An Awfully Big Adventure

by Shawna Woodland

While adults measured their time in certain ways, Molly measured her’s in stories.

she’d live her life accordingly, allowing fantastical creatures to lead her on adventures at every turn. Molly would never stop believing. Never, ever.

She couldn’t help but wonder if seeing the magic in the world around her was an integral part of who she was.

She had become kind and polite to everyone and anyone, despite the way they treated her.

“I’m just trying to figure out what sort of dream I want, I suppose.”

it’s important to remember that dreams don’t just simply come true. If they did, we’d call them realities. Dreams, by their very nature, demand that we work hard for them, or we would never see them come to fruition.”

“When you find yourself lost in a thought, and the idea of it coming true one day makes you feel as though your whole body is sparkling…that’s a dream.”

You should always chase after the dreams that make you feel like you could fly.”

“I think it’s time I go on an adventure again,” she said. “What sort of adventure?” “An awfully big one.”

A life of fanciful feelings, of sparkling dreams, and to always remember all of these happy thoughts. She wished it into the secret chambers of her heart.

“This place has been here for who knows how long, just filled with wishes and dreams. And yet, I allowed myself to stay trapped inside without going on any adventures.”

I don’t think we’re ever done growing up.”

“Like how you know the stars are beautiful before you even look at them, but the more you look at them the more beauty you see. You just know that it doesn’t really matter how many you see, or how long you look at them, they will always be more beautiful than what you’re able to fully take in.”

She loved how life felt when she was with him, how moments became special and how the world somehow felt safer to adventure through.

the happiest she had ever been was before the growing up had happened.

Children laughed the loudest, smiled the widest and lived the largest. They were unapologetically true to themselves and did what they loved. No grownup could possibly achieve the happiness of a child.

the notion of growing up was completely backwards, it was not something to be dreamt of. Never growing up sounded ...

Becoming a woman in society was supposed to come with freedoms. How ridiculous it all seemed now, since those free...

Yet the boys laughed at her and refused to accept her kindness as the strength it was.

Get back you codfish!”

certain stories were the only way she had felt seen in the world around her, as if she truly belonged amongst her stories, if nowhere else.

Stories were doorways to other worlds, so libraries shone with the light of a countless number of suns.

He had a tendency to live carefully, whereas she was never too afraid to live fully. She was able to unearth him when necessary, the same way he was able to ground her when needed.

“It was my first kiss and now it’s yours. You can take it with you when you go. It has to be at least half as good as a treasure hunt.”

He was the quiet you sought when your thoughts were too loud, the comfort of the forest when you felt all alone, the safety of the ground every time you fell.

The right story could fix just about any problem.

He knew nothing of her stories, how they never left her feeling abandoned and gave her a sense that she always belonged. He couldn’t possibly understand how they held her hopes and dreams, or how she planned to use them to find her missing pieces.

“Maybe my head is in the clouds when my nose is stuck in a book. Maybe I have been moved by stories and groomed by fairytales. I have seen countless worlds through many different sets of eyes.

The world she had visited that night was filled with fairytale wishes and sparkling dreams. And while she knew to an extent those things could never happen in her world, she also knew it would be a completely boring life if she didn’t at least try to see them.

People have this horrid habit of believing that once you go through something, you’re over it. But some secrets stay with you, lingering like long cast shadows waiting for the sun to go down.”

“I’m somewhere in-between dreams at the moment,”

“I dream of living my life in the same way that children read fairytales. With a touch of hope, a lot of heart, and the everlasting belief that all things are magical.”

“Together with my family, we’ll turn a house into a home. We’ll read stories under the warmth of the sun in the lushest fields of wildflowers. And every so often, we’ll take breaks so we can dance to the songs of the trees or go off on little adventures as we search for the fairies hiding in our midst.”

“Arguably, the worst thing adults do is stop children from believing in the unbelievable, simply because they’re growing up.”

“I may have to grow old, but I vow to never grow up.

“Dreams can be terrifying. That’s why most people shy away from them.”

Sometimes he would call them stories, other times he would call them secrets. It all depended on how he was feeling in the moment, and what persona he was wearing.

It’s time to let the world in so it doesn’t crush you. Don’t lock it away in one of your boxes and build a wall around it.

Love was too powerful a force to trifle with.

“If I was trying to charm you Miss Jones, you wouldn’t be left wondering.”

“Love is not complicated and it most certainly shouldn’t be messy.

“You can fall in love without trying, that’s how simple it is. You can fall in love without even knowing you’re doing it. You can fall in love with someone before even knowing their name… Love is simple.”

Children were notorious creatures, living each day to the fullest by forgetting the days past.

She hoped to hold onto everything and not let it float away like the fleeting moments of a child. She wanted it to last. She wanted her dreams to last. She wanted her sparkle to last.

While filling her days with stories from books, out of all the stories she knew, she wanted to remember that her favourite story should always be her own.

“The world may only sparkle for a moment,” he murmured, “but I believe you will sparkle forever.”

Maybe the snowfall would dwindle, but Molly knew she would always sparkle. There was simply no way she’d allow herself to forget again.

She was flying, and there was no way she was coming down.

“How do you extinguish all of me?

“Your shadows don’t make you a bad person.”