<<He wasn't sure how he had gotten there or where exactly "there" was. he only knew that he had opened his eyes and instead of seeing the world as he normally would, he saw everything a bit... differently, to say the least. The trees around him were no longer simply green and brown and natural looking but bright shades of purple and blue could be found tangled withing the mess of now vivid leaves and branches. The sky was brilliant and each individual shade was visible in overt blocks of color. The boy wasn't sure what was going on, yet he didn't feel frightened or worried, he simply felt as though he was floating through a dream. A very unusual dream at that. >>
Now, I realize that calling this a short story is a bit of stretch, but I figure that I owe you folks (and by "you folks" I mean the 4 people who read this counting my mom) a story. I suppose I'll keep working on this one, make it a tad bit longer. I'm fairly certain that the boy in this story is the same boy who will later become the Happiness I wrote about a while back.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Tale of Happiness Meeting Ambition
Once a girl went to look for a boy, asking for a solution to her problems. At least, she appeared to be a girl, but she didn't look like anything that the boy had seen before. Her limbs were all twisted together, a mess of tangled existence. Now, this girl had to go on a journey of sorts, despite her odd appearance which tended to hinder her travels. Her name was Ambition.
She finally came across the boy's home, nestled within a mysterious looking wood. Around his house the trees were all different colors, unnatural and a bit unsettling, yet beautiful in a way that Ambition had never known. His house seemed like a shack, but was carefully built so that each randomly placed string of lanterns or haphazardly nailed on piece of plywood had a part in holding everything together. As Ambition approached this strange looking abode, a young boy who appeared not much older than seventeen ambled out of the front door, holding a cup of tea and looking as though he had just woken up despite the fact that it was nearly three in the afternoon. His name was Happiness.
Happiness had never met Ambition before and was mildly shocked when he first saw her. But any surprise quickly faded. He introduced himself and she replied with her name, a bit surprised by his disheveled and sleepy appearance. He opened the front door and led her inside to a crowded living room with a worn in couch and coffee table strewn with old well-loved books and records. He sat down on the couch and offered Ambition a seat which she promptly declined by frantically shaking her head. He relaxed on the couch, sipping his piping hot tea, resting his bare feet on the coffee table. Ambition on the other hand couldn't sit still and had a look of extreme worry in her eyes, although Happiness assumed she wasn't aware of that last bit.
"So, your name is Ambition, but who are you really?" asked Happiness, his voice a bit raspy and still laced with the grogginess of staying up late and oversleeping the following day.
She crinkled her nose in thought until she finally reached a conclusion, "Well, I guess I'm... I'm... well.... I'm a successful career and a well-to-do lifestyle and sky high expectations that I always seem to meet. People seem to like me..." She didn't sound as sure of herself as she had originally hoped to sound.
Happiness nodded slowly, Success... is that sort of like Fulfillment?"
"I'm not sure. What is Fulfilment?" She was even more confused now then she had been earlier.
He shrugged, "I suppose it's something you don't have. So, what's wrong? Why'd you come find me? I doubt it was all that easy, I seem to be well hidden, kept away from a lot of people."
"You see," she began, trying to find the words to make her statement short and to the point, "I spent all my time trying to make other people happy, my goals were always about achieving what other people told me I should want. Living up to what they thought I could do. And now I seemed to have reached all those goals and I'm not happy at all. How can I be happy?"
"What are you going to do tomorrow?"
She looked at the lounging Happiness with a vacant stare, confused as to what he meant. It didn't have any relevance at all.
When she didn't respond he continued, "I hope to wear purple socks and maybe go look at some trees. I have a few books I've been meaning to read... How do you think the weather will be?" He said all of this with the utmost sincerity as he gazed dreamily at the ceiling and moved his feet about.
Ambition looked at Happiness with shock and disgust, "I don't care about the weather or what socks you'll be wearing. How is anything you're saying supposed to make me happy at all?" she said this all in one exasperated breath, "And get your feet off the table and sit up! Is this the way you act in front of all of your guests?"
