“Sunlight”

By Lauren

Everything was hot. It was tearing at her skin, searing it, causing perspiration to leap out of her pores. Her body was overwhelmed by the sensation, ironically causing her to shiver. She could not even see her surroundings; she was blinded by the brightness. All she could make out was a flash of white, yellow, and little dots floated before her eyes. Floating spots everywhere, no matter where she turned, and the heat overwhelming her. She was surrounded by looming, blurred figures.

She couldn’t decipher what anything was yet. Her vision had not cleared. She tried not to panic at the sounds- some type of twittering, a rustle? Of what? Voices- off in the distance, muttering. More twittering, a high-pitched squeal, something moving. Little shadows were darting in the air around her.

Not only was she hot, but she simultaneously felt something cold sliding against her, barely touching her skin, causing her hairs to stand on end. It was like the silk of her bed, barely touching her, yet coolly sliding against her, kissing her face.

Eventually, the blurred shapes began to take form. As they darted about, she made out an oval body, something that went up and down in the air, claws, and an orange triangle that emitted the loud twittering noise. Thick brown…things rose around her with oval green objects moving about, rustling. Above her, everything was blue, broken only by the occasional puffy object. It was white enough to match her skin.

Whenever she looked at the glowing, circular object in the sky, the floating objects appeared before her eyes once again. It made her skin crawl with heat. She glanced behind her, towards the ground, where green stems prickled at her feet. Before her loomed a large, dark hole. She wanted never again to return to that place. It was all she had ever known- the cold, damp earth, the room her father had fashioned for her, hiding her from the world. All she had ever known was darkness, a freezing chill, mute silence except for the noises she herself created.

And now, an entirely different world stood before her. She could hardly stand as she felt physically struck by the onrush of senses. With one more glance behind her, she turned and began to run, forever leaving behind the darkness of her past.