Tabula Rasa
March 2014 Issue
Who Cried the Owl?
by Anonymous
I groggily open my eyes as the light floods in all at once. Once the glare subsides I see the blue sky with a few clouds smeared as if they were paint on a canvas. I look over to the right a little bit and I see the sun shining through openings between the leaves of an old oak tree, and say, “Where am I?” I try to get up and, as I lift myself, I feel a piercing feeling in my side; I see that I had been laying on a rock and it had punctured my side and had come out as I got up. I was bleeding, but that did not matter; none of this felt real. It had to be a dream, it was the only explanation I could come up with. I notice that I was in a clearing and the oak tree was not the only tree; I was in an entire forest of willows, maples, pines, and palms, all coexisting in one space together. None of this made sense; these trees live in different climates, so how could they all exist in this one spot? I notice there are hundreds of little eyes watching from afar and I jump with shock. I see little creatures peeking at me from behind the trees, but as I look to them, they shy away, being as they are; coy little animals of the forest.
“WHO?” I hear this ring out through the woods to echo a few times before it sounded again, “WHO?” I turned to look around and I saw an owl sitting in the lowermost branch of the oak tree. “WHO?” cried the owl, with a smug look on his face, as if I was invading his territory. I decide to sit down once more to examine my wound and think about the owl.
“What do you want?” I say to the owl.
“WHO?” cried the owl once more, before flying beyond the clouds.
“I don’t know!” I scream in confusion. After a moment of though, I realize that the owl had not run from me like the other animals.
Benjamin had not been aware that there had been an omniscient being watching from the forest. It sees Benjamin pondering on the owl, but of course I know that he will get up again, feel his would, and collapse, so there is no need to stay here, however, the question is, how did Benjamin get here? I know his name is Benjamin, so he must be of this universe, but his origins are unbeknownst to me, he will be rather difficult to study… He is unlike the others.
I feel more than just the animals of the forest watching me; I feel a potentially malicious presence somewhere, but that did not matter to me; I was relaxed and enjoying the fresh air. Why was I enjoying the fresh air… did I used to work in a factory? I’m not sure. While I bandaged my wound with a strip of my shirt, I noticed that the sun had not moved since I woke up, and several hours had passed. I began feeling nauseous, and for a second, I saw the world in split vision; on the right, I saw the same forest with light, potential, and love, but on the left, I again saw the same forest, but with darkness, hate, and lust. This unnerved me deeply, so I tried to get up to stretch my muscles; maybe I would go for a walk, I thought, but a shot of pain pulsed from my wound, and I fell over backwards.
THUD
There was light everywhere; even more than what blinded me earlier, but it was painless light. I still had no memory, I did not know what I used to be or what I did with my life, but I sense that I may have been good. I had a core feeling that a decision had been made, and for that I felt overly grateful; I knew not for what, but I was truly grateful.
by Anonymous
I groggily open my eyes as the light floods in all at once. Once the glare subsides I see the blue sky with a few clouds smeared as if they were paint on a canvas. I look over to the right a little bit and I see the sun shining through openings between the leaves of an old oak tree, and say, “Where am I?” I try to get up and, as I lift myself, I feel a piercing feeling in my side; I see that I had been laying on a rock and it had punctured my side and had come out as I got up. I was bleeding, but that did not matter; none of this felt real. It had to be a dream, it was the only explanation I could come up with. I notice that I was in a clearing and the oak tree was not the only tree; I was in an entire forest of willows, maples, pines, and palms, all coexisting in one space together. None of this made sense; these trees live in different climates, so how could they all exist in this one spot? I notice there are hundreds of little eyes watching from afar and I jump with shock. I see little creatures peeking at me from behind the trees, but as I look to them, they shy away, being as they are; coy little animals of the forest.
“WHO?” I hear this ring out through the woods to echo a few times before it sounded again, “WHO?” I turned to look around and I saw an owl sitting in the lowermost branch of the oak tree. “WHO?” cried the owl, with a smug look on his face, as if I was invading his territory. I decide to sit down once more to examine my wound and think about the owl.
“What do you want?” I say to the owl.
“WHO?” cried the owl once more, before flying beyond the clouds.
“I don’t know!” I scream in confusion. After a moment of though, I realize that the owl had not run from me like the other animals.
Benjamin had not been aware that there had been an omniscient being watching from the forest. It sees Benjamin pondering on the owl, but of course I know that he will get up again, feel his would, and collapse, so there is no need to stay here, however, the question is, how did Benjamin get here? I know his name is Benjamin, so he must be of this universe, but his origins are unbeknownst to me, he will be rather difficult to study… He is unlike the others.
I feel more than just the animals of the forest watching me; I feel a potentially malicious presence somewhere, but that did not matter to me; I was relaxed and enjoying the fresh air. Why was I enjoying the fresh air… did I used to work in a factory? I’m not sure. While I bandaged my wound with a strip of my shirt, I noticed that the sun had not moved since I woke up, and several hours had passed. I began feeling nauseous, and for a second, I saw the world in split vision; on the right, I saw the same forest with light, potential, and love, but on the left, I again saw the same forest, but with darkness, hate, and lust. This unnerved me deeply, so I tried to get up to stretch my muscles; maybe I would go for a walk, I thought, but a shot of pain pulsed from my wound, and I fell over backwards.
THUD
There was light everywhere; even more than what blinded me earlier, but it was painless light. I still had no memory, I did not know what I used to be or what I did with my life, but I sense that I may have been good. I had a core feeling that a decision had been made, and for that I felt overly grateful; I knew not for what, but I was truly grateful.