CREATIVENONFICTION#32 || NATURE IS HOME

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When you hear the word "Nature", you immediately paint a picture of green grass, trees, animals, and so on. The smell of nature is mostly calm and peaceful. You can go out into the woods to relax and have a "me" time or just to escape whatever is troubling you at the moment.

I have also had my fair share of time with nature whilst growing up. My family and I used to reside in a town where you have noises, sometimes chaos ranging from one place to another. I am a bit used to the hustle-bustle life that comes with living in the town. You barely sleep because some people in the town don't slumber. You will always hear noises either from people or vehicles right in the middle of the night.

I had a change of scenery when we moved to our own house. I could remember I was very young then. My dad had been working on building his own house for years and when it was finally completed, we took all our belongings and began the journey to our new home. At first, my siblings and I were excited because we were eager to see our new place but as time goes on, we were getting very tired as it felt like we were going to the farthest end of Earth. By the time we got there, the sun had already set and everywhere was very quiet that it felt like we were being transported to another planet.

We were very tired that we couldn't do any sightseeing, so we just moved in and my mom managed to warm up the food we packed while preparing for our journey, we ate and slept. I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and other animals also making their sounds, but people ?? I could barely hear the voice of people around yet I saw some people going about their daily lives. After about two days, my siblings and I decided to go "sightseeing" to familiarize ourselves with our new environment.

We saw a few completed buildings where people are already living as well as lots of uncompleted buildings. What we saw mostly were bushes, trees with different fruits, lakes, and so on. I must admit, the whole place was different from what we were used to so at first we were bored most of the time. We are yet to start school because we left town at the end of a session and schools were on vacation at the moment. My parents were also looking for a good school for us to start the next session but for a while, we are usually bored. My dad only comes home during weekends as he still works in town and I guess it won't be convenient for him to come home every day, so we only see him during weekends.

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At first, my brother and I play football in our compound and sometimes we just walk around breathing the fresh air that comes with our new home. It wasn't long before we made new friends with our neighbor's children as they helped us adjust better. We learned how to climb trees and pluck different kinds of fruits that we eat, we learned how to catch small fishes, snails etc. It was a new transition and I am loving every bit of it.

There were a few disadvantages, the first is my fear of reptiles. The first time I saw a snake, it was as if my heart left my body, I ran for my dear life and I didn't go out with my friends for about two days. My mum was surprised that I didn't go out with them and when I narrated what happened, she laughed at first and later assured me the snakes won't bother me if I don't bother them. It took a while before I got used to that.

Secondly, unlike our former place of residence where we get water from the comfort of our house due to boreholes and tap water being at our disposal. Here, we get our water from the well though it's like a stone's throw from our house being the first daughter, I was charged with fetching water that everyone will use and I struggled with that for a while before I got used to it.

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Though I missed living in the town but as time went by, I became fond of our new environment. What further captivated me is during spring when the plant and trees sprout new leaves,their beauty always leaves me in awe and I learned that indeed;

Nature isn't a place to visit. It is home.

Thank you all for reading.