Cabin in the Mist

Mist drifted down along the rolling hills. Among the hills was a cluster of forest and in that forest was a cabin. The cabin was rustic but comfortable with a wildwood as the backyard. Owls hooted in the night, light rain fell on lush green trees. Two small lantern lights were placed outside the door of the cabin, an inviting sight that promised warmth on a rainy night. Inside the cabin was a crackling fire in the hearth. Wooden chairs with cushioning, a small kitchen that had the aroma of baked goods and coffee. The scent of wood smoke and fresh cut wood lingered through the whole cabin. A small black cat was resting by the fire, warming itself against the damp air. It purred softly as it drifted off to sleep. The atmosphere was so calming that the air itself would calm the most anxious person with each breath they took. The calm drifted over the woods, relaxation was easily achieved here.

The outside world had storms and fires to put out but the small cabin had only gentle rain and the sound of gentle crackling flames.

Joseph walked through the forest path, he had been lost for countless days, months and even years. He traveled tirelessly, looking for answers but only finding troubles. The scent of wood smoke caught his attention first then the faint glow of the lanterns could be seen. Joseph continued to approach the cabin. Rain gently tapped against his heavy coat, hair and skin. Joseph didn’t mind the rain or the night but was thrilled to see a warm cabin appear from the forest.

Joseph opened the wooden door and saw the relaxing cabin before him. He sighed, releasing troubles from his shoulders and worries from his mind. The sins of the past dripped off of him like rain from his coat. He took a deep breath as he walked further into the cabin. His troubles and worries began to fly from him like ash in the wind.



            Joseph sat down out of reflex, like this was the most familiar thing in the world. As he sat on the wooden chair by the fire he felt the warm crackling flames and he smiled. Soft music began to play as he enjoyed the warmth and rest. Joseph looked over at the empty wooden chairs next to him. He sighed again then looked down. He appreciated the rest but was tired of traveling alone.



            “Don’t look so down in the dumps” Said a voice. Joseph looked up and saw his friends were all now there, filling the empty seats next to him.

The rain fell outside and Joseph began to cry, it was a cry of relief. “This is all I wanted” Joseph said.


            Joseph traveled, looked for answers everywhere he went but all he needed was a warm place to sit with friends.

Transition

            John sat back in his wooden chair, the chair was sturdy, functional but also looked nice, with the smooth finish and rounded backing. John was wearing a button up white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a dark gray vest and matching pants and black dress shoes that had been scuffed. John pushed back a handful of thick black hair from his face as he stared awe struck by a beautiful woman singing a sad song. The woman had vibrant red hair, skin as pale as milk and a shimmering golden dress. Spotlights shined down on her and the shiny parts of the dress reflected light back out into the darkness of the crowd. She looked like an angel or an ascended being too pure for this world.

            John leaned back in his chair and let the music wash over him. John had a sad smile across his face as he enjoyed himself but couldn’t help but let the music effect his heart.

            Every note and word that escaped the songstress’ lips sounded like they came from the pain she felt deep in her soul. She sang with every once of her being and John felt it.

            The whole audience was struck silent by her powerful performance but it was John who was personally affected. He and the songstress were lovers and any pain she felt would echo in his heart as well. “Alyssa” John muttered as he leaned forward in his seat.

            The song played on, the band providing wings to let the songstress’ words soar The words and music touched the hearts of all who heard it and every night the club was packed with people who wanted to hear more.

            Then just as the song reached its high the songstress let loose with everything she had, she sang her heart and soul out and the crowd went wild. That moment cracked like lightning through the earth and then faded like a passing storm only the low rumblings of a distant thunder could be heard until it was over and sound gave way to silence.

            The audience was awed by the music and several seconds of silence lingered in the air before the people regained their senses and cheered like mad. The songstress bowed and gave a sweet smile. The curtains closed and everything stopped.

            John sat in his chair and tears began to trickle down his face. He slowly lifted his hand and gently placed it on the mouse on his computer desk. He moved the mouse over to the replay button and clicked it. The whole scene began to play again. John lifted his glass of whiskey and ice and took a long sip before setting it back down.

            The songstress, the club and the audience were all real and John was even there to experience it in person, but years had passed since that day and now the recording of that day was all John had left of his beautiful songstress Alyssa.

