Entry 5

After yesterday's embarrassment of an entry, I talked to Ms. Millman and now I've got myself a list of writing prompts.

I know this is supposed to be a free expression thing, and it works best when I write about whatever it is I'm thinking about, but if we don't want this to spiral downward into gloomy accounts of how boring my life is, then it's for the best I am being told what to write about.

So today's prompt is, My Favorite Place in the World.

See, look at that? I know exactly what to write. Easy peasy.

There's this tiny lake that's about an hour drive outside of Baton Rouge. It's in the middle of wilderness, and Peg used to take me up there for something of a family get away back when I was little. We'd have picnics, she'd show me the old house she grew up in, we'd bring tackle and try to catch fish. Buckets of fun. Then every night we'd wait for the sun to go down and the stars would come out. It never seemed real to me, how big and vast it looked. Peg knows every constellation there ever was and she'd go on and on and on, showing me the planets and telling me stories about how stars got their names. It was when we were down there I felt like we connected best. Usually I tend to be the chattier one out of the two of us, but whenever we were at the lake it was like she just let loose the floodgates, and I never got bored of listening to her like I tend to do sometimes now. Peg can be silly, but I forget that she really is pretty wise.

I've been there with a few of my old friends sometimes too. I had my first kiss down there; with an asshole I might add, but at the time it was awfully romantic. I haven't been able to visit much since the accident, but I've really been missing it. For me it's always been an oasis. Nothing bad ever happened up there. No fights, no hallucinations, no nightmares. It's that place where you childhood exists and nothing can ever take it from you, because that's just how it is. It's untouchable.

Ha ha ha! Take that prompt! One down and hey, it was a pretty decent entry if I do say so myself. Looking forward to taking on the next one.

Á la prochaine.