The Tattered Blanket

The Grand Tetons loomed over me. They probably would have been more beautiful if I wasn’t so sick of being in the car with my family. We had been on vacation for a couple days, and I was tired of being around them. To add to it, I had had writer’s block for weeks and couldn't think of anything worth writing. I always write, so for once in my life, my mind was blank.  Now, because everyone in my family was annoyed, I was ready to go home as we started our silent hike up a hill.

The path beneath my feet was hard and worn down from many people walking it. On the side of the path, there were flowers and other plants. Butterflies floated from flower to flower, and squirrels ran away from the people they saw. It was all peaceful, except for us. We walked silently without a single word. Our anger fuming, corrupting the area around us. We were halfway up the hill. My mother stopped, and I dug out my camera and took a photo of the mountains. Then we continued on, and I tried to start a conversation with my mom.

“What kind of bird is that?” I asked, pointing to a small brown bird flitting through the sky.

“I’m not sure,” my mother said. “Ask your father.” I stopped walking and waited until my father was next to me. I asked him the question, and we continued talking about the birds and nature until we reached the top of the hill. I looked around, and my breath was stolen from me as I saw how the light hit the mountains in a way that made them appear almost purple. The grass at the foot of the mountains was so long you had to wonder what animals could be hiding behind them.

I leaned against the wooden fence that kept people from falling down the steep cliff and just stared. It was beautiful, but I had no way to write about it. I couldn’t think of a good way to describe it. I wanted to write something, so people could feel this place and see it as if they were there. I didn’t want to just call them mountains because they were more. I just didn’t know how to describe the beauty, the peace, and the calm. A brown shape wandered through the grasses below. Just a dot running through the field, maybe an elk or some kind of deer.  I didn’t know or care; I just had to find a way to write what I was seeing and feeling. Then, it hit me.

“The snow covered the mountain like a tattered blanket,” I accidentally said out loud.  I suddenly had ideas, a story I could write. Then another and even more. I stood up and almost screamed. I was so excited to get back to my cabin to write. The fence shook as I stood up, clearly very loose, and I studied the mountains closer. I saw the brown dot and wished I could run with it. I felt free and happy. As I looked to my family, they all seemed happier as if just the view fixed all our problems. Life was better, calmer, and we were all ready to continue on our vacation. After a little while longer of staring at the mountains, we all agreed to walk back down the trail. The trail back to the main lodge winded and was covered in flowers, all the colors of the rainbow. I skipped almost the entire way, sharing my ideas with everyone. I probably annoyed them even more, but at least I solved one of my problems, right?