The Earth as I see it.

Long since the world began, before humans came with their technology for a “better tomorrow”, there has been the earth, or more importantly, the forests. Tree grew taller than any man-created measuring system. Small trickles of streams, providing each water and play for the forest’s inhabitants broke the steady sea of green and brown. Fauna lived at peace with the flora, never knowing the horror of what was to come.

Then came the humans with their technology. Groves were destroyed to create and make way for humans. Trees were stripped of their bark to create furniture, fuel, paper. The streams with their bountiful and abundant water were drained to help create paved roads for metal, gas guzzling monsters, or merely to get them out of the way. Trees were disrespected into holding wires that allowed humans to talk to each other, no matter the distance. The list goes forever on, never ceasing, never relenting.

As these thoughts came to the mind of a fifteen year old girl as she sat in a van on its way to Penticton, B.C., a large feeling came over her, creating a monstrous pit in her stomach. These thoughts brought great pain to her, and there was no one to whom she could talk to about them.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of chocolate brown amidst the tall trees. “Look!” she exclaimed to her parents, mostly to her mother who sat in front of her, “A moose!” A smile appeared on her face as her eyes took in the animal for the few seconds before it was out of view. It was young, not old enough to sport a rack of antlers. As she wondered if it was possibly female, the vehicle had moved far enough past that it could no longer be seen. Sitting back in her seat, her smile stuck to her face as her eyes, though on her jean-covered knees, replayed the scene, including how she had called out. Then a thought flittered into her mind, and the smile was replaced by a frown. She thought about her call, and how it could have been different if she were older and less caring: “Look, a moose! Let’s get a gun and kill it, then stick its head on a wall for decoration!” She closed her eyes as if to cry, yet no tears would flow. For some reason unknown to her, she rarely cried. It was as if there was nothing in her tear ducts to come out. It wasn’t that she did not lack enough emotion to cry; no, far from it. It was as if she had never been taught how, and so could not.  

“What a view! Look, we’ve reached Castlegar!” Her eyes snapped open and she looked out the far window at the city down below. A large valley split in half by a mighty river reached her eyes. Nestled in the trees lay buildings, some made of wood, while others metal. Across the river lay a large bridge, allowing vehicles to cross. “Isn’t it breathtaking?” added her mother, awaiting an answer. Her voice seemed to have disappeared, though the feeling in her stomach remained, stronger than ever. Managing to let out a ‘Hnn’ that sounded quite more happy than she really was, she turned her eyes away from the human creations, and peered up at the flora. She wondered if Castlegar would ever exist if there were less humans in the world. Ever since they had passed into the large valleys filled with trees, she began to wonder what it would be like to live in the woods with the animals. Ever now and then, she imagined seeing a girl through the trees, one not dressed in normal clothes. Her mind drifted to the Greek Dryads, spirits of the forest, of the trees. The girl herself believed more in the Greek gods than in the one that Christians believed in. In her heart she believed in the mythical, the supernatural. She often dreamed she was an elf or the like, living in a different world. Some of her favorite movies reflected thus, The Lord of The Rings and Princess Mononoke, for example. She often thought that maybe the key to being understood lay in religion, often she wondered about studying the ways of Buddhism or the like. The harsh world that was reality never seemed to be where she belonged, or at least it seemed that way to her. As the twisted and cruel world pressed in on her, she wondered whether her mind would ever find peace.