Inner Child

When I was a child... seems so many stories begin that way. When I was a child... And the story begins. What is it that we all seem to find so special about childhood? It seems to be pretty common for someone to have had a very unhappy childhood. In fact I tend to be quite surprised when I hear someone say they had a bliissful childhood. I didn't. I had a rather lonely one. Yet, I still long to go back. Perhaps knowing now what I took for granted then.

Childhood. That time when you could step in and out of that twilight between the world of dragons and your own backyard. A time when witches hid in the closet and a superhero rested in your heart just waiting for that moment to step out and save the day. I remember feeling that magical world of fairytales pulsating just behind the air round my fingertips. I could find it if only I could find that rock or fly into that cloud or push the panel back in the wall.

I believed in all those stories just as firmly as I believe in you or me. Not because I was innocent or even because I just didn't know. I knew Santa Claus wasn't real. Oh, I liked the story, especially Rudolph, but it was just a story. It was the fairies , the trees, the world around me. I could almost see it breath, I was so sure of the life that lay just beneath. The forgotten realms, forgotten power.

I used to dream that someday I would find that doorway and help the world of 'make-believe' return to its past glory. I wanted dragons roaming the earth again, hobbits and trolls, wizards, magical animals, fairies and elves, and I would be a knight. Riding through the countryside with companions from all the different realms. I would have magical powers and adventures. Adventures fighting evil, keeping the balance, rescuing beautiful women who would then want to stay fighting by my side...

Such fantasies I would dream as I trudged through the forest outside my father's home. Brandishing a stick that would turn into a magical sword when danger came near. My trusty sidekick wolf-dog by my side. . .

A peice of me still cries out in the night to return to that vision of the world. That world that has almost faded to nothingness with age. Only sometimes She still leaps out of the darkness and brandishes the magical sword, crying out, "I am the great and wonderful Darshann!"

- Darshann ©1996
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Books to read...

If you are trying to keep your inner child alive and happy, or if you have an actual child in your life, I strongly recommend the following books:

Tolkein's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy - The best fantasy-adventure ever written!! This is the grandfather of all fantasy. Read it to yourself or your kids.

Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner - Fun for all ages, read aloud to others or yourself and try using a different voice for each character.

(You can follow the above links to for fast, easy and cheap purchase.)