Imaginative Writing Task ( During English Language lesson) ; In Machu Picchu

It was a late summer in Machu Picchu, Peru, when I experienced something that I can hardly forget in my life. Humidity was invading the air and my hair was wet with sweat. My two brothers and I were in a travel coach and our travel guide, James, was very enthusiastic in explaining,or more in a patronising way, his knowledge of the history of the Inca Empire. I was boiling in the scorching,hot weather. Every erudite words or phrases he was saying, I couldn’t understand. I was urging to get out from this malodorous coach.

With an hour of enduring the pain of breathing in the stuffy travel coach, we could finally got out of it. As I got out of the coach, gigantic, breathtaking mountains were about to swoop us over. Tropical birds were singing in the the hot, torrid air(which I cannot believe) and fresh green leaves of the trees were glowing like a silk. As I enjoyed this beautiful atmosphere of Peru, James said,

“Okay everyone! should we go for our fun journey to the past?”

I’m assuming that he was the only one who was excited. My reply for his question was,

‘Can you not see my face being tortured? Can you not see my face, James?’

My eyes were beaming towards James.

We started our ‘fun’ journey to the past and begun walking for another 2 hours. My legs were shaking like an earthquake. James had started his boring lecture and I wasn’t the audience of it. I gave my brothers a handshake and walked out of our crowded travel crew and hoped I don’t get lost. Warm breeze blew my white sleeve-less shirt and led me forward. In front of me, a scenery of an ancient village, which was standing lonely between steep, lofty mountains,captured my eyes and soul. Smell of the old pillars and dry-stone walls reminded me of my grandmother’s wardrobe. A lush,fresh grass growing on the ground veiled the old ancient atmosphere. Touching the pillars while I walk through, the cold, chilled stones shocked my hand with its intense temperature. On the valley, I couldn’t see a single animal running around. Suddenly, it was silent, as silent as a haunted house. There, in front of me, was a necklace studded with 5 pieces of green emeralds. It was gleaming like shining stars. I, without realising it, was staring at the overwhelming, bright jewel. Gradually and haltingly, I saw illusion of everyday life of unknown ancient people inside the jewel.

‘Is this a dream?’

No, it was not. I looked into it again and observe it more closely. People were holding big, rounded backers for their vegetation on their head. Group of women were holding their babies on their breasts feeding them. Meanwhile, men were busy doing their daily jobs, and looked exhausted chopping woods and crops as their arms and legs shaking in tiredness. It was highly and amazingly civilised and had a great combination with the nature and humans. The wide, blue sky was embracing the calm ambience of Machu Picchu. Truly, Machu Picchu was a definition of ‘peace’, until they came. All of sudden, the jewel showed me a moment of invasion of the land by the Spanish explorers. Their armies were colonising and eliminating their outstanding history and the glorious civilisation. I heard children and their parents crying in greif. Then, I touched the emerald. It felt like a growing fire, definitely heated. Flourishing culture was no where. It disappeared, all of sudden.

Then, I looked around where I am, where I am standing. After I looked through the mysterious accessory, everything looked different. It wasn’t wasteful to experience such an exceptional feeling. The mountains were embracing the Machu Picchu and the bright, clear sun was shining upon the sky. Everything was harmonised together. Its delicate techniques of architecture was amazingly flourishing and advanced in art. After breathing in some fresh, clean air for a moment, I headed back to our travel group. Before that, I took a picture of the breath taking image of the Machu Picchu inside my heart, permanently. I heard my brother shouting from far away,

“Michael! What are you doing? Hurry up, everyone’s leaving!”