A Familiar Path

Image by DarkWorkX from Pixabay



For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was.

Like waking from a dream—I had a feeling of doing something important, the sense of adrenaline, and of driving a car. But here I was in the park and my daydream faded from memory.

Still, I couldn’t remember going there.

But the sun shone through the trees, carrying the scent of
fresh cut grass, and I could think of nowhere I’d rather be. I walked along a
familiar path that ran alongside a playground. I smiled, thinking of time spent
there in childhood, bobbing back and forth on the spring-loaded biplane or begging
my father to push me higher on the swings.

I continued along the path, passing the field where I’d
played soccer, then the stream where I’d caught crawfish with my buddies. There
were stones in the stream where you could hop across, and a grove of trees on
the far end where I’d first kissed a girl.

But that’s not where I was going today. Something drew me farther
along the path, and I wanted to see what I’d find there.

The path ended at the top of a hill, overlooking the canyon
and the Lethe river at its base. At the very top was a bench, perfect for
taking in the view. My hand went to my shirt pocket. This is why I was here.

I pulled out the box and looked at the ring with its modest
diamond. How could I forget this?

Then the air swirled in front of me, a vortex leading to an impossibly bright light. And I remembered. I was looking at the ring instead of the road and then a truck loomed close in my peripheral. I turned toward the vortex and continued my journey.

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