Renewal

  The boy ran through the woods, not knowing where he wanted to go. There was so much freedom, so many possibilities! It felt good to finally let go of all the stress that had burdened him for so long. The faint aroma of the trees and blossoms around him, combined with the untainted air, invigorated him. Soon, he could see a clearing, with sunlight pouring through the trees up ahead. Just a few more sprints and-

  He tripped. After hitting the ground and rolling in a fashion that, he had to admit, would've been hilarious to onlookers, he searched around him. The perpetrator? His shoelaces, which always seemed to be getting themselves untied when he least expected it. He laced his shoes up and continued his short journey at a brisk walk rather than a mad dash.

  When he reached the clearing, he merely admired it. I guess this is a nice vacation spot, after all he thought. He chuckled at his confession, since only a short while ago, he protested the journey.

*    *    *

  "Why do we have to go there?" He had whined to his parents.

  "Now son, you know it'll be nice to enjoy the weekend as a family." repeated his father, slightly frowning as he drove the car down a long stretch of highway.

  "Why there though? Why not some big city, in a nice hotel, with wi-fi and room service?" He had complained.

  "Honey, you'll see. It's nice to get away from it all and relax." His mother replied from the front seat, her tone warm and calming.

*    *    *

  Here he was now, understanding what his parents had meant. He surveyed his surroundings. The soft grass, still wet with morning due, caught the sunlight and shimmered. There was a stream gently flowing down through the center of the clearing, nourishing all manner of wildflowers. All the while, birds were singing songs of early summer and comfortably warm, breezy days.

  This looks like a great spot he thought. He took his place by the stream and layed down, absentmindedly picking at flower petals and grass blades. It was beautifully surreal how detatched this place seemed from the rest of the world. That world of cars and highways, of jobs and school, of stress and exhaustion, of hardship and misery...all of it seemed so foreign to him now that he was among the serenity of nature. The skyline, flanked by majestic mountains, supported only a few clouds, of the wispy and puffy variety.

  Within moments, he found himself nodding off. He jerked awake and looked once again about him. The breeze was beginning to pick up, and the flowers began to dance. As he watched them, they spun and leapt, showing for all the world how free a rooted plant could be. The sun became warmer, casting its rays upon the leaves of the nearby trees. Those leaves rustled, with small critters crawling around. The birds' hypnotizing tune reached a crescendo. The stream's babbling became more audible, as it provided the clearing with stable life and constantly changing renewal. The once delicate scent turned into a fragrant aroma. Even the dew on the grass started to feel even more refreshing against his skin.

  He felt more alive now than he had felt in the cities! He stood up and ran around the clearing, spinning, leaping, and breathing that maddening, livening air. He stumbled more than once on his silly shoelaces, and eventually collapsed.

  He opened his eyes once more.

  That was all so unreal... he marveled. Was it a dream? There's no way this place could come so alive!

  The sun was lower in the sky, and he felt ready to trek back to the cabin. He stood up and nearly tripped.

  Looking down, he saw that his shoe was untied.