The Book of Elijah Knight 

Escape To The Forest

Asher is strapped in the back carrier. He drifts over my shoulders, his head, drunk with sleep, falls forward, resting and then jerking suddenly within the curved arch between the back of my head and the end of my neck. “It’s too early sweetie. It’s not time yet.”

Leaves skid across the thick layer of ice on the creaking lake, the stems lightly sifting the snow.

The flakes stir and crinkle, drifting and settling like onion peels on thatched rooftops. In the distance, squirrels scratch away at the trunks of silence.

At the foot of a birch, almost as if a mummy wriggled free and escaped, lay its white, unravelled and discarded coil. My heel crunches into the snow. Our steps grow faster and faster. Come, Asher. Run. Run. Let’s escape. Free, we run as if we were the invisible, fully unravelled mummy.

Dry, yellowed leaves, somehow eluding fall, shake as we rush past. I hold my hands up, protecting Asher from the swinging branches. From his bulky snowsuit, his dangling forearms bounce and swish when they rub against my shoulder. Hidden animals scurry beneath the snow’s surface.

I come to a halt, my hands at my hips, my torso half hunched over gulping for air. The flakes drift down, zigzagging before the evergreen backdrop, floating down like a giant Baby owl’s seminal shake, its nubile, downy feathers released.

Asher is already asleep. He, seemingly like only a baby breathes, sips three quick, precious breaths, and then sighs, as if it were all too much. His mouth is slightly open and completely carefree, yet his lips curve - like at the edge of sadness.

I remove the carrier from my back and support Asher’s flopping head. I succumb to the caressing snow, and down I lay looking through the tips of overhead branches that encircle my face and shroud the sky. I look through the circular clearing as if I lay in a deep, empty, topless silo. Asher’s breath puffs out, his warm breath sculpts the cold into the shape of an invisible little hand that unravelled from its mortal coil.

I place the carrier holding a sleeping Asher on my chest. His weight presses the back of the carrier against my chest. Still strapped into his harness, as one person, Asher and I seeming share a set of eyes, and watch the snow fall. We let the flakes flutter to our eye lashes and blanket us in its layers of silence - as if the entire world had closed her eyes.


