Condensation Trickled Essay, Research Paper
Condensation trickled down the cold, unfeeling glass
? a window to the cruel heartless winter that raged, untamed, beyond the safe
confines of the classroom. Trees swayed as though losing the hopeless battle
against Mother Nature?s cruellest force ? the wind. Despite such hopelessness,
they fought on defiantly against the wind?s relentless battering. Somewhere in
that gloomy world a bell rang, disturbing the once silent battle for life in
the wilderness. Before leaving my contemplative fantasy, I turned and admired
the tall, dark trees. Somehow I envied them because, despite their endless
battle for life, their life, their purpose, was clear and simple with no
question whatsoever.I moved down the corridor only semi-aware of what
was going on around me. Some insignificant person tripped beside me and
clattered to the floor but I was almost oblivious to it, as though it was far
off in the distance, muted by my innermost musings. I was vaguely aware of the
fact that I had now left the building. A deathly-cold gust of wind almost swept
me off my feet as it hurried round the corner heartlessly intent on reaching
its destination despite numerous obstacles, of which I was one, blocking its
way. I awoke from my conscious dreams only momentarily before slipping back into
the zombie-like state of mind that harboured my conscious fantasies. As I began
my journey home I began to go through the possibilities of what awaited me. At
the back of my mind was the glaring fact of what I was to find upon returning
home but yet I still felt the need to weigh out the possibilities as though
recounting them would change the odds. However, none of this stopped the truth
scratching at the back of my mind eager to be let out into the open to devour
all hope that was scattered throughout my depressed brain. I wandered aimlessly
along the rain-rutted road intent on prolonging the journey and what awaited me
at my final destination. Scorched-black ravens circled above me straight out of
the depths of hell that was surely waiting around the next few corners ready to
drown me in its hopelessness and ultimate despair. The song of the ravens was
not of normal birds, that of happiness, which lifted one?s, heart, but a taunt,
daring me to flee my destiny and cower away from what I inevitably had to face.????????? As if in a final attempt at convincing
me that I should not go on, the heavens opened and emptied a gushing river onto
my tired, weary back. The torrent flowed over me, penetrating my clothes and
soaking me from head to toe with its disheartening liquid, overwhelming my
every sense as I trudged on for what seemed like an age. Somehow the powers
that be must have realized that I was not to be swayed in my purpose and gave
up with a last crow from the ravens up above in the darkened sky. As they flew
away to pester their next prey, a chill ran down my body and for the first time
in a long time I felt truly alone.????????? Finally, I reached my destination only
to find that, despite my fears being correct, it no longer seemed to be as
important and disheartening now that I had faced it. The fact that I no longer
had a home, nor anywhere to live, somehow lost the deep meaning that I pondered
not fifteen minutes ago. Maybe it was shock or maybe I was just more
thick-skinned than I led myself to believe. However, I had not yet seen my
former home and as I rounded the corner my jaw dropped to the floor as I stared
at what lay before me. Stagnant water covered everything within a radius of
fifty metres, coating everything it encountered with its vile essence. Waves of
hot putrid air rose from the cesspit that was my home and spiralled into the
air penetrating every living thing within its reaches. I tried to get nearer to
the building but it was a futile attempt. The filthy water was already way past
my ankles and the boots on my feet would not hold out in the depths that
surrounded the house like a moat as though protecting it from anyone who dared
approach it.????????? I turned my back on the horrible
sight; I could no longer stand to see what ruin my safe haven was now in. As I
trudged up the road, drowning in my own sense of despair, I thought of what I
owned in the house and what it had endured. Certainly, I would eventually have
my house back but it would be months before the building could recover and
return to full health. I spotted my parents among the small crowd that had
gathered to quietly watch the efforts of other people to cross the small lake
that blocked the road. We slumped into the car (the only thing that had
survived the ordeal intact and retrievable) in weary silence and slowly drove
to a nearby hotel in which we were doomed to live for the next week or so. The
routine of checking into the hotel would usually have been exciting to me
because I associated it with holidays. The rush of excitement over what the
room would be like and what channels the TV came with were unfortunately
lacking and my spirits failed to rise. Once again, I faltered on the edge of
the pit of despair and then fell headlong into it, striking my head on a
precipice and falling into a deep state of unconsciousness that failed to rid
me of my feeling of self-pity. ????????? I awoke to the eerie sounds of the
night and, as I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling unable to slip into
blissful sleep once again, I thought about what was to come and how my life
would proceed considering what had happened. Would it change a great deal or
would it return to normal once the procedures to repair the damage were
complete? Despite humouring myself by picturing what a newly remodelled house
would be like, I could not help feeling despondent at the long process of
rebuilding that lay in front of me. It would be many months before things would
return to normality and people coming and going throughout the day would
interrupt my once quiet life. The only thing that saved me from the dreaded
insomnia, which I suffered when anything abnormal occurred, was the thought
that despite the flood, my room, my safe haven from the perils of the outside
world, was sure to remain intact. As I remembered this my spirits rose dramatically
and I drifted off into reasonably untroubled sleep.(Number
of words: 1073)