THE FIERY COLOUR OF VERISMILITUDE

Reggie Graham

THE VALLEY

Standing on top of a mountain, I was overlooking a valley of lush, colourful jungles. The sun blazed an
orange light on the string of the purple sky. I stood alone, with a lasso in my hand, a backpack on my
shoulder, and the world behind me.
The scent of the valley was flavourful as I respired. When I exhaled I could see my foggy breath. I guess I
was still cold.
HELLOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!! I yelled. My voice echoed across the valley until it became a
whimper. The birds began to sing in reply. The trees rocked back and forth in a fervid manner with a
whoosh of sounds. Suddenly, an explosion of leaves burst from the ceiling of the forest, with hundreds
of birds protruding in a fury of colours. That was my cue. The chase was on.
I dived over the rocks and into the heavy stream of the waterfall. Falling fast, I sped through the white
and blue pellets of water, slanting slightly into a curve of flight. I spread my arms out wide and smacked
into the drink.
Ow.

Ow.
It stung for a while, but then I gave up on failure and crawled onto the sand. Clawing my fingers into the
grains of yellow, I struggled to drag myself to the green shade. The rays burned my now naked backside,
and I could feel my skin turning red.
I took a swig of water from my water bottle that was in my tattered backpack, and stood up silently to
fall again into the bush. At least this time it was a comfortable darkness. You could see many little
creatures scurrying around in the leaves and branches. I was entranced by the red and black circular
patterns of a creeping caterpillar.
Then I remembered my mission. My head darted up. The chase was still going on. I hopped up out of

the giant, moist, leaves and ran with my lasso at the ready. My runners pounded the fallen leaves, wet
streams, dark grass, murky dirt, and vibrant mushrooms. The action lines encircled me as I sprinted
down the invisible path of green, red, blue, and purple.
I heard a laugh in the distance. I was catching up to the target.
Arms swinging, I pushed myself harder than ever before, and I could see the shadowy haze of red.
Bam!
I tripped on a knot and landed face first on the hard ground. Blood splattered the rocks that jutted out
from the blades of grass.
Shit
The red creature halted and leaned over my cold body in a sympathetic manner.
I opened my eyes and, without thinking, jumped up at the creature, startling it into screaming. It burst
from its position and attempted to run from the area.
This was my last chance. I grabbed my lasso from the ground and began to swoosh it around. It was at
that moment that I realized I had made a mistake.
How do you even use a lasso?

THE MOUNTAINS
Sweat dripped down my red face. I tore at the vines as I ran from the scent of loveliness.
I got to the cliffside and jumped from boulder to boulder. Every vault was fun, but I didnt have time for
fun. I tossed my rope at a branch breaking out of a crack in the rocky wall. Using my newfound skills to
wrap the lariat around the branch, I proceeded to swing to a higher precipice. The rocks looked
adequate at this area, so I began the climb.
As I ascended I noticed a number of other people climbing the wall as well. We all wanted the glory,
some more than others.
We made it to the top of the mountain pass after a number of harsh hours. I thought I had seen all of
the mountains before, but this spot seemed new.
It was a nice little area. Fruit littered the ground and the formations of the rock faces zig-zagged and
coiled around in strange patterns. We feasted and partied all night under the starless sky until the break
of day.

A wisp of fiery wind blew into my face from the right side. We turned to see a vast desert of dirt and
mud on the horizon. It looked extremely uninviting, but everyone knew that they would have to make
that trek sometime in their lives.
I dont know how long we waited until we left the mountains, but the herd of people finally made it to
the chained fence at the edge of the brown desert. Someone found a gate, and we all entered together.
Heres to the future. Somebody said.

THE MUD

This is what can happen when I give up. I fall behind. Right on my knees in the mud, I stared off in the
distance. My eyes squinted; it was too blurry to see. The others were still ahead, although a few had
collapsed in the wet dirt or ran back to the gate. Most of them kept trudging to my astonishment. They
were walking towards the golden city of the future, some were even running.
The wind was terrible and the terrain was as rough as a battlefield. So when it got too difficult to go on I
slunked my shoulders and began to sag. A few friends gave me a pat on the back or a nudge, but they
kept on going, leaving me in the dust.
The distant light looked so far away. What was the point of making the trek to the end anyways? If the
joy in life is said to be the journey, why was it so damn stressful and aggravating?
Still, for reasons unbeknownst to me, I kept going. I didnt talk, since talking is too hard to do, so I
locked my thoughts in my mind. No one would understand. Who could ever understand but me? Who
would even care to understand? People are selfish, just like I am.
The steps got fainter and my arms started to sag again. Some more people fell down beside me. I made
a little glance and decided that it would be better for me to just keep going.
After a few more steps I decided it would be easier just to lie down and watch the strange colours in the
sky. My head felt comfortable in the soft mud and the sights were definitely worth it. An ecstasy of
colours obliterated the sky; I could just stay there staring forever.
Time passed and I decided I wanted a change. I tried to get up, but the ground kept me cemented. I
cried out in desperation.
The shadows passed me one by one, either ignoring me or laughing at my downfall. Please! I
screamed. I turned my head to look at the survivors. A friend in the distance was being helped up by
someone else, and another person was being carried. People are lucky. Maybe I could be lucky too?

