Morning in the Meadow

The morning mist lay on the meadow like a thin blanket. It almost seemed like there were layers in different dimensions rather than one cloud. I stretched out my hands and felt the dampness of the air pass through my fingers. I could feel the moisture collect on my skin forming tiny droplets barely visible to the eye. I breathed deep and took in the clean crisp air.

It was then that I first felt it. If it hadn't been for the peaceful state I was in, I would have passed it off for a wind chill or some other natural anomaly and kept on walking. Instead, I stopped. I noticed that it was more than just the morning breeze moving across the heather. At first I felt it in my chest, as if it had entered my heart. Then, like the blood being pumped through my veins, it radiated out to the rest of my body. My arms and hands tingled as if electricity were passing through them. I shuddered at the feeling for it almost seemed as if something was trying to enter me or already had. The air around me seemed to constrict and push in like a vice. My breathing started coming out in short rasps as it left my mouth in small clouds in the cold air. I wanted to run but felt helpless as I stoop there paralyzed.

Then, as if a small lantern were placed next to my body, I felt a warmth start to grow. It was hardly perceptible at first compared to the onslaught I was experiencing, but it was there. I could feel it. I focused on that small bit of hope and allowed it to expand and course through my body. Suddenly, I could sense the colder feeling fighting against this new force. The two unknown beings seemed to tear through my body as the unseen battle raged. I collapsed to my knees and fought to even take a breath as my mind tried to comprehend what was happening. My eyes rapidly searched the surrounding field for any sign of life to come and save me from the inevitable doom that I felt would take place. The mist seemed to thicken and darken in patches, whereas other areas caught what little light was filtering through the morning haze. They seemed to move around me and through me. I tried to cry out just to break the deafening silence, but all I could muster was a soft whimper.

Just then, when it seemed like the harsher of the two forces was going to win and conquer this fleshy tabernacle, the sun burst over the ridge and flooded the meadow with light. Rays of healing warmth shot through the fog and seemed to push it back like a knight with a magic sword. I inhaled sharp and deep as if I had been underwater for too long. I cried freely as the sun continued to rise and envelop me like a warm blanket. The cold air was gone. No longer did I feel under pressure. All I felt was a burning in my chest that extended through my whole body. I got back to my feet and stood there again, alone in the field with this pillar of fire as my only companion. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and smiled as strength entered my legs again and I walked towards the rising sun.