A Taste of Enlightenment
“No justice! No peace!”
“We demand change!”
“Eat the rich!”
These sentiments vividly echoed throughout the streets of Washington, D.C., so much so that Ethera Briggs dreamed only of protests.
As soon as she was old enough to waddle, Ethera had been frequenting nearly every picketing event that passed her front window. All this preparation led Ethera Briggs to the first moment she tasted enlightenment.
“It’s sickening we’re still out here fighting for our basic rights decades later.”
Ethera agreed, wiping sweat from her brow as she continued marching forwards under the sun alongside her longtime ally Diana.
“I know Dee, but it’s the only route for change, right?”
As Diana sighed, Ethera held a tighter grip on her protest sign. A familiar, gnawing fear rose from her stomach to lodge in her throat.
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Ethera couldn’t help but wonder if all the protesting ultimately amounted to nothing. Even when legislation made one step forward, soon after, they would kick three steps back, and it only made Ethera more enraged with each passing protest for her human rights.
While in the thicket of her thoughts, Ethera spotted a protest sign walking alongside her that was so mesmerizingly unique that she had to slow down and stare.
In eloquent, boldly black cursive, the message of the protest art read, “Here lies the end of the road. The beginning is to the right.”
Almost involuntarily, Ethera’s head spun to its right, where her eyes suddenly perceived the wondrous flora of the forest. And not like any random forest; it was as if the trees that enmeshed together were whispering to her, calling her from the concrete beneath her feet.
“Diana!” she urgently shouted, butterflies fluttering in her stomach, “Can you see that?” Vigorously, Ethera pointed directly to the humongous, vibrant green sea of life swimming before her eyes.
Diana turned her head to look and asked, “You mean the woods over there?”
“Yeah, it’s the woods, Dee. But are you seeing it the same way I am right now?” Ethera stressed.
Diana sported a frown, turning and responding, “I mean, I can just see a bunch of trees. Are you feeling alright, Ethera?
Without providing an answer, Ethera suddenly raced forwards to catch up to the protest sign that spun her into a completely new state of mind.
As soon as she reached the sign, she went ahead and snatched it from the grip of the coated man before her and ran back to the forest opening, turning her head before getting to glimpse the man fade into dust underneath his garb.
Making sure the onyx ink caught the perfect shine within the sun’s rays, Ethera held the stolen protest sign high in the sky to ensure it caught the attention of as many picketers as possible.
In quick succession, a line of individuals began to stroll forth as if enchanted, heading towards the forest entrance, following Ethera far away from the weighted problems of their world.