Happiness merely closed his eyes and smirked, "Okay. Just tell me, what are you going to do tomorrow?"
She breathed out one final gust of mild anger and frustration, "I don't know..." she suddenly sounded as sad and lost as Happiness had assumed she was at the very start.
He sat up and looked at Ambition, his eyes full of compassion, "Well, if you keep thinking like that, I don't think you can be happy. We make out own happiness, love. You can't rely on everyone else for it. You've lived your whole life for your future, your present seems to have ceased to be at all." he said this wise and philosophical statement with the same sleepy half-there look that he had earlier, "It's alright though. Let me make you some tea, that always seems to help"
She finally came across the boy's home, nestled within a mysterious looking wood. Around his house the trees were all different colors, unnatural and a bit unsettling, yet beautiful in a way that Ambition had never known. His house seemed like a shack, but was carefully built so that each randomly placed string of lanterns or haphazardly nailed on piece of plywood had a part in holding everything together. As Ambition approached this strange looking abode, a young boy who appeared not much older than seventeen ambled out of the front door, holding a cup of tea and looking as though he had just woken up despite the fact that it was nearly three in the afternoon. His name was Happiness.
Happiness had never met Ambition before and was mildly shocked when he first saw her. But any surprise quickly faded. He introduced himself and she replied with her name, a bit surprised by his disheveled and sleepy appearance. He opened the front door and led her inside to a crowded living room with a worn in couch and coffee table strewn with old well-loved books and records. He sat down on the couch and offered Ambition a seat which she promptly declined by frantically shaking her head. He relaxed on the couch, sipping his piping hot tea, resting his bare feet on the coffee table. Ambition on the other hand couldn't sit still and had a look of extreme worry in her eyes, although Happiness assumed she wasn't aware of that last bit.
"So, your name is Ambition, but who are you really?" asked Happiness, his voice a bit raspy and still laced with the grogginess of staying up late and oversleeping the following day.
She crinkled her nose in thought until she finally reached a conclusion, "Well, I guess I'm... I'm... well.... I'm a successful career and a well-to-do lifestyle and sky high expectations that I always seem to meet. People seem to like me..." She didn't sound as sure of herself as she had originally hoped to sound.
Happiness nodded slowly, Success... is that sort of like Fulfillment?"
"I'm not sure. What is Fulfilment?" She was even more confused now then she had been earlier.
He shrugged, "I suppose it's something you don't have. So, what's wrong? Why'd you come find me? I doubt it was all that easy, I seem to be well hidden, kept away from a lot of people."
"You see," she began, trying to find the words to make her statement short and to the point, "I spent all my time trying to make other people happy, my goals were always about achieving what other people told me I should want. Living up to what they thought I could do. And now I seemed to have reached all those goals and I'm not happy at all. How can I be happy?"
"What are you going to do tomorrow?"
She looked at the lounging Happiness with a vacant stare, confused as to what he meant. It didn't have any relevance at all.
When she didn't respond he continued, "I hope to wear purple socks and maybe go look at some trees. I have a few books I've been meaning to read... How do you think the weather will be?" He said all of this with the utmost sincerity as he gazed dreamily at the ceiling and moved his feet about.
Ambition looked at Happiness with shock and disgust, "I don't care about the weather or what socks you'll be wearing. How is anything you're saying supposed to make me happy at all?" she said this all in one exasperated breath, "And get your feet off the table and sit up! Is this the way you act in front of all of your guests?"
Happiness merely closed his eyes and smirked, "Okay. Just tell me, what are you going to do tomorrow?"
She breathed out one final gust of mild anger and frustration, "I don't know..." she suddenly sounded as sad and lost as Happiness had assumed she was at the very start.
He sat up and looked at Ambition, his eyes full of compassion, "Well, if you keep thinking like that, I don't think you can be happy. We make out own happiness, love. You can't rely on everyone else for it. You've lived your whole life for your future, your present seems to have ceased to be at all." he said this wise and philosophical statement with the same sleepy half-there look that he had earlier, "It's alright though. Let me make you some tea, that always seems to help"
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