just thinkin'

Once there was a woman who, frustrated with the daily hum-drum of her life, picked up a basket and went out to pick flowers. Already emotionally separated from her clan, she felt alone and without purpose. Knowing the healing properties of the flowers of the wild, she set out in search of the perfect flower, the one that would give her new life. She walked along a path that wound through a forest, out into a field of grass replete with colorful petals. The air was sweet as she wandered, urging her forward until she was quite far from home. Although she saw many beautiful flowers along the way, there was none so perfect as the one she spied at the edge of the grass. There, growing in a soft spot on the side of a high cliff, was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen, and one, she knew, was also alone. She decided that this was one flower that would never be picked. Once removed from its root, it would wither and die, and in the end, what would be left of its beauty? With the sea far beneath, the woman, desperate to look more closely at this flower, inched toward it on the rocky ledge. The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks surrounded her, but rather than frightening her as she balanced on the edge of the cliff, it comforted her with its whispered shouts, as if gently telling her she was treading on soft soil, for indeed the soil on the edge was very soft, and once she reached toward the flower to stroke its velvety petals, the soil gave way beneath her feet, and with nothing to reach for she began to fall. In an instant, with desperation coursing through her, she let go of her basket of flowers, reached up with her fingers and grasped the root of a tree that had grown out of the side of the cliff, the flowers drifting and blowing in the sea air below her, landed noiselessly on the rocks below. Pain shot through her shoulders as her body was yanked downward, then upward, by the force of the interrupted inertia, and she slammed against the rock wall beside her with such a force that she became temporarily nauseated, but her hold on the tree root was strong, and she pulled herself up just enough to wrap one arm around it.
She knew that no one from her clan was aware of her location, perhaps even oblivious to the fact that she was absent from among them, and she began to despair of never being rescued. “Perhaps it would just be better if I were to let go and drop into the sea. I will die, but I will not suffer at any rate.” She told herself. She wasn’t ready yet to die, however, and continued to clutch the root with all her strength.
“Is anyone there?” She cried out after a long while. She had doubts that her voice could be heard above the roar of the sea. “I’m down here. Someone please help me.”
The sun began its bedtime crawl beneath the horizon, and despite her predicament, the woman gazed at it in wonder. “The world will always go on.” She told herself. Her arms were getting tired, and her head hurt. She wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.
Just at the moment when she had finally decided that it would be best to relax her hold and let the sea take her, a man’s voice called out from above. “Hold on.” She looked up to see the face of a young man smiling down at her as he threw a rope out over the edge. “Climb up. You aren’t very far down there and it won’t take much to get you back up.” The woman glanced at the rocks below and became instantly terrified of falling. A flower was laying still on a large flat rock, withered and broken, it’s white petals crushed by the spray of the sea. She didn’t want to end like that flower.
“I can’t let go of the root. I’ll fall.” She cried.
“If you don’t let go of the root, you will eventually fall.” The man answered back. “The only way up is if you let go of the tree root and grab on to the rope.”
Nervously, with much pain from her shoulders, the woman reached her loose hand over to the rope and held on tightly. “Wrap it around your wrist,” The man shouted. She did as she was told, and then slowly unwrapped her arm from around the tree root and grabbed the rope. Swinging one foot up, she placed it on top of the tree root as an anchor and stood for a moment. “I have it now.” She jerked the rope to let the man know to pull. As he pulled, she crawled with her feet up the rock wall until she reached the edge. With one hand at a time, she let go of the rope and grasped the steady rocks of the edge, pulling herself up first to her elbows, then her stomach, and then swung her feet up and over the top. She lay on the ledge for a second to catch her breath and thank God for her survival.
“I am glad you were there…” She began, but when she looked around to thank her hero, there was no one, only the breeze blowing the grass. “Hello?” She shouted as she stood and brushed herself off. “Is anyone there?” But, it was evident that she was alone.
Confused, but grateful, she sat down a few feet away from the ledge and gazed toward the sinking sun. Remembering the beautiful flower for which she had fallen, she looked along the ledge for it, but there was nothing. Not a living thing grew on that ledge.
When the sun was gone, leaving only the twilight about her, she stood and readied herself to go back. “No.” She told herself firmly. “I won’t go back to the life before. I can’t. Not now.” She turned herself toward the old sea road and began her journey toward the life that had been reborn on the ledge.