Little Wonders and Other Works

A Walk in the Park

Today has been a weird morning. One moment, I am rushed to the hospital in LA and the next I am in the Parc de Bagatelle in Paris. How was I able to be on a different continent in mere seconds? Or was it in hours? There is absolutely no way to tell the time because I do not have my phone with me and the sky is completely white. I know for a fact that I am in this park because of the familiar green metal gate that is behind me.

In front of me is a fork in the road. I am not sure what path I should take. The path on the left goes to the music hall and flower garden while the one on the right goes to the pond, food hut, and the playground. I decide to take the path to the right hoping to encounter the guy who works at the food hut and question him.

As I enter the right path, I notice that all of the ducks are walking the opposite way. They all seem to be in a hurry, waddling at a fast pace. I turn around and decide to follow them, but I hit a force field. No matter how many times I try, I cannot get past this invisible wall. Why can't I go back? What are those ducks afraid of? I guess I have no choice but to keep moving forward.

I arrive at the food hut, which is a tiny green shack that serves all types of snacks. As I approach the counter, I spot a single cherry-flavored lollipop and a tiny bag of salt and vinegar chips. They also happen to be my favorite. How is that possible? As I look around in the hut, I cannot see any other snacks or the guy in charge of running it. However, the freezer that usually holds the popsicles is still running. I grab the snacks just in case I need them.

I walk towards the pond and see no animals near it. I know that the ducks have left, but, strangely, there are no other birds, like the crows, to search the ground for pieces of food.

I walk towards the playground when I suddenly end up near the music hall. How is this possible? The only way to get here was by taking the other path from the fork in the road. Then, I hear music from the hall which can only mean one thing: people! The music has to be coming from the musicians and there must be people who attend the concert. I run towards the sound of classical music. As I get closer, the music grows louder. I push the doors wide open only to discover that the hall is completely empty. I can still hear the music clearly but there are no instruments or people. I search every corner but uncover nothing. Where is that music coming from? I hear it loud and clear yet I cannot find the source of the music.

After exiting the hall, I decide to walk around the garden, hoping to find some clues. All it did was prove how strange this experience was. Normally, the garden has a wide variety of flowers that are always fresh and beautiful. However, I can only see red roses, and the further I walk, the more dead roses I find. This display goes against the park's traditions. On top of that, I have not encountered any insects, which is strange since most of the time, bees are pollinating the flowers. There is no way the insects were exterminated because it is the park's job to preserve nature. As I continue to walk, a million thoughts run through my head. Maybe I am in a coma, trapped inside my head. Maybe I really did go to France, but if that's true where are my grandparents? Normally, I would be with them. There is no way I would be able to go on my own because I can't drive and that is the only way to get here. Maybe I am in a dream. Or perhaps I am dead, and I am a ghost. But if that is true, then why am I the only one here? Why are there no guards? How was I able to grab the food? Why can I not go back? Why is the park arranged in a geographically impossible way?

Just as a million more questions enter my mind, I am suddenly at the playground. I can hear children's voices and I can see equipment moving, but there are no kids. As I walk around, the equipment keeps moving and the voices grow louder. I can't take it anymore. It feels like my ears are about to pop. I close my eyes wishing it would stop. Then, there is silence.

When I open my eyes, I am surrounded by complete darkness. The ground is uneven and fragile. I try to call for help but no sound comes out of my mouth. The only thing I can do is walk and hope that somebody finds me. I walk as softly as I can, tiptoeing my way across this barren land. Suddenly behind me, I hear a big crack. I turn around and see that the ground is falling into pieces. I run as fast as I can, not wanting to suffer a horrendous fate. But the cracks catch up to me. I fall and scream.