“All Green”

“Everything outside the taxi was vividly green. Grass grew along the verges of the road; bushes surmounted the grasses; and trees towered over the bushes. Theo felt as if he had been plunged right into the center of a wonderful world of viridity. The greenness that overwhelmed him didn’t vary its tone in the slightest degree. A consistent hue of English ivy enveloped him, not only enveloped him, but penetrated his deepest being. He seemed to have been swallowed whole by one gigantic verdant mouth. The softness of the greenery tickled him, like feathers on his tender spots. The lushness of the green enwrapped him, like a Pashmina blanket cuddling his limbs. And the omnipresence of the green protected him, as if it had caused the dirt and clamor of the outside world to thoroughly disappear. The trees bent over the roadway in a charming attitude of protectiveness. They breathed Silence and instilled Silence into him. All this greenery worked like an immense eraser, removing from the earth every indication of man’s paltry struggles, and announcing to the seeker that the mysteries of the forest, the secret of the mountains were his to be discovered.”