fields of gold

Come, meet me, where the wind doth blow,

In the fields where wheat does grow.

Come to this place only we do know.

A place where we can call our home.

Come, lay your head, in fields of gold.

Where we did flee, from burdens we hold.

The sky is blue, the clouds do roll,

A place where we can grow old.

Come, say good night, I’ll see you soon,

My heart it is yearning for you.

Now may you lay, lay in peace,

In the field of golden wheat.

A tiny old wooden shack lay astray in a field of swaying yellow wheat. The sky was a light shade of blue, with fluffy white clouds rolling slowly on this small patch in the mountains, where they made their home. Nothing could touch this land and this is where they could live free from harm. Free from the past that seemed to always chase them down. A girl with small brown kisses that adorned her face stood on the rickety porch surveying the wheat, looking for a speckle of life. She had coxcomb red ringlets that curved around her porcelain features. Her hazel eyes were constantly changing depending on her mood. As she surveyed the wheat, her eyes lost color. Her hand clutched at her heart while another held the railing tightly and her white dress blew gently in the wind.

Everyone has their monsters, and for her, it was the past. The past was a monster lurking in the shadow with its teeth bare and claws sharpened, looking for its next vulnerable meal. She would wake up in a pool of cold sweat after dreams where the monster seemed to catch her. She stopped sleeping and instead stared up in the unending darkness which surrounded her. She was alone in the world that turned into a world of shadows, deception, and grief.

A small white speckle came into view and the girl’s eyes lit up. She smiled as she booked off into the field of wheat, running toward the speck in the far off distance. She did not care that her feet were bare, she only cared for the way the earth felt under her feet as they dug into the soil. The speckle began to get closer in her view and open its arms to her. She jumped into the open arms and was lifted off the ground. As she returned to earth, she glanced into the warm grassy meadow that existed in the eyes of a boy, a boy that took care of her like a brother. His black ruffled hair blew in the light breeze as well as his white long sleeved shirt. The two smiled at each other before embracing once again.

One day, the girl walked near the ocean, the bright blue waves lapping at her feet. The next moment, she found herself drowning, unable to get herself away from the water’s depth. She reached up with her hand, one last time to the light before her eyes closed for her last time. But her eyes did open again and she found herself in the home of a monster. She flew off the couch in the small abandoned home and grasped at the doorknob. As she turned the doorknob, she looked back at the monster’s emerald eyes and saw them stained with tears. She let go of the doorknob slowly and followed where his eyes directed her. She walked over to an open window and glanced out to see a handful of people with guns, knives, and the determination to slay the monster. The monster came over, reached out his hand, and the girl reached out and put her hand in his.

As the two held hands and walked back toward their home smiling, they were greeted to a shout that came from behind them. The pair spun around and the boy threw his arm out, putting himself in front of the girl, who looked around wildly. Another boy with medium greasy hair that was duller than the sun and the wheat stood there, his dark viper black eyes throwing daggers at the boy. The girl started to scream out at this newcomer, pleading for him to leave. The boy protecting her, pushed her back, trying to tell her to run away without looking back. He glanced between the boy and the girl trying to decide whether to protect her or to attack. The newcomer began to speak, talking about deception, family, lies, and the monstrosity of the boy. How he stripped away the newcomer’s life, how he ruined his family, and how true of a monster the boy was. The girl threw her arms out over the boy’s arm, yanking and crying, trying to pull him away from the newcomer who started to raise his gun toward the boy’s chest. The boy did not budge and he talked in a calming manner, trying to calm the newcomer. The gun glistened in the sun for a second, before a cloud rolled over the sun and brought darkness upon the land. The wheat swayed back and forth in the light breeze as a shot rang out throughout the field.

Monsters do not exist in the world until they are created. Whether that is by neglect, other matters, or by labeling them as evil for the sake of feeling righteous or right. The girl learned of the monster’s true identity and took him in as a brother. In the past, he was a black sheep amongst his family and was pushed away from family life. As he searched down his path, he was tricked by the darkness. Until he found the girl with fiery red hair, that stopped him from adventuring any further down the path. He gave the world a monster when all he needed was to not be alone. And together, she would fight his demons and he would fight hers. She stopped looking back and he contained his beast. But together, they found solace in a field of wheat where they could run around and live in peace.

The field of wheat stopped swaying and the world halted to a stop. The sun still shone on the field, but the world had turned a light shade of gray. The newcomer dropped the gun as the girl collapsed to the earth. She grabbed the boy’s head and laid it in her lap, a river of tears gliding down her face. The boy gasped for air and grasped at his chest where a pool of scarlet started to form. The girl clumsily looked at the bottom of her dress, tore it up, and balled it up over where the pool started to form. Her hands shook as she whispered words to the boy, who just stared up at the sky. The girl looked over at the newcomer, unafraid to show her tear stained face. The newcomer just stared at the boy, with his mouth wide open, in awe of what had just happened. The newcomer then looked at the girl with a solemn expression before running over and placing his hands on the balled up pieces of dress, which were quickly turning a dark shade of red.

“Stay with me,” cried the girl, lacing her fingers between the boy’s, squeezing his hand. His fading spring eyes looked up into her yearning eyes as he took his other hand and touched her light strawberry lips. The newcomer was pressing on the wound, talking loudly that he would be alive and cursing about what he had done. But the girl didn’t hear him, all she could hear was two heartbeats in sync and a small voice telling her to be strong. The boy put his hand down on the ground as he started to close his eyes. The newcomer pushed himself away from the boy, holding his head in his stained red hands, afraid of what he had done. The girl leaned in and lightly kissed the boy’s head as one of the heartbeats she heard began to get slower and slower. Until finally, she could only hear her own heartbeat.

A tiny old wooden shack lay astray in a field of browning wheat which stood still. The sky was a light shade of gray as the deflated white clouds rolled slowly on the small patch in the mountains, a safe place that was once called home. They escaped to this land to be at peace and to escape the burdens that held them down. But they had been found by someone who was hunting monsters from his past. Someone who discovered that monsters do not exist as the shot rang through the valley. The girl stood at the edge of the field, looking back at the shack, at the newcomer, and at the boy who now laid down on a bed of wheat, peacefully sleeping for eternity. Her once coxcomb red ringlets were knotted up and her porcelain features were now blotchy with tears. As she surveyed the land once more, she grasped at her brown shirt that he wore when they first met. Her eyes welled up as she gazed at the boy, who kept her safe, who taught her what it was to live, and how to be strong. She wiped away her tears with the palm of her hand, only for them to return. She looked at the dirt road she now stood on before looking once more at the shack and at the newcomer, before her eyes went back to the boy once more. The slight breeze came back, this time with a ting of warmth, encompassing the girl and the patch of safety they once called home. With one final gaze toward the land, she knew she would come back eventually. She gasped for air as her tears rolled down her face. And with one final word, she solemnly glanced at the boy and said,

“I love you.”