            The world moved on without the once beloved songstress but John still couldn’t. He listened to his love sing again and again as he played the video for the thousandth time. John sat back in his chair and let the music wash over him.

Christmas Landscape

It was three weeks before Christmas and I was in bed, I stared up at the ceiling but was watching the scenery in my head.

            It was night, the stars in the sky shined brightly from space, twinkling for the world to see. The ground was covered in freshly fallen snow, it was light but wet enough to make a small crunching squeak under you foot with each step. Beneath the snow was grass that still had some green color to it. A stone path cut a winding shape through the field of grass. I walked across the stone path, wearing a winter coat and scarf and every exhaling breath was a visible puff of from my mouth. To my left was a row of tall pine trees, each tree was between seven and eight feet tall. Bright strings of lights and colorful decorations covered the trees. These Christmas trees let off a warm glow which was a pleasant contrast to the cold snowy night of winter.

            I continued walking down the path, the snow was melting away from the stone but was still sticking to the grass. As I was walking I spotted two pumpkins lightly dusted with snow. They were to the right of the path and so close that they were almost touching the stone. The snowy pumpkins sat in the grass and seemed out of place in the otherwise Christmas landscape that had been spread out before me.

I approached the pumpkins, crouched down and gently touched the side of one. The pumpkins had faces carved in them. The eyes and mouth lit up when I touched the first pumpkin. Both pumpkins turned to reveal that they were Jack-O-Lanterns with a light that glowed just as bright and warmly as the Christmas trees. “It is much to late for Jack-O-Lanterns” I said, then paused “Or much too early” I added. The first pumpkin began to move its carved mouth “We are not pumpkins that celebrate Halloween, we are pumpkins that you keep around as regret. You carried us into this Christmas and while others walk right by without notice you always stop and check on us. Halloween is once a year and you worry you don’t appreciate it when it arrives. Just the same that you will not fully appreciate Christmas until it is over. When you are walking alone in January you will find a small tree only a foot tall and covered in Christmas lights. You carry your regret without being asked and insist on doing this even if you were told to stop. We are also the fond memory of the recent Halloween passed. It is not all regret it is also joy. But we are pumpkins in the snow, slowly getting buried until we are forgotten until the snow melts. This is just like your memory of Halloween, a beloved holiday that slowly gets snowed over by the excitement of Christmas and when the snow melts you will be wishing for Halloween all over again.” Spoke the first pumpkin, its words cut me to the core and I muttered “sorry” but didn’t know why.

            I stood up from my crouching position and began to walk further down the path. “Don’t worry we will always be around. You don’t need one day to celebrate the happy memories. Those stay forever” Called the second pumpkin, who seemed more laid back and probably took a lot of naps.

            A tear welled up in the corner of my eye as I walked away. I smiled as I thought of the fun I had in Autumn, no matter how short it was, I enjoyed it. I then looked forward and took in the sights of the Christmas snow and lights.

            My walking pace slowed to a stroll as I thought about the Holidays passed and the ones approaching. A small person in green and white clothes was in the field to the far right. He looked like one of santa’s elves. I didn’t believe in santa but I gave the elf the benefit of being possibly real. “Hello!” I called and waved to the elf. The small person looked up and waved back. I continued walking so as to not risk getting lectured by another Holiday symbol. I didn’t need a Christmas elf that eating junk food and staying up all night playing video games was bad, or that I should be more charitable.

            As I walked I saw a small house in the distance. It was brightly lit up and surrounded by the peaceful scenery of night air, snow and a forest even further back behind the house.

            I continued moving forward and could see more detail in the house. It was a small wooden cottage with wood smoke coming from the chimney, snow on the roof, a string of Christmas lights lined the roof and windows and a porch light that seemed warm and inviting. My slow stroll turned into a brisk walk as I imaged the comforts of the cottage and how nice the warm fire would be after walking in the cold night air for so long. My cheeks started to get read and my toes were cold.

            I finally reached the house, I walked up the two wooden steps that led to a covered porch, I wiped my feet on a decorative bear statue that had bristles on his back. The stone bear with the hard bristles seemed to be there with the purpose of cleaning off shoes. As I walked to the door I was about to knock but felt so comfortable I reached for the knob and walked right it.

