Day Dream Traveler

And the azure skies began to blacken as a thunderous roar overtook the tranquil whispers of a spring breeze. As the soft harmonic droplets of an easy rain turned to bone crushing hailstones, Lucas’s soul was awakened.

It was then that Lucas knew what he had to do. What he felt he was born to do. What he had been training to do for so many years.

With the first clash of thunder, the first fiery bolt of lighting, Lucas felt his body changing, his mind changing, his soul changing.

With the ease and grace of a morning dove taking to flight, Lucas ascended into the blackened skies. As he soared thru the bone crushing freezing rain and lightning bolts of fire, upwards towards the clouds of smoke filled gray, the air seemed to part above him as if God had reached down his hands and parted the pestilence that was falling from the skies to form a tunnel of protection for Lucas to ascend thru and above the devastation occurring below the clouds.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Lucas?” He heard a voice call out. “Lucas Atherton?” The voice called out louder. “Are you with us, or are you off on one of your fantasies again?”

Lucas opened his eyes, blinked twice and looked around. Everyone in the room was staring at him, most where pointing, some were laughing.

“Well it’s nice of you to come back and join us Lucas.” Miss Carter said with a tone of authority and sarcasm. “Would you care to share with the rest of the class where you have been?”

Lucas stared at Miss Carter. He wanted to speak but couldn’t force the words to come out of his mouth. His throat felt like it was on fire, his vocal cords were bound tight like a hangman’s noose around the neck of a justly condemned man.

“Well?” Miss Carter said sternly as she crossed her arms and began tapping her right foot on the rough hard wood floor. “Well, we’re all waiting.”

Lucas looked around the room, everyone was laughing now, one of the boys in the back started up the chant. ‘Lucas is a loony bird. Lucas is a loony bird.’ Within seconds the whole class joined in. Lucas jumped up from his desk and ran for the door, as he ran off the porch and down the stairs to the playground, he could still hear the echoing chant. ‘Lucas is a loony bird. Lucas is a loony bird.’ Then he heard Miss Carter shout out.

“Lucas Atherton, you get back here right this instant!” She bellowed from the top of the stairs. Lucas stopped just long enough to turn and look back at the school.

“Leave me alone!” He shouted back and then turned and ran into the woods, the faint sound of the other kids’ chant still ringing in his ears. ‘Lucas is a loony bird.’

Lucas ran at his fastest speed for almost a half hour before he began to tire and run out of breath. Exhausted and unable to run any further, Lucas collapsed into the underbrush of the forest, rolling onto his back he gazed up with tear filled eyes thru the branches of the trees and beyond to the sky.

“Why!” He shouted, “Why?”

“Why what, young man?” A voice whispered from within the trees.

“What?” Lucas said as he jumped up and spun around. “Who said that? Who’s out there? Where are you?” Lucas rattled off the questions not waiting for an answer to any of them. “Who are you?”

“You can think of me as a friend.” The voice replied.

“Where are you? Who are you?” Lucas repeated.

“Neither is important right now,” The voice continued, “Please tell me why you were running and what you were asking why for.”

“Oh God I have gone loony.” Lucas cried as he dropped to his knees. “Now I’m actually hearing voices.”

“You’re hearing my voice, because I want you to and because I am here.” The voice said, “Now dry those tear and rise up young man. Or do you want to always be the butt of jokes to your so called friends?”

Lucas rose to his feet, without even thinking he stretched his arms out wide and arched his back and stared up thru the trees to the sky above. He felt a trembling begin to grow within him. As he stood there shaking violently, he felt an energy course throughout his body, it felt like he had been struck by twenty lighting bolts. He felt a burning sensation well up in his belly. His flesh felt like it was covered in boiling tar. His mind was spinning with a million thoughts. And in that instant, he vanished. He was no more. Lucas, the ten year old boy everyone made fun of, was no more.