Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Story-A-Day #307: Sprawl





SPRAWL

There used to be a forest here, a soothing block of green with a crisscrossing network of trails that wound through its heart. In the centre of that forest, there was a pond, a shallow pool of clear, clean water.

When I was younger, I would go there to swim on the hottest days of summer. I would travel there on my small blue BMX and relish the quiet solitude of the shady trees, and the cool embrace of the water.

It was so much better than going to one of the crowded public beaches with their stern lifeguards and squealing hordes of children.

Those were magic days, ones I regret leaving behind. I would be lying if I were to say that those days don't still linger in my mind. How could they not?

Sadly, those days are gone, long since passed into the realm of memory. And it is not just those days that have vanished. The entire forest has as well, replaced by an expanse of sandy construction.

Where once there were trees, there is now a growing sprawl of houses, another block of homes to accommodate our exploding population.

They are nice looking so far, sturdy and strong, but nothing can replace the shelter provided by those trees, and the comfort and tranquility of that long-drained pond.

Although the houses will soon be complete, the ghost of those memories will always linger.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone. Please excuse auto corrected errors!

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