I am alone, somewhere in a thick stand of trees. I’ve been climbing them. The insides of my calloused hands, bared forearms and thighs sting where rough bark granted me purchase to make my ascent, and descent — over and over again. I’ve explored the trees’ branches, and their roots. The dirt beneath my ragged nails evidences my efforts at finding their hearts somewhere beneath.

It is early evening. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I am filthy, and tired, and hungry, but I do not care. I do not wish to go home. Not yet.

I lie back into a patch of shaded grass and look upward into and through the outstretched arms of my whispering playmates, to the endless blue backdrop of the Minas Gerais’ sky. The air is warm, and fragrant with the scents of soil and cedar and honeysuckle, and the ground is cool beneath my back.

I am happy…again…♥

Ouro Preto city – Minas Gerais