Perchance to Bounce

Note: This came out quite different than originally intended. I meant to cover a Daily Prompt and a Blog Propellant prompt in one micro story. It took a life of its own, I’m not sure if it’s a good life but here is part one…

As the shadow void began to give way to reveal tonight’s adventure, Clara gasped in excitement.  The beachy place!  She hadn’t been here in a longtime, but every time she had it had been fun.  She looked around as her body descended to the ground. She was at the edge of a large lake, standing on beige sand. She stuck out her arm and studied her tinier than normal hands.  Looking towards  her feet she saw she was wearing a girl’s summer dress and her strawberry hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

Between eight and ten? She guessed. That’ll work. The most important thing is can I still jump here?

Clara crouched down into a squat, took a breath and launched herself into the air.  To her delight, she did not immediately come down, but continued floating upwards, more and more slowly, until she reached her apex and gravity softly began to pull her back down to earth.  

She repeated this exercise, over and over, sometimes spreading her legs out like an acrobat, sometimes going into a spiraling tumble halfway up, but always landing on her feet and bouncing her way down the beach.

After awhile Clara noticed she was gradually approaching a forest line.  I don’t remember anything but the beach and the lake when I came here before. She shrugged. Maybe I get to go deeper in this time.

She continued bouncing along and shortly came to a point where she could no longer travel around the lake, but must follow a brook upstream into the forest.  She bounced lower and lower until she gave up on bouncing entirely due to the thick canopy of tree branches overhead.  

A sudden compulsion caused her to abandon the grassy bank and jump into the brook to walk in the water.  She carefully planned and placed each step, avoiding treacherous stones and thoroughly enjoying the sensation of water running through her toes as she waded in through the bubbles. 

Clara didn’t know how long she waded through the stream, only that she began to hear a steady, gentle roar from up ahead.  The brook was widening and deepening and as she crested a small hill, the entire area opened up to a large watering hole being constantly supplied by a breathtaking waterfall. Along the opposite bank, she saw a person, or maybe a — life-sized Tinkerbell?

Tink beckoned Clara to the opposite bank.  In a breathe, Clara had jumped thirty feet in the air, descended into the perfect swan pose and dove down into the pool, to emerge two seconds later on the opposite bank. She regarded the fairy curiously, water trickling down her face and dripping off ringlets in her hair.

“Hello,” Clara extended a wet hand in greeting. “I’m Clara.”

“I know Clara.  I’m Trika.  I’m supposed to guide you to the people you must help tonight.”

“Oh man,” Clara complained. “I thought I might just get to enjoy this time… It’s been a splendid summer morning and appeared as if nothing could go wrong!”

“But only you can do what needs to be done!” Trika admonished. “And how can you nurture your gift if you don’t practice it?”

“There is nothing special about me!” Clara protested. “I don’t understand why it has to be me.”

Trika leaned in mere inches from Clara’s face and hover the palm of her hand over Clara’s forehead.

“Always remember,” Trika whispered, “that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.”

The last thing Clara saw was the mischievous smile reaching into Trika’s gold-green eyes, as she pressed her  hand against Clara’s forehead and the void enveloped life once more.

Part Two can be read here.
In response to Diptych/Triptych and Sweet Dreams.