tunes + threads: the journey of young love

The 2010 Miss Unkon show at RAFW saw a world of romance and colour emerge. I had the opportunity this year to publish a short story for the Miss Unkon journey book which was distributed at the show and was super cute to flip through. For those who didn't have the chance to peek through, this was the short story I had published...

Love is like a dreamland – the journey of young love

She could feel every crunch under her feet. The rough foliage crackled with every delicate footstep. She had a distinct and certain feeling; her sense of direction urged her forward into the depths of the thick and looming trees. She knew that this should frighten her more than it was and that the treacherous way ahead was supposed to stop her in her tracks.

But the girl wasn’t scared. The night was dark but the moon was full as she gazed into its effervescent glow. The wildlife was out and keeping her company as she continued to make her way.

She didn’t know how she arrived there, one minute she was in a dreamlike state staring into the depths of a beautiful emerald green, the next she was waking up to the sound of the nearby owl. Immediately she knew her purpose, and she knew exactly what needed to be done.

She was getting closer now; she could feel it in the pit of her stomach. The sound of the stream in the distance sent chills down her spine because once she reached the waters edge she would finally reach what she was looking for; who she was looking for. There was a pleasant, familiar smell in the air. It smelt exactly the way she remembered. The woods were becoming thicker and darker; she could no longer see what was in front of her. The sound of the stream was no longer distant and calm, but closer and heavier.

She began to feel scared, she could hear her heartbeat racing in her chest but she was just too close to turn back. A crack in the wall of trees could be seen now, the light from the other side drawing her nearer. In just a few short feet she would reach it.

Finally, she could see the waterfall and the crack was no longer small, but a large opening showing her the valley across the way. She took a deep breath to steady herself and brushed herself of the leaves before taking the final step into the light.

There before her was that same familiar emerald green and the pleasant sweet smell that was her love. He stood only a foot away from her, but a foot was too far.

‘You came,’ he said, taking her face in his hands, ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you.’

She had no words for him; his emerald green eyes were hypnotic to her though with out warning, the scene began to fade. So was he. She panicked, trying to grab onto anything that would keep them together but it was too late, she was clasping at air. She was fading too, but the smell was now stronger than ever and she was struggling against something that was holding her, shaking her and she couldn’t escape their grip.

The girl woke up, the room was dark but she wasn’t alone.

‘You were having a bad dream,’ said the voice, ‘I’m right here’.

She looked into the eyes of the person holding her, even in the dark she recognised the same emerald green eyes she knew from her dream.

‘Hello,’ she whispered. He smiled and held her. She was out of the woods.

And of course a few images of the show itself...