There comes a time when things don’t seem beautiful. Like when the time comes when one must die, or when somebody unlike others must leave life behind. But luckily for the rest of the world, that person will never be missed. Because that person has only lived for eight seconds.


That person is me.


I was born under a willow tree, made from the ground and the leaves. But since a human being of such nature is impossible to create, I ceased to exist only a few moments later, as a violent gust of wind blew me to pieces. I still remember my few seconds of life, where my soft skin felt the cool of the grass. The colors were so vivid then, and I felt so alive. The sun was warm on my head, and I breathed in the crisp, cool air. There was a slight breeze.


But that slight breeze soon turned into a strong one, and I remember fear. I was suddenly scared of everything, of the sun and the grass and the colors. I felt myself detaching from all I was, but I didn’t feel any pain. Soon, I could not see. Soon, I could not feel. And eventually, I knew I was nothing. But I couldn’t be nothing, because I was still a spirit. I had a thought process. And though I had no senses, I knew I was not completely gone, like nature had intended. I was a being, even though no one knew it.


I knew exactly where I was. I was on planet Earth, where nothing that passes the boundaries of “life” can exist. Where nothing that passes the normal laws of physics and nature can be true. No matter if something or someone existed or not, the invisible lines in this world could not be crossed.



Or that being would be non-existent.


But I did something that normally would not be possible on this small planet. Because I was a being, and because I had a thought process, I knew that I was real, that I did still exist. I was a being of some type. I had accomplished the unachievable.


I had passed the bounds of Planet Earth.


The first thing I realized as I died was that I could no longer feel anything, but yet I could feel myself flowing with the wind. It is not exactly a sense, like how you may sense yourself jumping off a swing in midair, or how you may sense the water beneath you as you lay on a raft in a river. Instead of sensing the wind around me, I felt as if I was inside the wind, like my flow within it was a state of being, instead of just a mere feeling. It didn’t exactly matter that I could not see where I was going, or that I could not help where I was going. All that mattered what that I was.



Some spirits may have found this extremely unpleasant and even frightening, based upon the fact that one does not understand what is happening, and there is nothing to rely on. Because somebody is without sight, or sound, or any way to acknowledge any surrounding, it is impossible to know where one is or what could happen next. Such an experience would be terrifying.

Others may have found this very peaceful, because of the knowing of not knowing, or of just being, without any needs or wanting. Because there is no distractions of being alive and having chaos everywhere around you, this experience would be enjoyable and enlightening.

But for me, this experience was necessary, and was now happening. I was relieved from all of the weights of a short life, even though I did not know I needed such relieving. It was like taking a long hike up a mountain, then settling down during the night into a much needed sleep. It felt like I was asleep after my short journey of life.


I flowed like this, with the wind, for a long time, without the knowledge of anything, with no purpose at all. But eventually, this feeling began to pass, and I started to sense the wind around me. I started to wonder things, and I started to become aware of where I was. And then, I felt something surrounding me. A light, glorious something. Whatever it was flowed with me, and did not fade. It was at one with me. And then, with a start, I realized exactly why.


It was me.


Like when I was alive, I could feel myself. A shell for my spirit enclosed me, like water within a balloon. Suddenly, I had an idea.


And I opened my eyes.


The first thing I saw was the world, as I flowed through it, at first going slow and soft, but then speeding up as the sky and ground blurred behind me. I was startled, and on impulse, I closed my eyes again. Everything became black, like before. At first, I liked it better that way. I didn’t have to worry about what was going on in my surroundings. I could just sink into the wind, lose myself in the darkness. But eventually, I felt a stronger longing to open my eyes again, but I had forgotten how. Did it take strength? Did I not have enough will to try? After pondering for such a long time, I finally gave in to the wind, and let it carry me away.


And my eyes opened again.


This time, I found myself floating slowly over a small stream in the midst of the woods. The wind was blowing at a perfect pace, and a strong feeling of security came over me. A humming bird was flying only inches away from my ear, and I could hear it’s tiny wings beating as it struggled to keep up with me.


I could hear!


Pure joy rushed through me as I realized I could hear this tiny creature, and as this new sense harmonized with my sight, the world around me suddenly became so much clearer. The stream gracefully trickled as it tumbled down the rocks and stones, continuing its path without hesitant. Unseen creatures twittered in the trees and scurried on the forest floor. A leaf fell through the air with a gentle whoosh that barely made a sound. But I could hear it!


The breeze picked up after that, and I could barely see the world around me. It all became a blur once again, but it didn’t matter, because it only lasted for a few minutes longer.


And then, it stopped.


I found myself falling from the sky, silently screaming for peace once more. And then the silent became loud, and soon I was grasping at the atmosphere around me, trying to catch the wind one again. But, as I knew I would, I just kept falling.


Splat. I landed into a freezing cold stream, my sight fading slightly. Because of my shock, I could not move. But I could feel. I could suddenly feel the cold of the water, and as I felt it on myself, goosebumps spread up and down my arm. I was shivering, as the unfamiliar feeling of being cold swept over me. I dragged myself out of the river. The water from my body sank into the ground around me. The sky was blue, but not a vivid blue as it had been when I was alive. In fact, nothing was as vivid as it was before. It was like I was watching the world through a thin haze.


I tried to stand up. It was difficult, considering that I have never done it before. Putting my hands on the ground, I slowly tried to lift myself up. I tried using my legs to support the rest of my body. It didn’t work well. I fell down right as I was on the brink of standing. I tried again. No luck. Again and again I tried, and I soon began to lose hope. I sat calmly by the river, watching it flow, observing how it kept going, past the birds who chirped calmly beside it. It never ended. I touched my skin, that was not skin, but a shell. I tried to inhale the air, but then realizing I was not human, I stopped.


Black.


That was all I could see. My sight had gone. I tried to open my eyes again, take in this world that I knew I belonged in, but that did not want me here. I touched the grass.


No grass.


I reached up above me. I could not feel the wind. I heard a rustling. And then, there was no rustling.


Nothing.


I could no longer feel myself surrounding me. I knew that I was gone. I had tried to exist, but there was no possible way.


A brilliant light.


I was away from Earth.


I was alive.