Number-one bestselling author
I was sitting in the clouds
when I first saw you.
Looking down on the world
that I’d removed myself from,
it was your light that I
saw first, that brilliant light
that shone from you, right
up to the clouds. I was
happily blinded, just for
a moment, your light being
brighter than the sun.
I looked around me and
saw a paradise that had
all of a sudden turned dull.
It was one I had created
but it was empty.
It was not paradise without
you, an empty dream
without you beside me.
I knew I had to find you,
but to do that, I would
have to set foot on
the land I had left so long
ago. I let myself fall
through the clouds,
their gossamer tendrils trying
to slow my fall to the earth.
The clouds let out a
soft whisper, as if already
longing for me. I fell to
the ground to find myself
at the entrance to a forest,
towering trees dark and
looming over me. I knew
that you were on the
other side of the forest
and that I would have
to find my way through.
I took the first step and
then another, wondering how
many steps I would have
to take until I found you.
I took another step forward
and found myself in
amongst the darkness
of shadow and twilight.
The world looked different here
I felt even more lost, even more
confused. I knew that I
just had to keep walking
forward and that I
would find you. I could
see glints of light through
the leaves that I thought (hoped)
was your light. I moved forward.
I did not know that the journey
through the forest would last
for so long. I was still
a lost boy, no longer sure what
I was searching for. I wished
for you in the darkness,
the shadows were my blankets
against the cold. In the dark,
I wished for you. Inside the shadows,
I yearned for you, even though
I wasn’t sure you existed anymore.
I spent years inside the forest,
getting to know every nook and
cranny, every brook and stream,
every bird of prey and every day,
I still wished for you.
I no longer remembered what
you looked like, I could only
picture your light and imagine
its warmth. One day, I finally
gave up hope. I let go of
the wish and watched it fly
away from me, through the leaves
of the trees that were high above me.
I walked on inside the forest,
Shadow and Darkness old friends
by now, their voices like the wind.
I missed the whisper of the clouds.
Still, I walked forward. I could see
a chink of light through the
trunks of the trees, could hear
something moving in front of
me, coming closer. Shadow and
Darkness flew away, afraid of the light.
I stood there, afraid of what
had come looking for me,
terrified of what had found me.
Then, the light grew even brighter
and you were standing in front of me,
a silhouette that shone bright.
I walked towards you.
“You found me.”
I said.
“I’ve been wandering forever, searching for you.”
You regarded me, your features
becoming clearer as my own light
started to shine. You took my hand.
“I’ve been searching for you.”
You said.
“I wasn’t sure you existed, but you are proof that dreams do come true.”
We watched as the trees
began to twist and bend,
giving us a way through.
We walked forward,
no longer lost.