I stare through the window down to the old pohutakawa, occasionally flicking my eyes across to the jumbled numbers on the clock. Patiently waiting. All anyone can see at first glance is the crimson blooming over a green tinge in the shadow of a fire, a sunset forming far away. I know better though. This tree is a gem. It might not shimmer in the sun and it isn’t dug up from the mines, but it is a healing retreat for me. After a long day toiling at a desk, bells ring and here I am, waiting for the day to come to a close. When the rays of the sun splash the clouds and turn them a cotton candy pink or a fizzy orange. Colours good enough to eat, if only I could reach them.
I take a small step onto the freshly mowed lawns. The droplets off the blades of grass creep between my toes. I can finally breathe as the fresh air hits my lungs and the worries of the day sink from my shoulders to the ground. I walk down to my sanctuary, hidden in plain sight, behind the crimson blast. The colours are dancing through the sky when I reach
the foot of the tree. Perfect.
I journey up to my throne among the branches, high enough for a view but only halfway up this giant. From here I can see my kingdom, from the mountainous cliffs to the beaches reflecting the boil up of colours from the sun, slowly sinking behind the hills across the coast. The waves crash in the distance, filling the air with the sounds of the ocean and the cry of the gulls. I lean back into the branches, their arms cradling me from the cool afternoon breeze. Erebus, the god of night and darkness is approaching. The picturesque landscape fades away into the darkness as the flame in the distance slips from the face of my world into another.
Keeley