The leaves crunched as I walked along the vast, beautiful forest. The blinding sun shined ever so brightly In the sky, setting ever so slowly over the horizon. A breezy wind blew through the forest, singing a quiet song in my ear as I continued to walk. I could hear the sound of animals scurrying through the forest, giving life to the terrain that mother nature ever so graciously built.
As I navigated my way through the forest, I looked around at all the shady trees as I jumped over all the logs that lay on the ground. I Imagined the life each tree has had, how many people throughout history had also walked the same path I was. Each tree has a story to be told, each as old as nature itself. I was a big thinker as a child, always asking my parents questions about how the world works. I was always In my head, wandering around worlds that I created. Worlds of cities built with bright diamonds, fantasy lands where I was the hero of my own story.
Nature was my escape from everything. I would imagine myself fighting the ferocious beast that I created In my head, or that I was on an adventure to Mordor like Frodo. This time I imagined I was walking on the death trail In search of an ancient treasure buried by Black Beard himself. I fought devilish beasts whose teeth could destroy a whole tree with a single bite, dragons whose eyes shined a crimson red and breathed fire as hot as the sun. The forest was my favorite place to think, for this inviting evergreen forest was beautiful in every way.
The sound of squirrels chattering could be heard as the birds sang their final song, for the sun was setting slowly over the horizon. Bright, vibrant colors filled the sky. The forest sparkled as sunlight cracked through the trees, lighting up the dirt path ahead of me, decorated with roots and flowers of many kinds. It was lively, the sound of scurrying could be heard on every side of me. The leaves and twigs crunched under my feet, and branches hung as If they were welcoming me. I breathed gracefully, my body feeling a slight chill as I walked through the path.
I was deep inside my imagination when the sound of water took me out of my thoughts. I always hated that sound, for It meant that soon I would have to turn back. I continued my way, trying to ignore the sound but It became increasingly harder as I reached the river. I slowed my pace, trying to prolong my journey back home. It wasn’t long though until I saw the sparkling blue river Insight, the sound of crashing water filling my ears as I reached my endpoint.
I stopped and cleaned off my arms and hands from the dirt that always found its way onto my body. I felt the water flow through my hands as I looked beyond the water into the tree line. I would always turn back at the river, for my fear of drowning kept me at bay. I would sometimes walk along the river, dipping my hands In the water as I walked. Something In me didn’t feel fear of the water that day though, I felt adventurous.
I contemplated as I looked beyond the river stream. There was a whole other part of the forest beyond it, new lands to be discovered. I looked up at the sky, the sun was almost over the horizon. I thought about being out at night, thoughts of monsters and creatures capturing me. I remembered my stories though, the hero’s who saved the world from danger. Suddenly, without a second thought, It was like my body just got up and began to jump on the rocks in the river. I felt the water on my feet as I stopped on each rock before jumping to the next. Once I reached the other side, I quickly ran Into the forest beyond the water.
I walked along the ground as I studied the trees to get a good idea of my surroundings to find my way back. I made landmarks on trees out of chalk I always carry with me so I wouldn’t get lost, something I’ve always done when traveling new terrain. Something about this area felt off though, It was as If mother nature had left, leaving her creation in ruins. It was a lot darker than I thought it would be, there were so many trees that It blocked out most of the sunlight. I was a fearless child though, I thought that I could not be harmed, for nature was my dearest friend. I was wrong though, for no one is safe from the brutality of mother nature, including me.
As I walked through the forest, I looked ahead to get a good mapping of my terrain. Shadows gathered around the forest as the dark trees hung over me like limbs from the ancient world. There was an ominous silence that filled the forest, no sound of animals running around, no crickets or frogs chirping, no wind twirling in my ears, just pure and utter silence. The only thing I could hear was the sound of leaves crunching under my feet as I walked.
I noticed a tree that looked like a hideous witch, Its gnarled limbs and black claws stretching over me, almost serving as a warning to not go any farther. This was a tree that had died many years ago from the looks of it, succumbing to nature’s lifecycle. I stared at it for a minute, feeling an uneasiness that crawled down my back. I continued my journey across the uncharted forest, but the tree stayed embedded In my mind.
