The Glass

I walk toward the glass, the reflection shines up at me. My feet move, closer... I am standing in the glass. Water is all around me touching my feet; I do not feel it. I walk farther in getting closer and closer, I reach out my hand. The world turns up side down, a dizzy swirl of colors; then, no more glass.
I am on a green hill; a butterfly lands on my shoulder. She shyly smiles to me, her skirt of blue-green swirls as she moves. Her eyes are small sapphires, they explode with color. Golden ringlets and sea green eyes, a child walks up and takes my hand, he smiles at me and then laughs delightedly. I walk down the path, and rain starts to fall, the silver tear drops fall on the ground, and rainbows explode out of them. The Butterfly leaves my shoulder and darts in and out of the tears. A golden river flows to my right. Suddenly the child lets go of my hand and runs into it. The golden water turns purple around him. A small minnow darts by and nips at the boy's feet. He laughs again and tries to chase it, but it escapes and continues down the river.
I continue down the path, the light is gold and red, it touches the flowers and the trees with an aching beauty.
A flower dances up to me, she shyly rustles her blue skirt and gazes at me, she is a sweet bluebell, soft and velvety looking. Her cousin, the violet, breezes up and takes her hand,they smile at me, then they dance off together.
My feet turn and lead me to a huge tree. The leaves are green with silver veins and wave gently in the breeze. The tree smiles at me and bends down to kiss my forehead. She has seen it all, so much beauty and pain, joy and laughter, she has seen them weep and laugh under her branches, she keeps their memory alive even when they are gone. She smiles wistfully and sadly. She has a life that is lonely and beautiful, this is what she is here for, this is how she survives. I smile at her and she tickles my cheek. I laugh and so does she.
She loves when people laugh, so many different laughs, high and low, loud and soft, tinkling and coarse, all of them beautiful. Each one a gift.
I walk away from her as she waves gently at me, sadly, lovingly.
I see an eagle. Tall, proud, upright. The protector, the honor driven. He is in his plumage of gorgeous gold. His deep brown eyes look at me, I wonder how he keeps himself so upright and strong. His eyes crinkle and he smiles at me. He takes off in flight, he soars above all, he see all with his sharp eyes.
I walk down a hill, I am in a small valley, ahead of me I see the reflecting glass. I am sad, knowing that my time is almost up. I continue down. A woman with black hair and blue eyes walks toward me, she also is smiling sadly, she also knows that my time is nearly spent. She hands me a red scarf, and I wind it around in my hair. She touches her hand to her heart and gestures to me. I continue toward the glass. The small boy with golden ringlets comes up to me again. He doesn't want me to go; but I must. He gives me a hug, he runs away looking behind him, then he disappears. The Butterfly flies up to me again, she blows gently on my hair, then she too is gone. The glass is close, my feet are nearly at it. I turn to look. The river sparkles, the silver rain falls gently, the tree is waving gently to me, the flowers dance up a hill, the eagle soars above all.
But it's time for me to go. I turn my face to the reflection in the glass and step into it. The world turns, slowly this time, reluctant to let go of the beauty I have just been in. I gasp as I come up on the other side of the glass. I look back. My reflection is all that I see. I walk forward and take your hand. We walk along together, I turn for one last glance into the glass. You smile at me, and squeeze my hand. And as we continue to walk forward together I am sad that I am not in the other world... the one behind the glass, but I am happy that you are with me. Next time, we'll find the world in the glass together.