Mirrors

Twelve Days

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Twelve Days

“Irene!”

“Are you all right?”

“Come on. Talk to me, honey!”

“Daddy, she’s awake.”

“It’s all right now, sweetie. These good people will send her to the hospital.”

“Is she going to be all right?”

“Yes, Quinn. She will be.”

It was day three away from home. Valerie began to explore the surrounding area of her new home. In her hand was a walking stick that helped her climb the slippery hills of Washington’s forest. It was mid-July; the sun was supposed to be out. However, the humongous trees had created a roof of intertwined branches and leaves. Green sunlight tried reaching through. Only a few spots allowed enough light to seep through. The vegetation was still a bit damp from last night’s random rain fall.

It was quiet all around. Every living thing was hiding. No creature was in sight. Nothing made a sound. It was an isolation I had felt once before. It was the same feeling in the ocean—my world.

Valerie and I continued on. Our footsteps were in sync, creating a consecutive beat. The woods lightened just a bit, with a little noise in the air. A soft chirp of the collided wide the beating, intertwining in rhythm. Rain drops poured down as a disturbance in the branches made them fall. The drip and drop made a soft splash on leaves and rocks surrounding me. Falling leaves began to swerve down. A soft breeze began to whisper into my ear.

It was the tune of nature. Not quite a symphony, but not quite a noise. I stood in silence, smiling with awe. As I listened with all my heart, Valerie walked onwards. How could she have missed this? She had tunnel-vision; all she ever paid attention to was the negative side of things. There I was, trying to stop and smell the roses and she just walked away with her head down. How could we be the same person?

But I don’t blame her. I was still trying to see the world around me, instead of drowning in my own thoughts. But then it was too late to fix anything.

I stopped listening. My feet picked up pace, chasing after Valerie who stood still. When I reached her, I almost stepped out of bounds. She stopped right before a trench. It wasn’t that deep. The small cliff must have been about ten feet deep. Below sat rocks covered in moss, shrubs and ferns scattered about, and dead wood hiding millions of crawling creatures. The trench was about fifteen feet wide, connected by a single bridge—a slippy tree trunk covered in lichen and moss. The gully ran through the trench, stretching out farther than I imagined.

Valerie went towards the fallen log. She stood there, gazing at it with intense attention. She raised a brow, narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. A few moments passed before she could gain the courage to lift a foot on top of its roots. Her eyes widened, surprised of herself. She stood back; her breathing quickened. That tree was too unstable. So she walked away.

Day ten: food was scarce. Valerie began to weaken. Her cheeks were shallow pits, showing off her cheekbones. The need for nutrients caused her body to go out of whack, seeking some energy by eating away her muscles. She reverted to laying more, finding herself asleep in her makeshift home. It was a waste of time; she needed to look for food. A few attempts went into failure. She gave up, conserving what little food she had.

The night before a flashing light came passing by. It was a car’s headlights. That meant that highway 101 was closer than she thought. Therefor the next morning, she went and packed her belongings and forced her way through the woods. She followed whatever direction she thought the lights came from. Along the side of the gully she stayed, following the stretch like a path. I followed her way, waiting for the inevitable.

She saw the log again. The only way to go was cross the other side. From left to right, the ditch seem to stretch toward the horizon. All that was left to do was walk in one direction, hoping to find an ending to this trench. But the log was the quickest way to move. And she was afraid going to the different route would only cause her to lose more energy.

One step was all it took to summon all of her energy. She took a deep breath, holding it all in while she took more and more steps. The log leaned slightly right, causing her to lose her balance for a bit. Her arms reached out, seeking equilibrium of her eight. She gained control, letting loose the trapped oxygen inside her lungs. Her arms stretched out, keeping that balanced intact. When she found herself in the middle of the log, a resurgence of confidence beamed through her. She began to smile, enjoying the rush of adrenaline pumping through her body. Step by step, that other side began to appear closer and closer. A couple more bounds and she would be on her way.

A single moss slipped off of the log, leaving Valerie in shock. She fell backwards; her heart jumped out of her chest. For a split-second, that smile transformed into a helpless  Valerie tumbled down, knocking her head on the side of the tree trunk. a loud thump disturbed the once quiet air. The landing knocked the wind out of her lungs. Blood started running down her head. She didn’t make sound, not even a squeak. She fell, unconscious.