For Every Missing Shade

Entry 46

I woke up on the forest floor. Green trees shook and swayed above me. People swung from branch to branch, talking and laughing above the forest floor.

I looked around. The whole place was vibrant. The sky was a bright, clear blue and the forest burst with life at every inch. I wandered around, soaking in the world around me. I followed dirt pathways until I reached a treehouse. I stood below it, looking for a way up.

I saw a figure poke her head out of the treehouse, brown hair flowing in the wind.

"Wait for me! I'm coming down!" the voice yelled from above as she threw a rope ladder and slid down it.

She reached the floor and turned around.

"Emma," I gasped.

She giggled. "Yeah it's me, dummy."

She gave me a hug. It was warm and familiar. I tried to hold onto her for longer, but she broke away. "Come on, I'll show you around."

We walked across beaten paths to other parts of the forest. People were talking, playing, and dancing. They were full of love, kindness and, above all, individuality. I couldn't believe where I was. Everything seemed so perfect.

"This is where you belong," Emma said. "This is the place I brought you to. It's here where you can be yourself. It's here where you can find your color."

"This is amazing," I said, looking at everything around me.

"It is," she agreed.

We kept walking around laughing and smiling as we paraded around our new world. It felt too perfect to wake up, too amazing to open my eyes.

We sat down with a picnic lunch. Others came and went, introducing themselves and saying how happy they were that I was here.

The world was bright. Everything was colorful.

Emma and I talked about what we were a part of, and how she knew where to find me.

"I guess I could just sense it," she said. "I knew you'd be coming someday."

"Did you wake up on the other side of the bridge too?" I asked.

"Yes, but it looked different. It's different for everyone."

"What did it look like for you?"

"Not as  grey as your world, but definitely dull. But it was cruel. Cruel and indifferent."

"Who saved you?"

"My parents," she said with a smile. "They called me over here, just as I did for you."

"So why was it different for you?"

"Think about it, Israel. Why would my world be indifferent and yours grey?"

"Is it... the world I lived in before we met? And the world you lived in before you found your parents?"

"That's what I thought at first too, but look around. Look at the people."

I looked at the people around us. Their faces were vaguely familiar. With a start, I recognized them. "They were on the other side too. They were the grey people. How are they over here?"

"Because they didn't belong in that world either, Israel. No one did."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She took my hand. "They were there because of you. You put them there."

"But how? I've never been a part of them. I didn't even want to be there myself."

"Come on, Israel, think about it."