I walk in the woods, alone. Nothing but my thoughts, and my hoodie, as I walk tall grasses woven between outlier trees. It was dark, cold, nothing but the crickets humming of the night, and the soft thump of my footsteps.
Yet, I find myself at peace, no David, no annoying kids, just myself and the trees. Crickets humming, and the breeze nipping my fingers, I find that I am myself, not just some outsider asshole I try and make myself to be.
I wonder, what Nikki would do, so far out from camp, exactly where I am, would she climb the trees? Make friends with the wildlife? What would Neil do? Would he sample the dirt for some obscure cure?
I wander in a dream like trance, thoughts swirling, I may have found myself lost. The trees, in their beauty, are unfamiliar, the trail I thought I’d taken, is gone.
I am lost, with no way back. My footsteps untraceable to myself, and the forest creeks its apologies.
‘Great, absolutely great’ I ponder to myself, looking for some sort of path I may have traveled down.
No upturned stones, no trodden grass, no nothing, yet the forest is still here all the same. How will I live out here? I need to find some sort of path to follow, but there’s nothing I’ve found yet, what do I do?
Maybe I’ll stay, just for a while, ill make a camp (maybe I did pay attention to a few of David’s lessons) to sleep in, and look for a path in the morning.
I look around for twigs, sticks, anything not attached, for my fort of the night. I found a massive branch, just high enough for me to make a fort around. It was perfect, but I need the rest of my materials first.
After a while, making sure I didn’t get lost by staying close to the branch, I built my tent for the night, not the greatest I probably could’ve made, I could’ve done way better but I don’t have anything else for now.
As I went to lay on the grassy forest floor, I heard a twig snap.
Pure unfiltered fear filled my body with terror and ice, as footsteps approached closer.
“I know you are in their Max. Your soul sings for the forest, as the forest sings for you” a bodiless voice spoke softly.
“GET AWAY! I HAVE A WEAPON AND I WILL NOT HESITATE TO STAB IT THROUGH YOUR EYELIDS YOU OVERGROWN YUGI BEAR” I yelled, grabbing the first stick nearby, and somehow miraculously, my fort doesn’t fall.
“Silly boy, I know you don’t, for you see, I am the spirit that guides the forest, who sees every movement, every sound. I am the forest, as much the forest is me. You don’t need to fear, for I am not to cause harm to you, only a proposition.” The bodiless voice spoke softly once more.
I give myself a minute to breathe, to breathe out, they haven’t done anything yet, I can’t tell if they’re still there or not. But that doesn’t matter, if they're still there, I have to answer.
“And what if I don’t accept?” I challenged the voice, as if to get a rise out of it.
“Believe me Max, you don’t exactly have a choice.”