            The inside of the cottage was warm and inviting, I smelled mulled apple cider and a crackling fire. Soft music played on a record player near by. The crackling of the fire and the small crackling sound the record player made were just as pleasant as the music being played.

            In the living room was a big fluffy dark green couch with blankets draped over the back. Next to the couch was an arm chair which looked just as comfortable. I sat down in the armchair. As soon as my body rested into the chair I began hearing voices of happy people playing in the house. I saw a black cat sitting on the couch, curled up and sleeping. I smiled and reached over to pet the cat. Before I touched the cat my eyes began to tear up. Tears trickled down my face though I did not know why. I touched the cats soft shiny fur, it looked up at me with its big green eyes and then vanished.

            I heard a female’s voice all to me and without hesitation I responded “Yes, Honey?” I looked around and no one was there. I was confused by the house and even more confused by my own actions. The house seemed so real but everything disappeared when I reached for it.

            I stood up and saw silhouettes of children playing and a reading a book while lounging in a chair. I would blink and they silhouettes would disappear. The smell of fresh pie lingered in the air and I could still smell hints of the mulled cider from when I first arrived. I knew these things weren’t real and decided to leave.

            I left through the front door, walked down the two steps and continued walking down the stone path. I didn’t look back once not even after I walked so long that the house was out of view. I walked down the stone path and came to a split. I took the path to the right and followed it into town.

            I arrived in a modern town, it wasn’t fancy, it didn’t have a warm glow and no one went out of their way to give helpful advice, but at least it was real. I walked to a three floor house, made my way passed the front door and opened an easy to miss side door. The door took me up a winding set of stairs that led to another door, I unlocked the second door and arrived at a small apartment on the third floor. It was quiet, cozy and except for the landlord, no one else knew it existed. 

            I entered into the living room, to my right was a big window that looked out on train tracks and the tops of other peoples houses. Sometimes the train would come rocketing by and I could feel the gentle shake of the building as the force of the giant machine moved quickly down the metal tracks. Having the train close to my apartment was an interesting feeling that I have yet to describe in any way other than “pretty cool”. The muffled sound of the train and the gentle rocking was a great feeling. I could close my eyes and it felt like I was on the train, gently rocking side to side as I sped toward another land.

            I locked the door to my apartment and laid down on the floor. I made a kiss noise in the air and two cats came out from hiding and started to purr immediately. The cats rubbed their faces on my face and hands, welcoming me home. I pet the cats for a minute then slowly stood up. The lazy cats plopped over onto their sides like sacks of potatoes when I stood.

            I crossed the room to a small stand. On the stand was a two foot tall plastic Christmas tree. I clicked a button on the bottom of the trees plastic stand and the branches of the tree began to light up. I turned the lights off, took my shoes off and crawled into bed. I pulled the blankets over my head and nestled into bed. My cats jumped on me and sprawled out, draping their bodies across the bed and over my legs. The fake Christmas tree gave off a soft colorful light in the dark room, my cats purred themselves to sleep and in the distance I heard the muffled sound of the train.

Joseph Stephens and the Deep Narration

“The world is cold and today, gray skies and cold wind blew through me and chilled my bones. Winter is always a difficult time for me and this year is no exception. Being cold all the time and the lack of sunlight make the normal problems of each day feel worse. I sit and clutch my drink and warm myself by the fire. I sit and I try to forget. I take a sip of my drink and slowly sink into my chair, my muscles relax a little with each sip. Soft music is playing in the background, it always helps me think when wordless music gently hums in the distance.”

 

            “Are you narrating in there?” Asked a voice from another room. Jaye Williams walked into the living room where Joseph Stephens was sitting in an old fashioned green chair, holding a drink, cuddled with a blanket and sitting in front of a space heater. “I’ve had a hard day, ok?” Replied Joseph Stephens who was in fact narrating. Jaye walked over to him and looked at his drink, he had something that looked like a gin and tonic in a highball glass. “Are you drinking? Its only three in the afternoon” asked a concerned Jaye. “No, its only seltzer water, I wanted to drink but alcohol upsets my tummy” replied Joseph.

 

            “Do you want to talk about it?” Jaye asked. Joseph looked really sad for a second. “No, thank you though. It really was a tough day though.” Joseph said with a sad sigh. Jaye Williams smiled “Do you  want to narrating it with me?” Asked Jaye. Joseph’s face slowly crept into a smile. “Yes, yes I would” Joseph said.

