Eight

Intro

Rain cascaded down, drenching the quaint New England countryside. The rhythmic pitter patter pitter patter of the rain created a sense of calm in Camille as she gazed out of her room. The events of the last few months flashed back through her mind as she contemplated how she came to sit in the small west facing room nestled in the corner of a colonial home. Not one year ago she had been traveling around the world, exploring the bazaars of Morrocco, the streets of Tokyo and all sorts of other wondrous different cultures. Yet today, she stared out of her room, isolated and alone, only her thoughts, memories and the small window connecting her to the outside world.

Through the window she forged a world, a life, a reality inextricably linked to the physical but hidden, private, a secret garden tucked away in the deepest and darkest recess of her mind. The seeds of her incredible world took hold in the fertile soil of her mind and grew and flourished. At first nothing more than a timid sprout meekly popped out of the ground, but its vines quickly wrapped themselves around every corner of her thoughts, demanding recognition. Looking back Camille thought it seemed so harmless, so surreal, it was impossible to think that the seeds of her fantastic world could escape the confines of her dreams. This is a story of adventure, of loss, of rebirth, but perhaps most importantly of a girl recognizing the incontrovertible capacity for the human mind to shape reality.