TUFT ISLANDS

Let's sail away, she thought and explore tuft islands. She'd heard so much. What was to be seen there? First, she had to pass the expanse of grey seas. They were as far reaching as she could see. Moments of carefree drifting took place. There wasn't anything else in sight for some time until up ahead, the silhouette of small mountains appeared. She must've been on the right track. As she edged closer, the small mounds came into view and even though she hadn't stepped onto soil yet, she appreciated how far she'd already come. 

 This was her chance to go somewhere with no expectations. These islands appeared to glide across the stone, ever drifting before her. After coursing the grey seas, it was only expected she should run into some thorny issues. A structure appeared to emerge from the stone itself; heaving brown beams studded with jagged edges.  Nothing would deter her. She showed expert balance along it, weaving around the spiked protrusions. She really didn't need a wound which would inhibit the rest of her journey. She was just getting started...

No man is an island, so they say. These solo moments made her. She knew down the line, she'd be able to relish in the island being further inhabited, yet she was content with how it was now. It was important to focus on now. It was time to scale the structure. She placed her hand into the cracks and found a good grip. Climbing onto the wall, she found other grooves to nestle her foot into and propel herself up. She reached the top and took a deep breath. The roots of the floating islands dangled above her, swaying in the wind. 

She stood on a slab dotted with multiple stones in shades of terracotta, grey and brown. She had conquered the branch so this should be a walk on the beach, It felt like it. The stones looked like they'd spent years underwater, being cut and shaped by the powerful waters. She ran her hand along the surface of the porous grey one. She imagined it homing life. If it was on a seabed, tiny fishes would bob their heads out of the little holes to see what the sea brought today. The seas brought her today. They let her arrive at a place of a new outlook.

She stepped out past the rocky field to find herself tangled in a mass of spindly branches. She wondered how she'd navigate her way through this one. A rocky surface looked like it had been eroded to its core over millennia. The inner red core resembled another galaxy. Tiny cream fragments were woven into the structure, like milky moon rocks. She leant against it, to shimmy her way through the confusion. Finally, she came into a clearing. Lime green shoots shot into the air, with yellow jolts acting as beacons in the sky.

She'd reached the last leg of her adventures for this day. Many summits had been reached. A final scaling of the precarious claw branch led to making it here. She carefully mounted the mossy overgrowth to become entwined in many saffron-hued stalks. The thin hairlike lengths featured an amber lantern at every end, illuminating the way to the top. It was time to relish. The zesty green leaves in the centre were perfect to hold on to as an anchor.  She stood and gazed at the horizon. It was a moment to appreciate conquering mountains.