Sensing Nature - A Live Write

Linda Shelton - Reader's Challenge

 

Elf

Mouse

Brook

Rabbit

For this one, I am going to take a storybook approach. 

Meribelle sat down by the brook to enjoy the peace of the morning.  Life had been busy lately as the princess was to be crowned queen in just a few days.  Everyone hurried about here and there in the elven glade.

Being more aligned with nature than most elves, she would sneak away to this quiet little spot as often as she could.   You see, elves like to talk.  They like to talk so much that sometimes she wondered if they ever listened.  

"Beatrice, I have brought you a carrot," she called out.  She pulled the carrot from her bag and set it on the ground beside her.  Beatrice was a rabbit that she had met when it was still a baby bunny.  The rabbit would often sit by her in silence.  A companion that didn't need to talk to remain a friend. 

 

On her other side she sat out some cheese.  She also had a mouse that would sit with her whenever she managed to find her way to the brook-side.  Meribelle laid back her head and took in the world around her.

First, she used her ears.  There was the sound of the brook tinkling along its winding path into the meadow. Then there was the light wind, it made the leaves in the trees above her whisper as the leaves waved down to the brook. There were birds and insects singing their morning songs.  Life in nature seemed to sing its way through the day. She smiled when she heard the first crunch of the carrot.  

Next she used her eyes.  The brook was clear as it moved, making the colorful rocks beneath seem to wobble on the bottom.  The grass was a deep green and moved with the gentle wind.  The trees above where a lighter shade of green. Some had fruit in oranges, reds and yellows.  She looked down at Beatrice. Her warm brown fur looked so soft.  Her ears stood out as they twitched this way and that. She was nibbling at the carrot, bright orange against her fur.  

Meribelle then focused on touch.  She could feel the rough bark of the tree behind her.  She laid her hands into the grass and felt the warmth of the sun on the sharp blades.  She could feel the slight breeze on her face along with the sun's kiss.  She reached over to pet Beatrice, the fur just as soft as it looked.  She looked to her other side.  The mouse had yet to arrive. The cheese was slick beneath her fingers, the sun softening its outer edge.  

Meribelle smiled.  There was something about using your senses in nature that made everything feel just right.  She wondered if others ever took the time to truly take in the wonders of the world about them.  All elves loved nature, she just loved it a bit more than some.  It was amazing what a beautiful world she lived in. 

One day, she hoped to travel where humans lived.  They moved through life so frantically that they missed the beauty of the world provided them.  Compared to what elves considered busy, humans seemed frenzied. She wanted to help slow them down and truly enjoy what they had, rather then spending so much time trying to get what they did not.  

The mouse arrived and began to nibble the cheese.  Meribelle closed her eyes and continued to enjoy all the things she could hear and feel.  It was the perfect start to any day.

The End