Midsummer Magic

annie-spratt-365555-unsplash.jpg

Standing on the edge of the darkness, we ran away last night.

As the sun slowly set the fields began their call to us, murmuring on the wind and hurling a heady scent of honeysuckle our way as we fled headfirst into a dream of life.

As we walked along the field’s edge it wasn’t long before we realised that the trees had rapidly shrouded our path; so fast it must surely have been them that moved and not us. The air within this newfound woodland was thick with eerie mist that seemed almost too heavy to walk through ourselves, and yet the visions of the distant world that occasionally caught my eye appeared to move fast around us.

Thinking of the anxieties we were leaving behind almost brought on a sense of loss, for how could we function without these sorrows and fears that had been our constant companions? The uncertainty of our plans loomed large, and as these thoughts tried to claw their way into our heads we took care to hurry beyond their reach.

You stayed quiet and did not quite meet my eye. Did they find you again?

We moved deeper into the woods and colours appeared as if from nowhere to join the honeysuckle laden branches. Everywhere boasted voluminous flowers, cascading ribbons and twinkling lights. Moths fluttered by in their hundreds, drawn as we were to the riot of life hidden within this shortest night.

We let ourselves fall within, half drunk on this midsummer night’s dream.

Branches skirted with rustling leaves danced as faeries above our heads, and Titania called from somewhere close by, I’m almost sure.

Music pierced our very souls, but the tunes they played have become lost in my mind, no matter how hard I try to recall their poignant melodies.

Had we left behind our old life, our own fears? Or were they waiting for us slightly out of reach, kept at bay for this one night, this one moment of ours to be together, and free of it all.

All too soon the sun rose on a new day, and on the next half of the year, where darkness once more would triumph over light.

But not in our minds. There we will always hold this magic, this music, this midsummer night, as we look towards the turning of the year once more, when this time will come again.


Jessica Townsend creates slow and sustainable fashion at House of Flint. Follow her behind-the-scenes on Instagram here.

SummerContributor