Fragments Gallery
Open Horizons
Adrianne brushed her hair away from her eyes with the back of her dirt stained hand as she surveyed the plants before her. She was kneeling in her small garden on the edge of town. It was autumn, harvest time, and the leaves on those few plants remaining in the ground had turned amber. Scattered across the shattered topsoil were the dried out stalks of the garden's refuse, those bits she had already harvested but had no use for.
She rose and stretched to ease the stiffness from her back. Before her lay vast golden plains, behind her the fields were obscured by the short older houses of the town. She lived in the big city but she liked to leave and come out here when she could. Out here the world seemed wider and yet smaller all at the same time. Out here she was less connected to everyone else, but there was so much more she could see. The horizons were endless in this town.
Gravel crunched behind her as heavy boots came around the side of the house.
"Evening," came the man's greeting from behind her.
Her eyelids fell shut as she heard his voice. She felt slightly... disappointed. She didn't mind that he had come, but his appearance meant that her peaceful time here had come to an end.
"Evening Nathan," she replied as she lifted the bucket of potatoes that rested near her and settled it into the wheelbarrow. This done she turned to face him. He was around her own height, dark haired and slight. At the moment he wore a grey wind breaker, green shirt and well-worn jeans. He wasn't here for work then; if he were here for work he'd still be dressed in his sharp black suit. He leaned casually against the weather siding his eyes roving the garden.
"I always wonder about this." He said idly, turning his attention to her and regarding her from his position at the side of the house.
"Wonder about what?"
"This garden, and you," his tone remained light, he was just curious; "You're the last person I would have ever thought would keep a garden. But some people just like gardening, I can understand that. But all the way out here? That’s quite a drive."
She shrugged, keeping her back to him.
"Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it," he continued, "but… you're you. You're a hero, a socialite, a fighter. Anything and everything you have ever done you excel at. You spend your days making decisions that save lives, decisions that can change our world. There are many people who rely on your expertise, whether they know it or not. You are an important person. But every evening you are able to you leave the city, drive out here and tend to your garden."
"Sometimes it’s about the simple things. You know?" she turned and her eyes met his, "I need time on my own with all the responsibility that I have been given. You of all people should understand that."
He nodded slowly.
"You're right. I do just like to garden, growing these plants, it makes the rest of what I do seem easier. It slows life down, makes it more manageable."
"I can understand that, but why all the way out here?"
"I…" she pursed her lips and held his eyes in her own, "There are very few people who could ask me that question and get and answer Nathan."
"It's alright if you don't want to answer," he interjected quickly, "It really is. I don't wish to step out of line-"
She held up a hand to forestall him, "It's fine. I could have my garden anywhere, but I chose out here for a reason."
Nathan watched her intently. Curiosity played across his features.
Adrianne spoke impartially, her voice soft, "My Grandmother lived in this town. We used to come out here every weekend and I would spend hours running around the town and surrounding fields with my sisters. Now when I return... I am reminded of those times. I can find a peace here that exists for me nowhere else."
Her voice changed, took on a wistful tone, "There is true freedom out here, life seems less confined and our options more open. Our lives are as vast as that horizon before us but it is only out here that we can truly see that. In the cities that view is always obscured by the buildings."
She fell silent and stared out towards that distant horizon for a moment. The sun was beginning to dip below that far off horizon. She longed to stay out here and watch that fading light, but...
It was growing late; the sun was setting and a chill was forming in the air.
“Did you come for a particular reason?” She asked him as she moved the wheelbarrow towards the house.
“Oh yeah,” he said, her words drawing his attention back from the distant fields, “The senator wishes to speak with you tomorrow about the Orpheus project.”
“So soon?” she asked, a little bit surprised, “We weren’t expecting to hear from him for another week.”
“Apparently he has to fly out for a few days. This was the only more… reasonable time he could fit us in.”
“Very well,” Adrianne sighed as she carried the vegetables into the house. It seemed her stay was to be cut short once again. Once the wheelbarrow was empty she lay it against the side of the house, locked the back door, and grabbed her jacket from where it rested beside the garden.
Turning away she followed Nathan towards the front where their vehicles were parked. Just before she rounded the corner of the house she cast one final look back at the warmly lit golden fields. Part of her longed to stay forever, the other part knew why she couldn’t.