As the camera fades in for us to see, a large tree sits in the middle of our view and causes our eyes to be drawn to it. As we look closer, we begin to quickly see that it's roots are stretching as far as the eye can see, coming up from the ground now and again as they unwillingly break through the dirt and show themselves to us. In every direction, they stretch out across the grass below and above them, digging both in and across the ground as it seems to take over every area of available land around it, clawing and scratching savagely for the nutrients it needs to survive. Anywhere it is able to reach, it seems to dig in and search for anything it needs.
Glancing upwards, we see the sheer size of the tree itself. A trunk larger than any you would have normally seen inside a park, forest or even on the side of the road. No, this is a tree of enormous size, a beast of its own making. Nature has willed it to be giant, so thus it has become said giant. Everything else about it seems normal apart from its sheer size, the branches on all sides of it branching off to resemble more like arms than long sticks of wood. Leaves the size of hands stick out from those branches, blocking out the sun now and again from specific angles as they too stretch for the things they need to survive and thrive.
Slowly walking towards it, we see just how large this tree is. The sheer monstrosity that it is simply takes our breath away. We can't deny how large it is, how unnatural it all seems to be. It causes us to blink again and again, to try and tell our brains to comprehend the sights we are trying to take in, but we can't. It must be a figment of our imagination, some form of trick or digital CGI, something that has made this tree seem far larger than it actually is in reality.
??: You simply don't understand it, do you?
We suddenly hear a voice to the side of us, coming closer and closer. We slowly turn to see Ezra Eden, the Keeper of the Garden of Eden. Wearing no shirt and no shoes, only with his now-trademarked black jeans to cover him, he walks to our side and looks up at the tree himself, seemingly taking it all in with pride. He looks at it with an expression like he can truly see it in a way that we cannot, like he is able to comprehend some deeper meaning behind the tree.
Ezra Eden: At first, a long time before now, I didn't understand any of it, either. I too thought that it was just another tree, just a part of the environment that was there to look at and live amongst. I didn't see it for what it truly was, not until I full embraced the Garden for what it truly was in itself, before I learned to let myself go and decided who I wanted to truly be in this existence I have carved out for myself.
Beckoning us to walk with him, Eden begins to step towards the tree, being careful not to walk over the roots that are sticking up from the ground. He seems to move in time with the wind, like he himself has become a part of the unnatural environment that exists within the Garden. It's like he himself has become the Garden.
Ezra Eden: When I found this place, I was lost and alone like all of you. I was scared of what the future my bring for me, scared of the endless twists and turns; the roundabout that life in this techologically-advanced world, this futuristic landscape, has become. I needed to find myself, to discover what I needed to be in life in order to be truly free and truly content with my existence. The Garden opened itself to me for this very reason, to allow me to escape until I discovered my purpose.
Stepping up to the trunk of the tree, Ezra places his hands against the trunk and takes a deep breath. He seems to shudder and shiver a little as he closes his eyes and feels the tree, as if he is communicating with it in some form. He breathes out through his mouth after a few moments of silence, before his eyes follow suit and a smile creeps across his face. He runs one of his hands down the length of the trunk and moves it to the grass below, before standing there a moment with his hand pressed against the ground.
Ezra Eden: Life is a struggle. It has a way of knocking you down to the ground and repeatedly keeping you down there with kick after kick after kick. Like you all, I was too once a victim of this beatdown. I allowed my life to be shaped around the beatings that the world gave me, of the countless torment inflicted upon me by others. I allowed myself to care, to feel about what others felt above my own feelings and felt myself get dragged down by the whims of society. I felt pain...and only pain. The animals are the smallest creatures, but humanity isn't the best beast around. We aren't the highest on the food chain, because Nature itself is the true master of everything around us. We've just been trained to not see it, to be blind to it.
Raising his palm up to the sky, Ezra stretches his fingers apart and wiggles them a little, before turning his hand over to reveal a tattoo that had not been there before: a butterfly drawn beautifully in black ink. Moving his other hand, he ran his finger down the length of the butterfly's body and blew on it, before throwing his hand out to the side and watching the creature leap from his hand into the air, transforming from a simple tattoo into a proper butterfly. Holding his hand out, we watch as the butterfly lands on Ezra's hand and dances upon his fingers as he moves them up and down.
Ezra Eden: Take the butterfly as an example, perhaps. It's a magnificent creature, unlike anything that exists within nature. However, it's life is wrought with difficulties. Did you know that butterflies have an exceedingly short lifespan of only a few weeks? Or that they are incredibly low on the food chain? It's these things that make up the difficulties and the similarities. Each species has their problems, but they have all built their own mechanisms to overcome them? Some butterflies live for a few days, while others can extend their lives out for months. Some blend into their surroundings to hide from predators, while others make themselves vibrant and bold to bluff their predators into thinking they are poison. It's all in the mind. Butterflies are like humans, because we too either try to blend in to fit in, or embrace how different we are and are ridiculed as a response.
Extending his arms out, Eden basks in the glory that is all around him.
Ezra Eden: Here in the Garden, we solve those problems. We forget those worries and dreads that life brings. We see no need in blending or, nor do we fear any repercussions or ridicule from embracing and expressing our differences, or oddities and special quirks. I was able to leave my past behind and embrace my future. I became...free, truly and completely. I threw off the shackles that life gave to me and truly saw life for what it was meant to be. A playground, for those who aren't burdened by responsibility and society. Those that live outside the rules can find peace in the chaos, for true lawlessness is a tranquility of its own making.
Looking at us directly, Eden walks towards us and looks directly in our eyes.
Ezra Eden: I can talk all about it, but the words fall on deaf ears. You see one side of me in the ring, of the respect and freedom I preach, but you're yet to see the truth behind my words. The Garden is a salvation, my salvation from life's problems. It exists in my mind, but it could exist in yours. All you have to do...
Pressing his hands into your chest, Eden smiles and pushes hard. We fall, but we don't hit the floor. Instead, we freefall into nothing, pure silence with nothing but black and white butterflies fluttering around us. Eventually, we hear the now- disembodied voice of Ezra.
Ezra Eden: All you have to do...is see. Once you see it, then you can start to believe it.
Then, we hit the ground. All goes black. Now, we can finally start to see.
