House In Forest
House in forest design competition / Team member: Casey Revelle, Robert Konzelmann
Comfortable in her gown and tucked neatly in her bed, Jane embraced the last of her last moments awake. She stared at the light streaming through the open window next to her. Always maintaining a positive outlook, she knew her attitude was the only part of her body she could control. She promised herself that she would find joy in every moment death spared her, but it didn’t make these days any easier.
“Maybe this time will be successful.” The architect inside her couldn’t help but notice that the grid of the ceiling tiles above her and the floor tiles below were misaligned. This was the last conscious observation before the anesthetic in her IV lulled her into a deep sleep. Jane was a fighter. Hoping to finally win the war against her cancerous adversary, she chose to undergo invasive surgery for a fourth time. She blinks her eyes open. “Wh-where am I?” No reply. Jane was used to waking up in confusion, but it never took more than a minute to shake off the anesthesia and snap back to the reality of her hospital bed. But this was different… Of all her travels, this was unlike anywhere she had been before. There were lights, but no hospital room. There were noises, but no doctors. She sat up. No doctors, nurses, not even a bed -- only greenery and what sounded like a river flowing nearby. There was a strange familiarity about this place – a sort of nostalgia. She looked around, taking in her surroundings, surprisingly calm. |
“Where am I?” Still no reply. “What is that?” She wandered over to a large sphere. It boasted a remarkable illuminance, reflecting the environment around it. She touched the glass and immediately understood that it was her house of memories. She watched what appeared to be her own stream of consciousness flow through the glass sphere. “What is this place?” She watched as that very thought flow past her into the sphere. Trying not to lose it, she chased it to a door and stepped inside. The transition between inside and out -- built and nature was seamless, perfect. She explored the house -- feeling an overwhelming peace as she moved through each space, seeing herself in its design. The house was in perfect harmony with its surroundings, just as she was. Suddenly, she understood. “I created this.” Jane realized she could control more than her attitude. By focusing inward, she could control the forest, just as the house of memories did. Her happiness sustained the forest, like seeds sewn into the landscape. “This is where I belong,” she said as she watched her last thought float down the stream she stood over. |