream. Dogs bark and chase me past their yards on my morning run, reminding me of the distant coyote howls in another world. Head to work, birds swoop and whistle outside just like the ones I long to see. Another day of longing, of dreaming to see the world in my head. Another day of growing desperation to see the end of the journey. Another day of routine and repetition instead.

Gravel crunches under my feet as I lay in bed again. Gravel crunches under my feet as I walk under the stars. Gravel crunches, louder and louder, drowning out the coyotes that howl and the cricket that sing in the moonlight. Desperation grabs hold, and I run, my feet pounding faster than my heart. Gravel crunches until the morning, when the crunch of gravel is replaced by the screaming of the alarm clock. I can’t keep up this dream walking much longer.

Another dreary day passes.

Nighttime again. This time there was an empty pill bottle by my bed. This time I made sure the gravel road would lead me to my destination. Gravel crunches under my feet, gentle this time, I’m in no hurry. I watch the stars twinkling above me, working out the constellations in the dark. Coyotes howl at the beautifully full moon above me, welcoming the darkness as the crickets weave melodies around their piercing cries. I stop on the shore of the lake, watching the water lap at the sand, slowly erasing the footprints left by all manner of bird and beast. My hands tangle in the willow branches as I continue down my path, gravel crunching as the soft leaves slide through my fingers and fall back into the rythym of the breeze. Gravel crunches when I turn a new corner, my destination finally, finally coming into view.

There it was, a gorgeous stone house, resting atop a hill at the end of the gravel road. More beautiful than any I’d ever seen, with columns and balconies and music pouring from the open windows and gas lanterns making the house glow like a beacon in the darkness. Vibrant gardens spread out around the house, with twisting pathways leading in all directions down the hill away from the house. As I passed into the gardens, the sun rose in a magnificant display, with delicate pinks and oranges streaking across the sky. Birds shot out of their hiding places with songs sweeter than any I’d ever heard, dancing on the wind and sailing into the open air. Animals wandered freely through the gardens next to me as I went, squirrels with twitching tails darted across my path, cats lounged on stine benches in the sunshine, even the coyotes I’d heard every night strode calmly through the gardens like they belonged there. Fountians bubbled and streams babbled and the buzzing of bees came from every bush and tree. Truly I had never seen such a place before.

Gravel crunched under my feet as I approached the grand stone steps leading to the great oak doors of the house. A woman opened them and came down the steps to greet me. Tears welled in my eyes as she wrapped me in her familiar embrace. With a kiss on the cheek, she pulled away, and I watched as my mother started up the stairs to the doors. She turned, smiling gently, and extended her hand to me. An invitation. I did not hesitate. The gravel no longer crunched under my feet, replaced by the click of my shoes on the stone as I walked hand in hand with my mother into the unknown. Passing through the doorway, the sunlight caught my eye, shining brighter than any other day I could remember, then fading as the doors swung shut behind us of their own accord.

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