The River
The River
Stefan stood at the river bank skipping stones as far as he could toss them. His face was screwed up slightly as though he was concentrating. When the stones he held in his hand had run out he sat on a large boulder above the flowing river underneath.
Gazing into the river he soon lost himself in its story. He saw what appeared to be a normal, flowing river, just like any other. Yet, it didn’t take a genius to see what lay beneath the surface. Underneath there was a roiling chaos spinning out of control, dragging rocks and debris along with it in its path of destruction. However the destruction it was wreaking was simply its own course. It did not directly affect the surroundings it was in, the turmoil underneath simply affected the river itself.
Stefan sighed and looked up. He’d driven out to the woods this morning, explaining to Emily, his sister, that he needed to be alone. He told her to go a friend’s house while he was gone. Now he scolded himself for leaving her when they both needed each other.
Closing his eyes, he lay back on the boulder. He wondered how Emily was coping. Stefan knew he certainly wasn’t coping. This past week he’d been tossed from his final years of youth headfirst into adulthood. It was the worst feeling he’d ever experienced, adulthood. Or maybe it was just the shock of it so soon, he thought.
Only a month ago had he finished high school. His plans were to study theatre in college. Now he wasn’t sure if he could afford it. Most of his plans involved money he didn’t have. The year of travelling after college was another one. There was no one to support him anymore. He didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, Stefan jumped up and started walking briskly along the river bank. While lying and doing nothing was a great feeling it allowed his mind to wander aimlessly until it arrived at the sensitive topics all too quickly. Movement helped as a distraction. So was sound of any kind. Stefan realized that the forest was much to quiet for satisfaction. The twittering of birds and the whistle of the wind weren’t loud enough. Fumbling slightly he managed to disentangle the headphones to his MP3 and switch it on. The blaring riffs of his favourite rock band soon resounded in his ears. The corners up his lips turned upward slightly.
Within twenty minutes Stefan returned to his car. It was a shabby thing from the outside with its peeling red paint but it worked like a dream so it compensated for any minor problems with the exterior. Inside Stefan connected his MP3 player to the radio so he could blast it from the speakers.
Starting the car Stefan took one more glance at the river running alongside him. Despite how detrimental it was to itself he couldn’t help but admire it. He felt connected to the river somehow as if they had something in common. With that Stefan shook his head to rid himself of silly thoughts and drove off.
Gazing into the river he soon lost himself in its story. He saw what appeared to be a normal, flowing river, just like any other. Yet, it didn’t take a genius to see what lay beneath the surface. Underneath there was a roiling chaos spinning out of control, dragging rocks and debris along with it in its path of destruction. However the destruction it was wreaking was simply its own course. It did not directly affect the surroundings it was in, the turmoil underneath simply affected the river itself.
Stefan sighed and looked up. He’d driven out to the woods this morning, explaining to Emily, his sister, that he needed to be alone. He told her to go a friend’s house while he was gone. Now he scolded himself for leaving her when they both needed each other.
Closing his eyes, he lay back on the boulder. He wondered how Emily was coping. Stefan knew he certainly wasn’t coping. This past week he’d been tossed from his final years of youth headfirst into adulthood. It was the worst feeling he’d ever experienced, adulthood. Or maybe it was just the shock of it so soon, he thought.
Only a month ago had he finished high school. His plans were to study theatre in college. Now he wasn’t sure if he could afford it. Most of his plans involved money he didn’t have. The year of travelling after college was another one. There was no one to support him anymore. He didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, Stefan jumped up and started walking briskly along the river bank. While lying and doing nothing was a great feeling it allowed his mind to wander aimlessly until it arrived at the sensitive topics all too quickly. Movement helped as a distraction. So was sound of any kind. Stefan realized that the forest was much to quiet for satisfaction. The twittering of birds and the whistle of the wind weren’t loud enough. Fumbling slightly he managed to disentangle the headphones to his MP3 and switch it on. The blaring riffs of his favourite rock band soon resounded in his ears. The corners up his lips turned upward slightly.
Within twenty minutes Stefan returned to his car. It was a shabby thing from the outside with its peeling red paint but it worked like a dream so it compensated for any minor problems with the exterior. Inside Stefan connected his MP3 player to the radio so he could blast it from the speakers.
Starting the car Stefan took one more glance at the river running alongside him. Despite how detrimental it was to itself he couldn’t help but admire it. He felt connected to the river somehow as if they had something in common. With that Stefan shook his head to rid himself of silly thoughts and drove off.