Attaining Perfection

            I walked along the sun-dried road without a care in the world.  A vast prairie stretched on for miles in every direction and waves of grass broke against the slowly sloping mound of dirt upon which the road sat.  The sun bore down upon my exposed head making my hair hot to the touch and scalding my scalp. I had abandoned my jacket long ago and I could feel my skin beginning to burn. After an hour of trudging along the road I saw a blur on the horizon. Sweat had already seeped through my gray cotton shirt and my jeans were clinging to my legs like a second skin.  Even this faint hope of shade filled my exhausted muscles with a new energy. 

            After what seemed like an eternity under the sun I came abreast of my blur. The massive limbs of the oak tree reached for the road as if seeking to shelter it from the abrasive sun. Relieved to have reached my destination at last I started to descend the bank of dirt. As my feet hit the ground at the base of the mound something stirred in the grass. I felt apprehension grow in my belly. I could barely see out over the top of the grass, but I could see the trail of grass that was not moving with the sway of the rest of the group, and it was coming straight at me. I quickly tried to scramble back up the mound, but the baked dirt crumbled in my hands.  Frantically I looked behind my shoulder to see how much time I had left as a breathing, sentient being.  I looked at the giant oak, my one remaining goal in this bleak life.

            I think that it was that moment when something snapped in my head. When the beast cautiously stuck its misshapen head out of the stalks of grass I was ready. I leapt over the creatures head and ran for all my worth. The air around me formed a thick blanket as I tried to pass and plunged into my lungs with a cold fire.  Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, trying to obscure the haven of the tree. I could feel the breath of the beast behind me; feel its eyes on my back focusing on me that voracious, unceasing hunger. The tree was only five feet away now; close enough for me to see the circle of short, green grass around it. Close enough to see the brook stemming up from under its roots.

            Tears filled my eyes at the sight of paradise. Relief welled up in my chest; I was going to make it. Pain seared through my chest replacing the relief that had been there moments before. I cried out as I was born to the ground by the weight of the beast. Squirming to face the creature, I found myself looking at a contorted version of myself. Startled, I let down my guard. This was me, if I got lost in the ocean of grass this would be me. Desperately I pushed the beast off of me and stumbled the last few feet into my haven. My goal, I had reached it. Looking back over my shoulder I could see no sign of the beast. Except for the scars it had left on me there was nothing to say that it ever existed. Kneeling by the spring I could feel the sun burn easing my headache was waning away as well. I drew the back of my hand over my mouth, wiping away the stray drops of water and climbed up awkwardly into the tree, nestling myself in a crook between branch and trunk.

            From my vantage point I could see a white gleam at the base of the trunk. I gracefully fell from the tree and landed squarely on my face. Crouching down I gently pulled aside the patch of grass covering my new discovery. Lying before me was a human skeleton. It was probably my imagination, but I had the strange feeling that the skeleton was resting. It was in a classic angle of repose, with arms crossed over its chest, feet stretched out in front, and head leaning against a knob in the bark. Someone had found their haven before me. Content with the world I climbed back into my tree and stretched out on one of the massive, moss covered limbs. Staring out at the ocean of grass, I lay my head against the oak and fell asleep.

 

Author's Note

I'm not quite happy with the ending any suggestions would be appreciated.

Reviews

Intriguing. I don't really get it though. The title helps a little, but I'm not quite sure...

'I gracefully fell from the tree and landed squarely on my face.' Ouch, that has got to hurt. Did you mean 'feet' instead of 'face'?

Also, 'I cried out as I was born to the ground by the wait of the beast.' I suppose you meant 'weight' instead of 'wait'?

That said, I think your descriptions are great and really bring the piece to life.

Your ending seems alright to me, except maybe more could have been explained, like what the skeleton and the evil twin meant.