Beyond the Trees

The Letter

10:37 am, Thursday, June 25, 2099.

The air smelled crisp and warm, a hit of apple, cinnamon and a subtle trace of pear butter floating through the air. A soft wind whistled through the tall redwood trees and through the south-facing circular window. The room was a cozy size with a tall dome ceiling, one among many inside the rather large tree house. His room was a perfect mix of tech and old antique 1990's wood furnishing. A tiny flying squirrel slept on the windowsill, curled up on a pillow stuffed with dried redwood leaves.

"Your envelope arrived!" yelled a voice from through the redwood walls. A thick envelope slides under the door, marked with a red seal keeping the near bursting envelope closed. Its red seal glistened in the sun.

The sudden and loud break in the silence caused Amzi to fall out of bed.

"Oww" he said, rubbing his head briefly, then quickly scrambling up and scooping the letter off the floor in one agile swoop. Amzi couldn't stop staring at the white envelope, The whole thing was a 1/2 inch thick. And it was for him....

His fingers slipped through the seal and the envelope nearly burst with papers as they spilled into his hand, he desperately searched through the papers until he finally found what he was looking for. A thick paper with a gold and red border. In his excitement, He read it aloud.

"Dear Amzi T. Oursnoir, The Bear Scouts National Society has reviewed your accomplishments, badges and B.S.N.S. Folder. There are several places that have caught our attention and others we aren't as impressed with. The Bear Scouts national society only allows 10 members a year to join, maximum. With the training and programs you have completed and attended you have a score of 993 out 1000, with four points missing with health issues. The points can't be made up. To qualify for the Golden Grizzly Bear rank you must have a minimum of 980 points. Currently we have 387 other qualifying candidates. Congratulations to you for making it to the final test.

You and the 387 other Bear scouts will be competing in a month-long survival test, challenging the strength of your mind, body and spirit to overcome everything that's thrown at you. The test will run in 4 parts: desert, forest, swamp then arctic, while traveling from the bottom of California to the top of Canada. There is a $500 fee to drop out now, however, the closer you get to the date, the higher the cost. During the test, there is no dropping out, unless your health monitor displays NDL Near Death Levels. In this circumstance you will be removed from the competition and serviced by our highly trained medical team. You've made it this far, may the chances of survival be in your favor."

Amzi's jaw dropped in amazement, he couldn't believe he made it to the final stage. You could almost hear his heart as it beat rapidly inside his chest. He had never been so excited, yet so afraid in his life. He reached up and wiped away a tear.

Everything was quiet for a few seconds, then he jumped up, burst quickly through the door and yelled "Mom, Dad, Raina, Kai! I made it!! I made it!!"

His voice carried through the redwood tree house and echoed through the neighboring trees.

For a few seconds there was a moment of perfect silence, then he reached forward and opened the door quickly. "Mom, Dad, Raina, Kai! I made it!! I made it!!" he yelled, his voice carried through the redwood tree house and echoed through the neighboring trees. A second of silence then the whole neighborhood erupted in cheers. Amzi raced downstairs and was greeted with the warm blast of the smell of freshly baked food and pie. The best smell was the gentle waft of the family recipe french-Style Apple and Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, with soft serve ice cream and pear butter. The combination of scents mixed so beautifully it was like an orchestra of aroma.

"Surprise!" Everyone yelled in sync, inside the cramped kitchen and living room was Amzi's Mother and Father along with his two younger siblings, grandma Ava and grandpa Elijah, his favorite uncle Jasper, and 4 families that lived within the tree cluster.