A warm breeze floats from an open window, the clear glass showing a brilliant blue sky where a faraway bird swoops and dives. Beyond the swaying blades of grass glowing in the embrace of the sun, a vast expanse of blue stretches out to the horizon to meet the sky, the waves glinting as they move towards the shore. There isn’t a hint of gray amongst the wisps of white, lighter than a feather. A tree stands in sight, tall and proud on a sturdy trunk, emerald drops of green fluttering with the gentle wind. All is calm, in the sky, the ocean, and the trees. There is peace.
The sun is setting, leaving streaks of purple, pink, and orange as it recedes into the horizon. Then, just before the last of its radiance disappears from sight, it tugs along its cape of colors down with it, revealing the night sky. A scatter of twinkling light dapples the midnight blue dome stretching across this part of the world, like gleaming rays of hope just before a gloomy band of clouds cover them up. A drop. Then another, and another, and another. Showers of cool droplets rain from the sky, dripping down the window and off of dangling leaves. It soaks the ground, washing away the thirst of the plants, flowing into streams that join into rivers. Just the soothing pitter-patter of the rain to accompany the stretch of darkness until morning comes again, as sure as the fact that the rain will eventually stop. There is peace here too.
A faint chatter from family members reaches children in their cozy beds, the light from the sun slipping in through the curtains, nudging them awake as they stretch and open their eyes to a brand new day. Even with the flurry of activity keeping everyone occupied during the short hours before school and work, underneath a blanket of weariness there is a beating heart of hope and excitement of what they might discover that day. Around a table of hastily poured cereal and milk comes the family for a short reunion before being torn apart with responsibilities and chores. Yet, in the couple of spoken words that morning they found warmth and peace, for they were a family, even if they weren’t physically together.
The children were off to school, rumbling off in their parents’ car, being whisked past houses, stores, and buildings that became a blur of color in their eyes. A row of towering trees greeted them with rustling branches in the slight breeze that played with their hair as soon as they got off. A collection of low buildings called school stood majestically in front of them as they hoisted up their backpacks to enter. The whispers that had at first tickled their ears grew into a merry blend of conversation when they swung open the double doors and into a crowded hallway. A group of friends spotted them and swept them off into the crowd where they fit perfectly in their uniforms, and where no two people were alike. Peace settled like a bird on their hearts as sturdy as a tree. It could fly off at any moment, yet with the patience keeping them standing tall, it would return again.
— Writer Jia Lee can be reached at jial26@rism.ac.th.
