I am Sierra

[opgave]

Although she was awake now, she still saw the silhouettes of cattails rocking in the water, while the mosquitoes earnestly tried to escape the wind and land onto its fuzzy coat.  There were so many mosquitoes that a soprano harmony swayed in the air!  The sun was setting, or was it rising?...  No matter; it was right in front of her on the horizon.  Sierra imagined that the bay was shallow and with that thought, she leaped forward into the water.  Landing on her feet, surprise and confidence filled her nostrils.  She was sure that anything she wanted can happen.  And so she galloped into the horizon, splashing morning dew on her hair.  She wished for the sun to meet her in the middle, and so she ran.  Faster and faster!  Almost there…  I see it, stretching its rays towards me!  When they touched, Sierra closed her eyes and leaped one last time, leaving the feeling of the ground behind.  This last time is forever............................................................................................................................................................

When she opened her eyes that very morning, Sierra still had the island smell in her long curly hair.  She came out of the shed, where her brothers, like her, were dreaming of Assateague Island.  Looking around, one question lingered in her mind.  Was it a dream?  "But… I felt it…"  Disappointed, she looked back at the grey barn that was left colorless from time's past.  But when she felt the sun’s hand on her curls, she remembered that the world is hers and everything is us.

Sierra took a deep breath, closed her eyes and dove into the world, like a bird flying home after a long winter, in search of Assateague Island.