A Tale of Fiction:
The free man dragged his legs through the swamp. Sometimes up to his waist and often just puddles of mud that clutched at his feet: the brown water was an alligator infested mine field. Miles of nothing but dark water, bugs, and massive cypress trees with trunks that looked like wrinkled gray elephants, blocking his way and making him walk twice as far going around. He had seen elephants one time at a circus, when he had to clean the defecations from their cages, and he remembered looking into the eyes of one old buck. 'Help me?' The giant animal had asked.
'There's nothing i can do!'He thought back.
'Leave the door open on your way out.'
'Then what? Get arrested for letting a wild animal loose on the streets? Where would you go? No. I'm sorry, but i can't help you!'
It was a disturbing, imaginary mental conversation with an intelligent alien from some other world called "Africa". He shuddered with the creeps as his skin crawled up into goose pimples, invisible fur standing up on his back and spine. Do animals have "souls"? It was a bizarre irony that he would remember that old elephant, especially considering everything that had happened to him since then. Was this divine irony, or just some odd twist of fate. He started praying in his mind, as he stubbed his toes, over and over, on hidden cypress knees beneath the murky waters of the swamp. ' Dear God, give me the strength to...'
Slowly the land began to rise. His fear of gators had proved unwarranted, as there were little prey available in the oxygen deficient swamp, but things changed when he came upon a small bayou, running west to east. A dozen turtles and at least two gators splashed into the water as he came crashing loudly through the brush like a frightened deer. He started to remember other strange and horned animals from the circus. Antelope heads, monkey heads, gorillas and other strange trophies. He had spent his entire life in cotton fields. He had no idea what evil creatures might lay in the woods beyond. The forest was suddenly a primal and terrifying place filled with unknown monsters, bears and wild cats, killer hogs. It was the first time in his life that he was truly afraid.
But he soon pulled himself together. He had a mission and a goal, and the bayou was in his way. He backed up, took a long run and jumped as far as he could. To his surprise, he landed only ten feet from the opposite shore, and was able to stand on the muddy bottom of the shallow stream. He ran through the muddy water like trying to run in a nightmare. It seemed to take forever to reach the other bank, and crawling out of the muck, he collapsed from exhaustion.
His mother came walking out of the house, carrying a freshly baked pie. His whole family was there, celebrating some occasion that he just couldn't put his finger on, some national holiday, but it didn't seem to matter. The smell of good food was surrounded by an overwhelming sense of peace and love, as if he was in heaven. 'This is the best!' He thought.
Then he heard a squirrel barking. Suddenly he was wide awake, and the events of the last couple of days came crashing down on him like a cut tree that had twisted in an unexpected way, cutting off his legs. Wide awake and alert, he jumped to his feet and held his breath, as he listen to the sounds of the forest around him. His heart was racing in a sudden panic, and time seemed to come to a complete stop.
You're a good writer!
