What a Wonderful World

Chapter 3

"Whoa..." Luigi murmured as he walked through the beautiful, frozen forest. He could see bits of sunlight stream through the grey clouds in the sky, giving the whole forest an almost warm look. Which was strange, because it was covered in snow and the temperatures were continuing to drop. 

It almost felt like his own adventure, but without the element of danger. The forest felt calm, safe, and beautiful, even though he was all alone and it was freezing. He couldn't even remember what he was just doing a moment ago. The man in green was too mesmerized by all the natural beauty in the world around him.

"What a wonderful world," He sighed to himself, smiling and taking it all in.

The powder was fluffier out here since no one had walked on it to pack it down. He could feel himself sink a few inches into the snow with each and every step he took. It was very peaceful, being the only one out here. All he could hear was the gentle breeze, the sound of water from a creek flowing not far off, and the sound of his own footsteps in the snow. No birds were chirping, as they had all migrated someplace warmer for the winter. However, as he did pass by a small meadow where he saw a lovely doe and her fawn peacefully walking through, leaving two little sets of footprints. The baby deer's spots matched the white snow. Luigi smiled and waved at the pair as if they were new acquaintances. The two deer just stared back at him with their big eyes, then continued as they were.

Luigi smiled to himself, then continued walking. He gently held his hand out and brushed it over the ice hanging from a few tree branches as he walked, sighing at the peaceful beauty. He wondered why he never walked out here before. It was beautiful. It was wonderful.

He guessed that sometimes he was so busy adventuring and traveling that he forgot to explore all his own home had to offer.

He continued walking when he found the mysterious creek he had seen from the top of that tree. The water was crystal clear, a beautiful mix of different blues, some areas darker than others, likely meaning that the water was deeper in those spots. He wondered if this would have been a good swimming hole in the summertime. He could see all the different rocks and stones at the bottom of the creek and he could see the snow-covered trees' reflections in the almost still water. It was like a mirror.

He looked up to see that small stone bridge leading to the other side of the creek. It seemed old but still strong. The color of the stones was a light grey color, almost matching the snow which surrounded them. The bridge seemed like it didn't get much use, as there were no footprints anywhere in sight. There were also no cracks, giving it a stronger appearance.

He slowly walked over to the bridge, taking in all his surroundings as he stepped on. A gentle breeze picked up, blowing the ends of his long green scarf behind him as he stopped in the middle of the bridge. Then, he turned to look around him. There was a small clearing of trees, leaving an open sky. He was sure that it would be absolutely breathtaking had the clouds not been there, but it was still stunning.

He turned behind himself and briefly eyed his lonely footprints, wondering why no one else had walked out here. Had no one known about this area? How long had it been abandoned like this?

He looked down at the old stone bridge currently holding him over the mysterious blue water, then allowed his eyes to go to the cabin not far from there. It was about one hundred feet away, just as he had estimated when he was looking from the top of that tree. It was very small and the wood was a dark brown color. It seemed totally and completely abandoned, as there were no lights on and no footprints leading to the door. It was almost cute. The roof was covered in a foot of snow and icicles hung from it, giving it this nice wintery look.

Perhaps it was someone's vacation home.

He carefully walked up to it, stepping onto the porch and knocking on the door, though not expecting a response.