Live The Dream

The sky was so bright, it almost hurt to look at it. It stretched above and around them, a blue-white canopy that seemed close enough to touch.

Two young men stood atop a cliff. Water cascaded in a frothing torrent before them. The grass was thick and springy beneath their feet.

They had both come here to forget. One, the loss of a girlfriend. The other, the responsibility for holding everything together. They both knew the world was a dark and scary place. But, for this one brief moment, they were surrounded entirely by light. The sun was high, caressing bare chests and shoulders, skin that had been starved of its affection for far too long.

The shorter one spread his arms wide, his face tilted upwards, eyes closed. Joy suffused his features in a boyish grin that belied his status as older brother. The taller one stood at the edge, where the land stopped abruptly, dropping shockingly into the water far below. He looked down, always the more wary, the tension of anticipation clear in his body.

“Just look at this place,” the shorter one breathed. “Don’t you think it’s trying to tell us something?”

The taller one snorted without looking round. “Like what?”

“I don’t know.” A hint of exasperation. “Like maybe not everything has to be bad all the time. Like maybe it’s okay to take a break. Like maybe we’re not responsible for saving the world every minute of the damn day.”

“Your mouth to god’s ears.” The taller one was still battling emotional scars, but the power and beauty of their location couldn’t help but gradually creep into his psyche. It did feel just that little bit portentous; as if someone or something had placed it there just for them.

“Outta the way!” came a sudden shout, causing him to spin round.

“What are you doing?” Alarm warred with amusement.

“Living the dream, man!” the shorter brother cried in exultation. He ran. He jumped.