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- I think maybe a we
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- I think maybe a wee bit over the top. They're actually all too comfortable with the treats and trinkets, and egos that constantly reassure themselves that they've' paid their dues' to be involved in anything too 'active'. At least 'active' enough as to be involved in something revolutionary.They're all at it. Even Mallard - supposedly currently courting media opportunities disguised as a well-spoken upholstered couch (or at least chez longe).It really is a bit pathetic.As for the Paganis.... in that mould of consultant entitlement ,,,, you know the "TYPE" - and it is a "TYPE". Ready to advise and report using templates a la - here's something I prepared earlier.I suppose they have to earn a crust - just like the rest of us, but none of them should be surprised by the massive electorate turn-off. And IF Labour do think a Pagani or two is the answer to life and the universe, then they obviously missed fascist Italy, and the shit that's currently going on in AUstralian Labor. There, they actually think Gillard is left wing ffs!
Posted at 8:37:am 02/14/14
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I can't help but
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I can't help but think there has been a missed opportunity for communities to find common ground on this issue.Because I know a lot of Christians who agree that all NZ citizens should have the same rights under NZ law, whether homosexual or hetrosexual. And if the issue is currently, a hetrosexual couple can choose between a civil union and marriage to register their relationship as recognised by the State, while same-sex couples only have the option of civil unions, then why not get rid of marriage from the statute books?Because that's really all the State is doing in marriages: recognising the civil relationship between couples.That way everyone has to register a civil union, then can celebrate that relationship however they want - whether that's a Christian marriage, at the local marae, or a BBQ at home.Everyone has the same rights under civil unions, and the State doesn't need to define an institution against the beliefs of some communities.It might not please all Christians, but there are a whole heap who would agree with this, but are instead being labelled bigots.
Posted at 2:59:am 02/13/14
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enemiesâ redress to
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enemies’ redress to justice – I’m sure he was almost overcome with the urge to raise his right-arm in the extended, anterior position. The political hue of the residential race has also taken a new & sensible turn with a renewed critique of the poor. Mitt Romney now praises the McDonald Burger chain as the epitome of good business, thus promoting sensible wage structures & more employer influence over employees as the way forward. NZers have shown their support of some fascist ideals by voting for John Key, but we can do better with enhanced, more coordinated attacks on the lazy and under-employed & pass more laws to prevent people like Metiria Turei & her people from gaining parliamentary power. NZers must continue their support of National who must strive even harder to control the unruly masses & keep the NZ the way it was meant to be. As a starter, Norfolk Island could easily be re-commissioned as a detention venue. The ‘God of nations’ we entreat is alive & well in the ‘land of our fathers’ – we should take note & give Labour a belated farewell.
Posted at 2:28:am 02/10/14
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Awesome exercise on
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Awesome exercise on perseverance, being reassured by God’s word and moving forward through obstacles. Just what I needed today …Nicky recently posted..[] Reply:August 12th, 2012 at 7:45 pmTwitter: Indeed , Throughout my days, a variety of Bible verses pop into my mind. A lot of that has to do with how I was raised, Christian, and the private schools my brother and I attended reinforced that also. My mother required us to memorize entire chapters of the Bible at home, and during elementary school we had to do the same thing. So many important life lessons can be found in one book, the Holy Bible. I’m passing that on to my daughter; learning and searching the Scripture. True the Holy Bible was written by man, but the words written were inspired by God.As she gets older, what she does with the spiritual information that she sees within me, and that I actively teach her is up to her, but for now… I’m laying the groundwork. If she’s like her mom, she’ll stray away from her upbringing for years. I sincerely hope she doesn’t go that way, but at times we have to follow our own path.. but that’s a story for another time…perhaps. I’ll continue to keep you in my prayers, sometimes the road can be difficult. Having those around who can be an emotional shoulder to lean on, can be helpful. I don’t need to know what you’re going through, just know that I continue to pray for you– good times or bad. Blessings to you…Opal recently posted..[] Reply:August 13th, 2012 at 8:35 pm, Before I say thank you … I gotta say … we HAVE to meet. I swear so much of our life stories are the same!!! I can see it now … all the “me too” screams!!!! My mother … still a Godly woman did the same for me and my brothers. She’s the one who talked me off the proverbial ledge on Saturday. Family altars, family devotions, church attendance and Bible reading and application are all a part of my story! Like you I strayed for a while … but I know without a doubt that I can’t live without God. I know some people can but I can’t and honestly … I don’t want to now. I applaud your efforts to give your daughter that strong foundation, especially in these times.I can’t thank you enough for your prayers. The short version is that I’m tired of the way some things are and impatient that I can’t make the changes go faster. Those don’t work well together. Not at all. So thank you my friend … I really appreciate your prayers.You and your munchkin are in mine also. Blessings to you both.Nicky recently posted..[] Reply:August 14th, 2012 at 4:50 amTwitter: I know right , Often when I read some of your posts, I chuckle to myself. We are alike in so many ways.I told myself for years that I could live without God, even though that was a lie because I knew deep down that I was wrong. But, I’m stubborn, and kept doing my own thing throughout my twenties and the majority of my thirties. In my case, it was a random stranger/blogger that brought me back to reality. He always talked about the Bible in his posts, and at first it turned me off… and I had to ask myself Why? I wasn’t turned off by other passions, so why would someones religious beliefs set me off so much? In my case, it ate at me because it showed what I wasn’t doing with my own walk with Christ.That blogger wasn’t ashamed to talk about something he loved…and I came to respect that. We had some great discussions on his blog/email about a variety of topics. At times, I challenged him (politely of course), and he always took the time to answer my questions in a friendly manner. Of course, he was one of the first persons I contacted. I knew he’d been praying for me all along.It’s that you were able to talk to your mom. I’m laying the groundwork with my daughter. Lots of time is spent with her, she knows she can always talk to me about anything. It’s something I tell her constantly. I might not always agree with her choices, but I’ll always be willing to listen.Opal recently posted..
Posted at 7:23:am 01/28/14
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