Stranger

My mind aches with fear and worry. It shakes my intuition and tosses me into the lake of doubt. The lake is vast and a deep empty black. It goes for miles in every direction encasing me like a long cloak. I am barely a float, but manage to grasp for air. Time passes and my body begins to ache deeper. My mind spirals into darker places. The doubt begins to seep into my skin. I feel it fill up my lungs and begin to slow my heart. Have I come to the end of my story? Will I drown in this doubt and anxiety? Will my own mind defeat me? Among the black and ominous waters, a little girl comes into my focus. She stands on a big wooden plank, floating on the water. She looks familiar, yet like a complete stranger. She has cheeks like plump cherries and dark blonde hair like the mountainous sand dunes. She stands with innocence and kindness. She looks right at me as my body slowly begins to give up. Her eyes are filled with a sadness that can't be put into words. A sadness that could stop anyone in there tracks, a sadness that could make the whole world stop to notice. Why is this little girl so sad? My mind and body are both in commotion, an uncontrollable chaos. Slowly..slowly..failing. The little girl sits down and paddles towards me with her delicate hands. As she approaches, there are tears in her eyes. I'm only more confused and curious. She gives me her tiny hand and I grasp it and with the other, I pull myself up onto the plank. I thank her, but she doesn't say a word. Her eyes still filled with a deep pain that I can't seem to understand. Is she missing her family? Is she lost like me? We float for what seems like miles, my mind still going and going like a broken record. We float in silence. We reach what looks like home. I have no recollection of how we made it. I fell asleep and awoke to houses and trees. We get off the plank and I thank her again. She looks at me and gives me an embracing hug. Her eyes gaze up to mine and with the most delicate voice she says, "Take care of me, please. I want to see the world one day. I want to do everything and see everything. I want to climb mountains, swim in all the oceans, and write books about wizards and gypsies. So, please take care of me and don't be afraid." Before I can even ask what she means, she runs back to the lake and floats away...her hair dancing in the wind.