The young man hollered, “Rise and shine children!” About twenty, young boys and girls poked their little heads out from underneath the covers and rubbed the sand from their eyes. Chris, a young teenager, sat up in his bed and watched as the children leaped out of bed and ran around the man to the dining room. The man went into the kitchen and carried a tray of food into the dining room. The smell of warm, buttery toast and eggs filled the room instantly and the children fought over the food. Chris was sitting himself at the end of the table as he usually did to seclude himself from the younger kids. The man walked over to him and sat down next to him.

“Is anything wrong, Chris?”

“Nothing sir,” he replied. Chris began to stare off into space.

“Are you sure, son? asked the man.

“Yes sir,” said Chris.

The man got up and walked away. He stood in the doorway and watched the children enjoy their breakfast, but kept his glance on Chris. The boy had bright blue eyes, light brown hair, and looked pale in the dark end of the room. He was tapping his fingers on the table and staring off into space once again. He was very quiet and never brewed any trouble in the orphanage. Chris had lived at the orphanage longer than the rest of the children. The man tried to figure out what the boy was thinking.

In the afternoon, the children were able to play outside behind the building. The kids were jumping into piles of leaves and running around to warm their bodies. Chris wandered into a field of tall grass. He stood in the middle of the field and listened to the sound of the wind making its way through the trees that surrounded him. He heard the children playing over the hill behind him and the leaves rustling in the wind.

The sound of an angelic voice and music carried him into another world far, far away. Where there was no trouble, no worries, and peaceful music that filled the ears of those who listened. Chris started to walk deeper into the field until he came to the edge of the forest. The forest was full of a variety of sounds, nature’s orchestra. He decided to explore and took a path into a dimly lit forest. He heard a voice calling him from ahead. Chris followed it and found himself standing in a beautiful garden. He looked around and there seemed to be nothing there.