Adventures in Nirvana

It was beautiful. The sun was shining overheard in the clear blue sky, its light filtered through the thick canopy of leaves. The trees were tall, thick and strong, unmoving against the gentle breeze that rustled the leaves and grass. Song birds and butterflies flew to and from the trees, a beautiful diversion from the flowers and leaves on the forest floor. A natural path wound between the trees towards a clearing bathed in sunlight, and on this path was a little girl. She was about 7 years of age, a small child with long, straight, jet-black hair that reached her shoulders, eyes as red as the brightest rubies, a cute little button nose, and a pale face with the loveliest smile. The dress she wore was as black as her hair, with white frills, reaching past her knees towards her knee-length socks. It was simple yet elegant, perfectly complementing her beauty. She was running on the winding path towards the clearing, laughing as she held out her arms at her sides like an airplane. As

Elisa stayed in her room for nearly thirty minutes, still exhausted from last night's party. She passed the time mostly by reading through a few of her favourite books, and taking a small nap. She ate a few granola bars she'd hidden in her room to make up for not finishing her breakfast. The Rogers open their doors to visitors at about 8:30 am. Since Elisa had woken up at 7:30, thirty minutes later than usual, she had over an hour before her mother called her down to deliver the dishes back to the Rogers (half an hour after taking the time to relax). That gave her some time to calm down and think. First there was Harry. Even if he doesn't tell her her, he would still pester her to keep the promise she made last night. And the more pestering he did, the more of a pest he becomes. It also meant that mother would get involved, and since Harry is a terrible liar, she could easily get the truth out of him. And then Elisa would really be in trouble, the kind that her grandparents can't save

Elisa sat curled up on her bed, brooding. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her chest, staring into empty space with a weak glare.Ten minutes have passed since the fight. When she had lunged on her younger brother Harry under the assumption that he had split on her regarding the secret of last night's party. It had taken all of Mrs O'Sullivan's strength and patience to pry her children apart. Elisa had fought like a wild animal, first pummelling Harry on the floor (while he did nothing except shield himself), then struggling in her mother's arms, trying to get at her brother. It was only after her mother had managed to get her under control did she learn the truth. Mrs O'Sullivan had received a call from a friend just before she went to clean up the backyard. It was this friend of hers who told her everything about the party and Elisa's prank items (which she had received as a prize). However, to make sure it was all true, she sent Harry to look for Elisa's pr

Elisa has getting strange dreams like the one she just had for the past two years. In every one of them, she was her seven year old self, prancing around and having fun with a group of imaginary friends that she couldn't even see, for the most part. The setting was always different, sometimes a grassland, other times a large valley, and once she found herself in a cave, but the one thing they all had in common was that they gave off a heavenly feeling. Indeed, these dreams often came whenever she was feeling really unhappy or dissatisfied with life, and it always cheered her up (somewhat) in the end. Right now, she definitely felt a little better after having that dream.However, it also left her confused, like right now. These dreams weren't frequent, and there was no pattern or schedule as to when they would appear, except for whenever she felt really negative about life. What's more, she couldn't remember everything in the dream, only small fragments here and there, but all in very

For the rest of that week, Elisa O'Sullivan did everything she could do to change her mother's mind. She did more chores around the house. She became friendlier and more polite towards her family. She rarely made a fuss or lost her temper. But ultimately it was all for nothing. Two days before she was to be sent off to Eastwood Academy, and she hadn't made any progress whatsoever. To say it was frustrating is a severe understatement. It was the second time that a plan to get the better of her mother had failed. The second time she had beaten by her; only this time, it had all been her mother's own skill. She may have been oblivious for the first few days, or more likely hopeful, but now it was obvious that she saw through Elisa's plan a few days back, possibly before they had that conversation about the school. The fact that she failed to outplay her mother took a real blow to Elisa's confidence. She had managed to trick her mother before, several times. But now, looking back, she