 

            “Some days are hard and some nights are worse, but if you look for the little things in life, it might be enough to get you through the strife. I leaned back in my chair and turned the space heater/roaring fireplace up to ten and sipped on my drink, it might have been cranberry seltzer but it could also have been a gin and tonic” Joseph said aloud in his best soothing narrator voice.

 

“The two friends sat back and enjoyed the fire, knowing that whatever happened, they would get through it and no matter how cold it got, spring would always come again” Jaye said in a slightly less impressive narrator voice.

 

            “thanks pal” Joseph said. “No problem” Replied Jaye in a slightly better narrator voice.

Early Morning rain

Water trickled from the old tin roof, the slow steady beat of rain combined with the metallic ping of tin was relaxing and brough Joseph back to his younger days.
When Joseph was a kid there was nothing better than watching a thunderstorm from the window in his room. He would opening his window up about and inch and smell the scent of rain as the wind blew in through the small opening. His parents always told him to keep the windows closed when it rained but Joseph wanted to be apart of the rain and storm. He wanted to experience the awesome power of nature that was happening right outside his window. He lived in the country side as a kid, atop a great big mountain and his closest neighbor was a small spot down at the bottom of the hill. Joseph always felt at awe in the presence of nature. He loved trees and always imagined that anything could exist over that mountain ridge in the distance. If something as loud, awesome, refreshing and scary as a thunderstorm could come from the mountain ridge beyond, then who knows what else laid beyond.
Joseph looked up from his lap and realized he had dozed off listening to the rain and thinking about his childhood. He was an adult now and was waiting for the bus. He sat in an old shelter with a tin roof. The bus shelter was next to a quiet road where cars rarely traveled. The sound of rain kept Joseph company  as he waited by the quiet road. Behind the bus shelter was a wooded area and on a clear day the forest would be filled with the sound of birds singing happily.
Joseph felt a chill as a cold wind blew through the shelter. He had been sitting in the bus shelter for a while as he waited for the bus and though he was cold and didn't want to be late for work, he also felt calm because the rain calmed his so.
Joseph felt another chill and decided to reach for his coffee, a tan paper cup full of piping hot liqued. He took a sip and felt the warmth of the coffee spread through his body. He closed his coat up tighter and drank some more coffee. Joseph stared straight ahead, watching the fog of the morning slowly float through the air. through the fog and on the other side of the road was another patch of forests. Joseph had seen all kinds of animals come out of those woods while he waited for a bus. He saw rabbits, deer, all kinds of birds and even a bear. He figured that if all those different animals lived in one forest, surly there could be anything living in that forest.
the sound of an engine echoed in the distance and bright headlights pierced the fog. a large metalic shape came charging up out of the fog and rain. The bus had arrived. Joseph stood up and walked out of the shelter. a strong gust of cold wind blew against his face and woke him up and made him feel more alert. It was then that he realized how much wind the shelter had protected him from as he sat and daydreamed and contomplated the rain. The bus stopped and let out a sound of an animal who was so tired and collasped, a heavey breath out or some kind of steam being released from the engine. The engine of the bus puttered as it stood idle, the doors opened and soft light came out of the bus. Joseph heard the rain mixed with the sound of rubber on glass as the windshield wipers cleared the front window of the bus.
Joseph was getting rained on as he took his time to collect his things and walk up into the bus. He walked up the two steps and was now at the front of the bus, he stared down the row of seats. The bus was mostly empty and the people that were on the bus were either asleep, reading or staring blankly into the air. This was the first bus into town and would arrive before most people even woke up.
Joseph walked down the isle and found a window seat. He sat down and put his bag next to him. Rain beat against the glass as if it wanted to be close to Joseph. He felt a little sad to be leaving the bus shelter and all of the peace it brought him. The bus began to move, the engine grumbled and all sorts of sounds were heard. so many different sounds all at once, that Joseph couldn't identifiy them. The bus took off down the peaceful road slowly gaining momentum and reaching its desired speed. The sound of rain mixed with windsheild wipers and that mixed with the hum of the bus' engine. The bus rocked back and forth in a gentle sway. The rain pattered on the windows, the bus hummed and swayed the windshield wipers made a soft squeek and Joseph made no noise, because now he was asleep.