Truly free

A long list of cliches working in harmony had driven him from his home. A home to which all connections had eroded... Leaving only a disappointing sour taste and questions to keep him from sleep.

Yet now he finds himself riding towards the windy shores of rural Denmark. Sprawling cities replaced by endless fields of grain, shimmering in gold at the behest of the breeze. His wheels roll steadily on the empty road, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Why did it take so long for me to end up in a place like this?" He asks himself and takes a right turn through the woods. Branches snap under his wheels and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. Shadows cast by the forest canopy jump from shape to shape as he struggles to maintain the balance of his bike. Another right turn finds him at a pathway crossing a small field; A pathway which is flanked by two rows of trees that seem to have been planted in times long forgotten. Majestic giants that overbear the rest of the forest, trees that make him feel small and young as they raise to puncture the skies. He slows down here, feeling the need to grant them the proper reverence, these mammoths that have stood vigilant as ages came and went.

A last span of woodland biking and he breaks out onto the shore. Here the wind rips at his hair and he grins at the pleasant taste of salt that comes with each breath. Surveying the coast, he notices some tiny cabins, but it seems he is alone. "Just as well." He tells himself and sets the bike next to a fence. With his shoes discarded he hastily walks into the water. He runs both his hands through his hair and closes his eyes to the sun. The sound of waves and wind coalesce into an image that his eyes could never comprehend.

"How gentle life can be sometimes..." He thinks to himself and realizes that for the first time, alone on that beach, he feels truly free.