There was a feeling of dread that I fought off as my heart felt uneasy. The forest seemed dead, as If It was abandoned long ago. Stumps were scattered across the forest grounds, and clumps of bushes lay among the stumps. Twigs snapped from my feet, and brown trees were very close to each other which formed a very thick canopy. It was barely bright enough for me to see ahead of me, yet I did not stop.
There was a mixture of feelings that I felt that I can not describe. One thing was for sure though, I felt as If I was being watched. It was like the trees had eyes of their own and were watching me very closely. My senses widen, my skin tingles, I breathe deeply and listen with great intensity. My instincts were telling me that something was off, a great deep feeling that crept over me like a beast. I kept looking behind me to make sure nothing was following me, scanning my surroundings with great efficiency.
That’s when something caught my eye. Straight ahead, deep In the forest, barely In eyesight, stood a tall, dark black figure that peered at me from behind a tree. I was paralyzed In shock, gripped by a sudden strong urge of fear that froze my entire body as I stared at whatever was ahead of me. I couldn’t make out any features, It was so dark that I couldn’t see the mysterious figure clearly. I felt our eyes lock even though I could not see its eyes, It felt like it was staring through my very soul.
I tried to convince myself that It was just my mind, but everything In me told me otherwise. It just stood there, staring at me. My body couldn’t move, I tried but It was like my brain just shut off. As I looked at this creature, everything about it just did not seem right. Its arms were so long that one touched the ground, the other wrapped around the tree. Its head had a weird shape to it as If It was stretched out. The creature stood incredibly tall, It had to be at least 9 ft. It was skinny, as If It was just pure bones and nothing else. It did not feel like an animal, It felt like two intelligent beings staring at each other.
Somehow It felt even quieter than It had before, silence crept down my whole body, paralyzing me. Everyone has a fight or flight, but In some instances when a human reaches a new level of fear they never felt before, they freeze. You try to move but it’s like you are being gripped by an invincible force, every instinct in you tells you to run yet you can’t.
Even though I’ve fought many monsters and beasts In my head, when faced with a real danger I did not fight. All I felt was fear, fear of the unknown certainty of death. A cold chill filled the air, even with no wind It got colder. My body violently shook, legs trembling with pure dread and fear. I felt the thing looking me up and down, as If It was studying me. Neither of us made a single movement, as If it too was paralyzed. Sweat dripped down my face, I breathed heavily as a panic attack began to emerge out from the darkest pits of hell, dragging me down with it to devour me.
Suddenly, the creature quickly disappeared behind the tree. The sudden movement caused my brain to snap out of the paralysis and my legs started moving. It was like my primal instincts kicked in, instincts given to us from our primal ancestors. My mind was racing with thoughts as I wondered what It was I just saw. I was trying to convince myself that It was just an animal, but everything In me told me that something was not right. I could hear my own heartbeat as It tried to claw its way out of my chest.
“Keep going straight, soon you should see a long tree that has vines wrapped around it. Once reached, turn right and you should see a tree with white chalk. Keep running forward until you see the stump you almost fell over. Make another right and keep going forward.” I thought to myself, mapping out the forest In my head. My skills of navigation have never helped me before like this, I was running and thinking at such a speed that I was hurting both my head and legs.
I started to smell a foul stench that smelt like a rotten old corpse. It filled the forest, and I nearly gagged once It poured down my nose. A clicking noise surrounded me, fast and animalistic. I started to hear something In the forest running behind me, footsteps sounded heavy and fast. I looked back for a second to see if I could see whatever was chasing me, but all I could see was the dark open forest. I looked back and continued my way back to the river.
I weaved my way through the forest quickly, making sharp left and right turns to find my way back to safety. My legs felt like they were going to break, and my heart was hammering at my chest as my lungs were set ablaze. I listened to the sound of running behind me, the clicking was even closer and louder than before, the smell even more strong and foul. It too knew how to navigate a forest as I did, maybe even better. My skin felt cold as I shook to the point where I almost fell many times, I always caught myself though.
“Make a sharp right turn once you reach the dead tree. Once you see the rock that stands tall, make a left and keep running straight.” It was like my mind was on adrenaline too, thinking at such a pace that I never thought I could think before. The running behind me sounded even closer, the stench even stronger. My legs felt as If they were going to break, yet my speed still stayed the same as I used every ounce of energy I had.
