I would like to write something beautiful and sad today. I think it comes from a song we are doing in choir that I have stuck in my head, a song called "Shadowland."

Fatshe leso lea halalela/Fatshe leso lea/halalela (The land of our ancestors is holy)

Shadowland/The leaves have fallen/This shadowed land/This was our home...

...Prideland/My land/Tear-stained/Dry land

Anywayz... It is a sad, beautiful song, and having it stuck in my head puts me in that sort of mood. The dramatic music gives the lyrics the perfect effect, too -- fantastic song.

~*~

She gazed out the window at her yard, not really seeing anything but a blend of the soft yellow sunlight of an Indian summer and rich green turf below. No harsh noises invaded her privacy; this attribute of her 2nd story bedroom she loved dearly. Her mind was free to wander wherever it was pleased to go. And it pleased to go to thoughts of Darrin. Where was he now? What was he doing? Was he thinking of her like she was now of him? Quickly she put that thought away. Of course he wasn't... He didn't even know she liked him!

Kaelin sighed as discomfort overtook her peacefulness. Every time she thought of Darrin the same feeling seemed to come. I need to stop thinking about him so much, she reasoned. I don't suppose it's healthy. She made a face to herself as she thought of her dad, the psychologist. She had not told him about this recent -- well, not so recent anymore -- interest, but plenty of times in the past had he commented on how she dwelt too much on things. "Be an optimist!" was his favorite phrase around her-- whatever that meant.

She turned her mind to a different topic. As much as her dad said she dwelt too much on things, in cases like this she always turned her mind to something more pleasant. Maybe she should ask him about that some day; challenge all his theories just to see if he could come up with answers.

She turned her eyes outside again and returned to her daydreams....

~*~

Hmm. How is that for a story starter? I have no idea where it was going to; it just came to mind in the middle of my beauty-and-sadness mood. I suppose it's kind of a parallel to my life-- except my dad is not a psychologist. :)

Well, my fingers are frozen. I'm going to go do something else to warm them up... Read or something.

-Stephanie