My Favorite Place

The grass feels cool and crisp beneath my bare feet, like a giant green carpet, stretching on forever. The clear water rushes over the dam, glassy water shattering and the shards becoming whole once again at the bottom. I tip-toe over to the edge of the river and find a rock, smooth and round, gray as the rain clouds over the mountain. You took my hand and pulled it back, showing me how to skip my precious stone. I release the pebble and it hop-scotches across the mirror surface. 1. 2. 3. Plop! I feel sleepy now, the sun just rose and I lay down on the striped hammock, tied to my two favorite oaks. I trace the stripes with my finger, orange, blue, white, orange, blue, white, they are the same, over and over. I grasp my locket, small and silver, twinkling and flickering in the new sunlight. It is warm and smooth; each scroll planned and etched, perfect, one-of-a-kind. The leaves above are as green as Ireland, forming a canopy, a roof, to protect me from the dangers of the world. A squirrel, the color of hot cocoa, warm for Christmas, scampers from tree branch to tree branch, brown, fuzzy tail following, faithfully like a shadow, mimicking every twist and turn. I hear the young swallows from the nest on the ceiling of the Ranch House porch. Remember? We found them Monday during breakfast, above the 4th window to the left. Remember? I remember. I remember when we first met here. How could I forget something like that? We were at the Rodeo Dance. You walked up to me, with your big, green eyes, and asked me to dance. Later on you got us cream sodas and we sat all alone on that great, green carpet field and talked forever. You let me wear your favorite hat, your “lucky hat” you called it, the hat you were wearing when you walked up to me, with your big, green eyes, and asked me to dance, the hat you forbid anyone else to wear, anyone but you and me. We lay alone with the heavens on that manicured lawn and stared at the stars above, like a huge bowl covering our valley. This is definitely my favorite place, here, with you and the stars and the night, at my precious
Laity Lodge Youth Camp.