seussicalities.

this was for my creative writing final. :)


mint-green & bubblegum-pink stripes spiral up the twisted trunks of cherry blossom trees. as they sway flirtatiously, dripping small pink petals, their falling razor-blade leaves make millons of tiny cuts in the curiously smooth bark. from the injuries pulse tiny scarlet rivers, flowing down to the roots & staining the earth a rich auburn. a strong coppery scent mingles with that of the surrounding blooms, & the sickening blend lingers in the twilight, ignoring the light breeze that should disperse it. i continue to skip along the brightly-colored hopscotch path, glancing warily at the razor trees on either side of me every so often, their candy-cane limbs clawing desperately at the air.

glowing insects float about, seemingly in time with the long-forgotten melodies now ringing in my ears. the little orbs flash & hover, lighting my way, far below the subtle shine of the lunar eclipse. the sprinkling of stars is a white lace veil over a black velvet sky, and while taking in the vastness above me, i feel the ground under my feet change from chalked-on dirt to coarse gravel. surprised, my eyes return unconsciously to the path in front of me, where the hopscotch chalk has vanished, and i notice several bright neon spots along the new road. squashed fireflies smolder like embers there, like burning paint splatters, dimming with each passing second as their remaining bioluminescence expends itself. my eyes well as i watch their life-lights snuffed out like candles in the night, one by one disappearing into the gravel underneath. i clench my eyes shut & try to shake the tears away, swallowing the painful lump lodged in my throat.

hot wetness trickles down my cheek before i can stop it, & i taste a familiar salty sweetness on my trembling lips. a colder drop rolls over my flush then, as another splashes on my scalp, & another, & another, before the honeyed drip-drop tune embraces me. a pleasant shiver darts down my spine with a cool stream of water, & i gaze dreamily into the ever-present rainshower. glancing into the state of perpetual twilight behind me, i can still see a few remaining lives flickering in the last minutes of the lightning bug massacre. none of the brave little soldiers will make it home tonight.

i rotate forward again, bringing my face back into the rainfall. the sky is a clear, empty blue on this side. the return of daytime is comforting, despite the apparent lack of a light source. rainbows are scattered across the slick blacktop as sunlight from an invisible sun passes through each tiny prism as it falls from an invisible cloud. a few yards ahead, i spot a seemingly impossible rectangular shadow darkening the ground, & my eyes travel upward into the sky to search for the object responsible. a bronze shape floats directly above, & nearing it, i hear the sweet song the raindrops are singing as they hit the strange tin roof & bounce off. one small step & i find that, standing underneath the perfect shelter, all tension leaves me, tears nowhere to be found, & contented relief floods my mind. beneath my own personal sanctuary, i realize that i can remain, hidden from the world, where nothing can find me but the sound of the rain.

reluctantly stepping back out into the shower, i leave puddles in the place of footprints & each seems a deep & dismal abyss, devoid of any color or life. i touch my toe to one rippling surface & suddenly i'm falling rapidly in no particular direction, writhing mid-air, my poor hands grasping nothing. a soft thud. my arms crumple under me as i attempt to push myself upright. one feverish cheek makes contact with frozen smoothness, & a faint scent of honeysuckle & vanilla reaches my nose. my eyes search frantically, confused & startled. finally sitting up, i notice that the walls--once white--are now saturated with the vivid graffiti of rejected ideas, crushed dreams, & vacant thoughts, all written in the most vibrant of inks: neon tangerine, fluorescent lime, electric blue. skeleton-like aspen trees grow sporadically throughout the room, appearing to have forced their way up right through the foundation. each trunk has been marked with an "X" in a dripping candy-apple-red spray paint. delicately, i touch the brilliant marking on one tree, & the still-wet crimson stains my fingertips as the fumes burn my eyes. a weak rustle behind me. a tremor shoots through my body & my heart thumps erratically.

whirling around on my heels at the muted sound, i face a rosebush that was not there before. radiating health & life, with full, green leaves & strong, thick stems, its withering flowers are out of place. quite curiously, they tremble, shaking dewdrops from their wilted petals & flinging them downward to evaporate on contact with black & white checkerboard tiles. quivering gently, each petal shrivels & falls, drifting, as if in slow motion, to the damp earth at the plant's feet. the sight sends me into convulsions as my heart shatters in my chest, jagged rubies cutting at my lungs & stomach, slaughtering the butterflies there. my knees buckle beneath me, & i collapse into a heap, the shrieks of bleeding butterflies resounding in my head. a shudder leaps through me as the last petal turns to ash, & a lone monarch lands on my exposed cheek & flutters its paper-thin wings, sunshine yellow and deep violet. one more jolt passes through me before my spirit leaves, & then, together forever in wonderland, the souls
of my butterfly & I echo their last goodbyes down white-walled halls with checkerboard tiles.