2.

From the top of the tree, I see everything laid out in front of me. The whole of my realm. The dropping sun bathes everything in gold and shadow. From up here, the worries of down there are insignificant. High above the noise and the rush and the here-no-there-no-back-again and the blur of time that passes without being seen, this is peace, perhaps. But then the sun dips lower and the shadows win again. I know it won’t last. I take one last glimpse of it all, three deep breaths, and retreat, echoing the sun’s path as I drop down.

(100)