April Flash #19

as an aside, I have now had to write this flash 3 times, which is why it has taken me so long to post and get caught up – the first time, my word document crashed and didn’t save. Second time, OD ate my entry and didn’t save it. Third time’s a charm, I hope

based on prompts by Amygdala: bare skin; straining to live; maple leaves

The green man rolled over and opened his eyes to the dawning light of spring, the old spirit of the forest, the old call of the wild. The wind was howling for attention like the call of a lost, lone wolf. He stretched, leafy hair along his bare skin rolling in the breeze, trickling up his arms and legs. His yawn was the cry of sunrise, green buds shooting past the still lying maple leaves of past fall, frozen in time for a season by the snow and ice of winter, now again set free, tumbling around the dirt like they were excited for the change. He stood and stretched, cloven feet like pan of old carefully sidestepping fragile growth straining to live as it pushed through the still-firm but softening dirt – its first test, first sign of resistance. He danced among the tender buds, playing a merry tune on his pipe, hands caressing the trees and waking them up to the dawning of the new season, before the summer in all of its scorching intensity came blazing in like an unbidden invasion. Now was the time to grow, to live, to imagine – to play. Now was the time to dance.

new prompts: stealing time; chasing memories, not dreams; scattered like paper confetti