A familiar sound filled my ears, a sound I have always hated and despised; It was the river. I was close, I ignored the pain I felt In my legs and continued to run as whatever was behind me was catching up. My heart was beating like a war drum, I was running off of pure adrenaline at this point. My chest felt as If someone was squeezing my internal organs together, my feet burning from the many blisters I had. I ignored it all though and continued to guide myself through the cruelty of mother nature.
I began to see the river stream, I was approaching it rapidly. My legs felt numb, my lungs were on fire as I breathed heavily out of exhaustion and fear. It sounded like it was only a few feet behind me, I knew that If I didn’t reach the river then It would soon catch up to me. The clicking sound was basically right In my ear, the stench was so strong I had gagged. I used every ounce of energy I had to run even quicker, ignoring all the pain I felt In my body. I hurdled out of the forest once I reached the river and jumped my way across the rocks that stuck out, falling onto my knees once I reached the other side. I quickly got back up and began running again.
I didn’t stop running until my body collapsed, not being able to move. I hadn’t noticed that It had turned to night, a dark umbra surrounded the forest. I was too exhausted to move, every breath struck my chest deep. Yet, there was no sign of anything chasing me or the foul smell. The sound of wind and nature filled my ears again, replacing the terrifying clicking noise.
Tears began to slowly drip down my face, mixing In with my sweat. I opened my mouth to let out a whimper that never came, too exhausted to even make a sound. I wanted to go home, back to where my mother was. I started to breathe even heavier, my heart beating so fast that It was like I was having a heart attack.
Everything became fuzzy and blurry, my mind racing with thoughts that only made me panic worst. I shook rapidly, I felt gripped by a sudden force that squeezed my body tight. My chest pounded In pain, It felt as If everything was being smashed by a hammer. I felt an impending doom dragging me down deep Into the darkness, deeper and deeper into the pit of despair. I tried to catch my breath but It was too much for me. I thought that whatever chased me would find me and devour my very soul. Everything was so loud, It was like I was trapped In a tornado. I felt like I was going to throw up from the dizziness I felt. My muscles were tensed, the world was spinning around me as my heart started to pound worst than it ever had before.
The pain from my chest slowly spread to my shoulders, giving a sharp pain In both shoulders. I got chills all around my body, gripped In fear and anxiety that had Its hold on me and would not let go. I didn’t know what to do, I felt like I was going to die a gruesome and horrifying death. I looked at the night sky as I was In the hands of death and noticed how beautiful It looked. The pale crescent moon shone like a silver claw In the night sky. I looked upon the vast sea of stars, shining so brightly like little diamonds In the sky.
Everything slowly went quiet, It was like the Earth stopped. I felt the summer green grass on my hands and looked at the trees that surrounded me. Fireflies filled the darkness, sparkling like precious valuable stars In the darkness. The sound of crickets could be heard all around, chirping their song In replacement for the birds singing. My heart slowly started beating a steady rhythm, and my breathing slowed to a smooth pace. I breathed In to smell the woodsy fragrance, letting go of all my worries. It was as If mother nature cradled me In her arms and reassured me that everything will be alright.
I felt a moment of tranquility, my mind silenced. I lay on the Earth, admiring the beauty of the world around me. I slowly stood myself up, ignoring the pain I felt In my legs and chest. I welcomed back the blossoming, fragrant forest as I walked slowly through mother natures creation. I began my walk home, admiring every inch of nature that surrounded me. I always Imagined beautiful lands In my head, landscapes of fantasy filled with bright colors. I never realized that I was already In a dazzling world filled with many mysteries to be discovered. The forest was breathtaking tonight, sparkling In the moonlight like little crystals.
I wasnt In my head on the walk home, my mind was silent. Brown trees stood tall, and flowers bloomed, engulfing the forest In a smell so lushest and fresh. I thanked mother nature that night, for she taught me a lesson that I will never forget. I am not invincible, I am no hero or great warrior, I am just a child. Not every story needs a hero, and I do not have to be the hero In every story. I walked my way home, embracing the forest for the first time ever.