One Shots & Contest Entries

In The Eye Of The Beholder

I grew up in a village in the Nile Delta. Orange orchards. Dirt roads. Cattle on the streets.

My favorite moment was coming back from school on a rainy day. I had rain boots so I was basically invincible. I would jump into the puddles and not get wet. Pure joy!

Everything looked more beautiful then - Sparkly clean. Sweet-smelling, fresh-from-the-shower kind of clean.

Few passersby appeared at that time. Most people hid in the warmth of their homes after a cold, tiring day in their farmlands.

There was this small canal on the side of the road with giant camphor trees guarding its banks. Those are now gone unfortunately..

I used to stroll under the trees and the air smelled heavenly. As if the trees had some kind of built-in air purifiers.

A cold breeze came after the rain, but unlike the regular rainless wind, it was somehow welcoming. The trees were washed neatly and the wind rustled through the leaves and branches, making this quiet swishing sound..

The treetops swayed with the wind. I used to imagine them as tall people brushing their hair after a refreshing shower. They looked bright and cheerful after the rainfall.

I hardly ever saw a rainbow then. But it didn't really matter. I had enough beauty and peace to fill my eyes and soul to the brim.

Till date, I can't forget the cleansing, carefree hike I enjoyed as a child. Sadly I haven't experienced anything close to that as an adult.

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Written for flash-fiction-forum April Contest 2019