The reason for this short story is simply sentimental. When I was about five years old, I lived in a valley surrounded by beautiful hill/mountain ranges, which were visible from our driveway and front yard. Well, one day I was feeling adventurous and thought it would be oh so fun to explore the "wilderness" of the hills, and to hike over them to the other side (this was partially fueled by stories my grandma would tell me about the trips she had taken with my grandpa, and all of their own hiking experiences). Anyways, I don't remember all of the details, so some things were made up for the sake of the story's being told at all (otherwise there would be huge gaps where my memory lapses). But for the most part, yes, this is a true glimpse into a little girl's imagination. Enjoy! (if possible). But if you find yourself falling asleep, well, I understand and apologize.
One day many years ago, in early spring when clouds rarely exited the skies, and the buds that were transforming into roses were just beginning to bloom, in a place surrounded by green hills where dogs barked, bells tolled and the smells of flowers, fresh cut grass and hay hung in the air, a child lay sleeping. The sun boldly attempted to push its way through the accumulating grey, and consequently sent soft rays into the child’s bedroom, warming her face and bidding her wake. Lilah peered through the blinds as she sat up, wondering if today would bring blue skies, wind, rain or, as was the recent trend, all three.
She jumped down from her bed, and ran out the front door to see if Dad had left for work yet, and noting the absence of his car, she concluded that she must have slept late again. Just as she was turning to go back inside, she looked to the left and something caught her gaze. She stared at the hills that she had known her whole life, that had never changed and had probably even been there before she was born. But today they seemed different somehow, smaller. In fact, the longer she looked at them, the smaller they became, until she felt sure that she could easily climb over them in an hour.
It was getting cold outside, so Lilah turned and left to return indoors, but still the thought did not leave her mind; to tell the truth, the thought grew. She started to imagine what could be on the other side of the hills. Maybe there was a dragon, guarding its castle. What if the castle had a princess? Maybe there was an entirely different world waiting to be discovered, and no one knew it. There had to be some secret hidden over there, because on many occasions Lilah had noticed the large amount of clouds over there, even more than were covering the sky over where she lived. Maybe it wasn’t clouds at all, but smoke from the dragon! When the wind blew, she loved the way the grass bent down, revealing tiny wildflowers. Perhaps over there, where the dragon and the princess live, there were whole fields of these flowers, or even waterfalls with secret caves behind them, and real mermaids! These ideas got bigger and bigger, and soon they got so big that Lilah got another big idea, call it inspiration if you will. She was going to hike there herself. She was going to uncover this unknown place, and take her friends and family there when she returned.
Of course, no one can go on such a big journey without careful planning. Lilah spent an entire afternoon thinking about what she would need to take with her. She had hiking shoes from camp last summer, and was relieved that they still fit. She would also need to take water, graham crackers and pb&j sandwiches. She wasn’t exactly sure now how long this trip would take her. She had initially believed that an hour would suffice, but now, looking at how steep these hills were in places, she doubted she could fit such an adventure into such a short amount of time. Not to mention the time she would spend there, in that mysterious place. She would probably need a jacket. And a sleeping bag. Come to think of it, a tent would be great too.
While she was dreaming, imagining what a spectacular adventure she was about to embark upon, Dad’s car pulled into the driveway. That’s it! She knew she was forgetting something. She would need his help, not only with getting supplies together, but also for his permission. She could only imagine the trouble she would be in if she went on such a perilous journey without asking, even though she was doing it in the name of discovery.
She ran up the walkway, nearly leaped over the front step and followed her dad inside, all the while explaining her plans, and that she just needed him to allow her to go. Dad looked thoughtful, as if contemplating whether it was a good idea for a 5 year old girl to travel to unknown magical lands by herself. He seemed to reach a conclusion, and told her that she could go, but she would have to wait until she was a grown up. Lilah sighed. Well, this definitely put a damper on things. Here she was, all excited about the prospect of being a pioneer in new territories, a discoverer of new things, and an adventurer to the unknown and she had to wait until she was all grown up. She proceeded to ask her dad how long until then, and he told her she would be a grown up at age 18. Lilah sighed. That was so far away! But in the meantime, she would fill her days with adventures a little closer to home, and see what else she could discover about the world right around her. “And someday,” she promised herself, “ I will climb those hills. When I’m 18, I’m going to see the princess.”
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