Return to Nature - Story I

quadraptor's picture
Return to Nature Index

You sit comfortably, closing your eyes and wondering what tomorrow will bring. You soon forget your worries, and your surroundings seem to disappear.

When you open your eyes, you find yourself somewhere else. You sit up, looking around to see a strange new place that seems familiar. No longer are you in a room but rather a great open plain. The wind brushes past, and the warm summer sky shines on you. You are slightly blinded by the bright reflection of the sunlight on the strands of golden grass that fill the place. You notice a thick treeline circles the area, and you begin to think that you are dreaming, but it seems so real.

You walk farther down where you had first awoken. There, you hear the sounds of birds above, flying off for their own purposes. You stop and listen to them, the fluttering of their wings and their calls to one another. It reminds you of something, but you can't quite remember.

You keep walking, finding a place that had been cleared. A small fountain is there, in the center is a statue of a stag, standing upright and looking off to one side. You notice the fountain is not flowing, but it is worn like it had been before. There are other things there, stone benches, and vases that used to hold flowers. It seemed that this place was built for a special purpose, but it seems so out of the ordinary.

You feel like the stag is staring at you. His eyes seem to point toward one of the benches, and you decide to go sit on it. There, you notice a pebble sitting there, but it is shaped strangely. You pick it up, and upon inspecting it, you are startled to notice that a symbol is etched into it - one very special to you.

A pictogram, the name of a deer you have created. You rub the stone curiously - it feels authentic and is cut deeply. Looking back at the fountain, you notice that there is a small place on top of the deer's head shaped exactly like your stone. You instinctively walk to the deer, placing a hand on his face while you insert the stone into his forehead.

Almost immediately, water flows from the tips of his antlers, his face becoming cooler as the water rushes down and flows onto your hand. You smile for a moment, this seeming to be nostalgic to you.

And almost like magic, you look away...and there is your deer, staring back at you from the meadow. They are just like you have imagined them to be - their fur glistens in the sunlight, their face is surprised but calm, and they even have the pictogram floating above their head. You never thought you would see your own deer in person, and here they are!

You greet them, and you think that they will speak back, but instead, the deer simply perks their ears up as you speak. They don't seem to know you, and with each step you take toward them, they take a step back. As you outstretch your hand, the deer turns and runs off, disappearing into the thick grass. You hear their hooves hit the ground, but slow to a halt, and notice them rise from the grass to give you one last look before they seem to vanish into the wilderness.

The feeling is bittersweet - you thought that your own deer would recognize you, so you are saddened that they ran, but you smile anyway. It takes time for any animal to get to know a human, so maybe soon they will start to understand who you are.

Sighing, you return to the fountain, looking at it one last time. The little stag is handsome, and you still believe that despite the result of meeting your deer, you belong here, there is something you will be able to do in time.

You lay on one of the stone benches, and look up to the sky. Clouds roll past slowly, and you start to notice familiar shapes in them. In fact, each cloud looks like an animal you love, and one in particular takes the shape of a deers' head. You close your eyes, and listening to the wind, begin to drift asleep.

You open your eyes and find yourself back in your room. Sitting up, you reflect on the dream. It seemed too real...

Really like the intro to

Really like the intro to this!
ocean's picture

Ooh, curious. o_o -watch-

Ooh, curious. o_o
-watch-
quadraptor's picture

I'm not planning on writing

I'm not planning on writing them too long, but I do plan to write a bunch of them. Thanks for the comments!
Seed's picture

I'm mainly going to wait

I'm mainly going to wait until this one's finished before offering my opinion, so I probably should track this.
quadraptor's picture

I think I'm going to try to

I think I'm going to try to use this series to expand my imagery, so I'll probably describe the scenery more.

Edit - Did that a little, and finished this story.
GingerNut's picture

Ooh, I like this alot~ I

Ooh, I like this alot~
I also think the title is a good choice, it's simple and dosen't give anything away. Nice idea ;3
quadraptor's picture

I tried to make it similar to

I tried to make it similar to what happened in Ted Andrew's book that inspired me to write this series. Don't worry, later experiences will show that your deer is trusting you more. Also I think I will stick with that title for the series, thanks for the comment!
Laruna's picture

I like that this was inspired

I like that this was inspired by Animal Speak... I have that book as well. Totems fascinate me. (: And I really love how you described finding the Pictogram, and what happens when you place it. That's such a beautiful image! I can't wait to see where this goes.
trigger_mortis's picture

Lovely writing, very clear

Lovely writing, very clear and crisp, but in a dream-like way....does that make sense?
quadraptor's picture

Of course. I think this is

Of course. I think this is going to work out great. XD

...shall I write another one tonight?
Seed's picture

Well, having read the end, I

Well, having read the end, I must say... I quite like it ^^
Cyaneus's picture

This is really cool. I like

This is really cool. I like things written in the second person.

eyestrain's picture

You took me away from this

You took me away from this world.
What will we do now, in this place, i wonder...
I will keep reading.

I don't strive to be the best, but instead I strive to do my best, and always give it my all every time.
-faunet