Orchard of Hidden Jewels

The wind was rich and spirited. With every careful step, I relished in the billowing aroma of fresh apples that seeped with an all-encompassing fervor into my pores. The vibrant emerald leaves tickled my skin as I crouched under the shaggy branch, wishing for relief from the unforgiving maze I had become subjected to. The orchard was vast, bristling with the ruby hued fruit that commanded to be cherished and respected for their unadulterated purity. I gazed at the fruit with longing as a quiver of hunger pierced my stomach after seven daunting hours in this relentless grove. I wouldn't dare disturb the crystalline apples by plucking one with my filthy, weathered fingers.

A flash of silver blinded my senses, the curious reflection making me pause mid-stride. Even the wind seemed to fall stagnant, my long hair motionless against sweat slicked skin. With a cautious tread, I meandered the cluttered grounds as the tinkling light commanded me forward under an unspoken compulsion. I halted before a heavy fallen tree limb, the curling leaves marrying shades of dying chartreuse and olive. With a strength only capable of the desperate, I heaved the branch from its grave to reveal the residing treasure that lay beneath. My eyes blinked furiously on their own accord, as if they were scrutinizing a mirage.

The chrome tricycle gleamed in the mid-day sun, overwhelming my sight with a dazzling luminosity. I crept towards it with a loyal grace, my heart beating with the devotion that one would feel if they stood before their salvation. Filth and grime forgotten, I feathered my fingers over the silken handle bars with a reverent touch. With a rejuvenated spirit, I fluently saddled onto the plush leather seat as if I were a huntress mounting my prized stallion. Worn hiking boots caressed the glistening pedals as I readied myself for the journey to freedom. My feet began to cycle in an effortless sequence as an unnatural vortex of wind encircled me. Those flawlessly jeweled trees, that seemed so monumental just moments ago, were gradually diminishing into inconsequential sprouts as I rose higher and higher into the weightless sky.