I struggled to raise my arm, but finally the pain succumbed and my hand detached from the
mud. Anyone. I whispered. Someone briefly took my hand, but released it after a few seconds.
My eyes darted from one figure to the next. Could no one help me?
I spotted someone meaningful and my voice cried out. You! You there! Can you help me out? This
sudden joy sparked a mass of strength. I lifted the top of my body until I was sitting up, and then I
reached out even further. I was so close, just a little more. My hand trembled and I shivered. Just a bit
of warmth? Im freezing.

Was there an answer? I still feel cold.

THE OCEAN

Its so bright, but why is there still darkness? I said aloud. I wondered if anyone was still here to hear
me talk. I didnt care either way, but it would be nice for someone to listen.
The sky began to open up again, and a white light plunged into my soul. I felt a tug and a push and a
twirl as I ascended from the hardened mud.
Am I dying? No, it wasnt death, it was redemption.
Everything was blank and blurry. The limbo of confusion sent me on a roller coaster ride of twists and
turns, until it turned into a blue water slide. The rapid stream of water under my back was freezing cold
as the slide spiraled down and around, though it began to warm as the line got straighter.
As soon as I began to get comfortable, the slide dipped and went straight down, sending me into a
plummet of speed and insecurity until I slammed into the ocean.
Bubbles of an immeasurable amount of colours were everywhere, consuming me and pulling me down.
The waves of the ocean flew me in every direction until I grabbed onto a stray piece of seaweed. The
world stopped.
I gazed at the darkness around me and wondered why I was still breathing? Every breath produced
blue, bright bubbles. They shone in the black and hovered up to the surface, though the top of the
water wasnt to be seen from the depths where I was adrift.

I clung to the plant with fear, but a twinge of hope seemed to dominate. If I let go, would I float up or
sink to the bottom? Before I could finish thinking about it, a red shark swam up and snapped the
seaweed in half with its razor-sharp teeth.
I sunk down.
Despite what they say, the further down I went, the more colourful the ocean became. Black turned to
green, green to blue, blue to purple, and then the coral expanse of the floor lit up with a variegation of
colour. It was my kind of heaven. The colours of my journey before were nothing compared to this.
I wandered the halls of this underwater palace in utter amazement. The spiraling pillars covered in coral
extended their reach to the magnificent works of art of the awkward-placed ceiling, if you could call it
that. It wasnt so much of a ceiling because it opened up to the drop-off like the bell of a Tuba and
twisted and turned in various directions. The structures of this city were definitely not man made.
There was no symmetry to be seen, and giant tunnels of purple rock jutted out and around the main
portion of the formation.
Creatures I could only dream of were swimming around, and welcomed me with jubilant smiles and eyes
of wonder. One of them waved me over to an open entrance at the top of a large flight of stairs.
Before I got a chance to walk up to him there was an enormous BOOM!!
I spun around to look back at the darkness of the surface, and saw a vibrational wave of sound echoing
through the expanse of the sea.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
There was screaming, and horror, and chaos around my city. I attempted to run back and help, but I was
grabbed by a shadowy hand and hauled back up to the surface.
I struggled to loosen the monstrous grip of the enormous hand, and only succeeded enough to spin my
body around and grab a quick glimpse of the aquatic metropolis.
Was this the last time I would bask in its glory? It couldnt be.
Everything went dark.
I could hear the familiar chirps from the birds of the valley, the wisps of wind on the mountain tops, and
the torturous shrieks of the fallen beings in the mud.

I struggled to open my eyes. I was too tired to get up, but I got up anyways. I looked around the rocky
terrain and picked up a kiwi that was on the ground. I tossed it up in the air and caught it with a swoosh
of my hand.
I turned to look back at the rising sun and held my gaze, contesting my eyes with the bright glare of the
golden glow. Above the bloom, I noticed a whisper of the ocean.
I shall return. I promise.