The Canvas, Part V

Attempting to get Emerson back on track, Riley asked, “Where are we headed, anyway?”

“To the blue tree I painted. It’s painted on the left side of the canvas, by the mountains and the technicolor bubbles,” she answered, looking around for where it might be. Emerson looked to the left and right, yet was discouraged when she did not see the tree anywhere. Reassuring herself, she added, “You know, it doesn’t really matter where we’re headed, it’s about where we are right now!”

Just as Emerson said that, a whiff of the sweet scent of flowers tickled their noses and made them giggle once again.

Emerson closed her eyes and focused on the candied smell of flowers and the wind blowing through her hair. She was sure it smelled better than any cake her mother had baked, or even any pie. Looking at Emerson, Riley closed his eyes as well. The two became lost in the heavenly smell until they found themselves blindly walking through the field. Using the fragrance as their guide, they walked to the beat of the tikking and tokking from the giant clock in the sky.

One step at a time, with their eyes closed the entire trip, Riley and Emerson finally reached the origin of the smell: a field of life-sized daisies. They became engulfed in a sea of 5-foot tall flowers, each with a different color and pattern. The two silently trekked through the forest of daisies, climbing over roots, pushing leaves aside, and brushing up against oversized petals. The attractive, sweet scent was ever so strong inside of the forest, as if a cloud of smoke were consuming the entire field.

“I’m beginning to get very drowsy, Emerson,” Riley said, panting. “Would you mind if we just…took…a…break?” Riley said as he lay down between the flowers, closing his eyes and drifting to sleep. Emerson watched as he fell asleep and a feeling of adoration came over her. Is this what love feels like? She thought. Nah, can’t be. That’s only for adults, she assured herself.

Emerson lowered herself to the ground and took a seat. She used the nearest stem as a backrest as she slowly found herself in a world of fantastical dreams, all the while holding Riley’s hand as they rested in the protection of the flowers.

Emerson’s dreams were filled with rollercoasters and cute, talking beavers. She dreamt of happiness under the sun, friendly aliens visiting her whereabouts, and of flying through the sky accompanied by a beautiful rainforest bird. In the middle of her flight, Emerson was awakened by a loud CLANG that sounded from the giant clock. Riley suddenly awoke and sat up, sweating violently and white as a ghost.

“Thank goodness for that wake up call,” he said, “I was having the most terrible nightmare!!”

“The clock must’ve known. Why else would it have gone off like that?” Emerson said.

“You don’t think it’s magic, do you?” Riley asked.

“That’s precisely what I was thinking, actually,” Emerson responded with a smile on her face. She stood up and remembered the sweet scent of the flowers. “Let’s get out of here though, before we fall asleep again,” she suggested as she began to trek through the flowers again.

The two journeyed through the field for it seemed like an hour, but it seemed as if there were no way out. Incessantly climbing and walking, Riley and Emerson eventually became frustrated. The flowers towered over them and they could not see the horizon. It soon became obvious that the two children were lost in a maze of flowers with no end in sight.

“How in the world do we get out of here?!” Riley said with fear in his voice. Riley’s lips were trembling as he looked around and saw no reassurance. Emerson realized the terror and hopelessness in Riley’s eyes, and she began to weep. With the first teardrop that hit the ground, a large CLANG resounded in the sky. Emerson looked up to see the hands of the clock switching directions, now going clockwise and moving forward instead of backward. Emerson was overwhelmed with sadness.

Riley grabbed Emerson’s hand and looked into her beautiful blue eyes, glazed with tears. He gently raised his hand to her face and wiped the tears off of her rosy cheeks. Riley brushed the hair away from her face and tenderly touched his lips to hers. Emerson squeezed his hand and passionately kissed him back. A magical feeling overcame the two, a rush of inexplicable ecstasy throughout their veins.

CLANG! Went the clock, and Riley and Emerson looked up to the sky once more. The hands of the clock had switched, now moving counterclockwise once again. A grin spread across Emerson’s face as she embraced Riley with as much love and strength as she would her favorite stuffed animal.

While looking up at the sky, Emerson noticed that a giant multi-colored arrow had appeared. It pointed to her left, twisting and twirling as far as the eye could see.

“Look, an arrow! We must follow it!” Emerson explained as she began running through the flowers in the direction of the arrow. Riley, used to Emerson’s spontaneous wandering, chased after her.