The Forest

I walked up to the edge of the forest. The trees were tall, thin. The orange and golden leaves covered the forest floor. The wind began to blow, attempting to take what was left of the leaves on the trees. The brisk wind blew against my face, sending my black hair into a wild frenzy. I pulled my cloak closer to me and stepped forward.

                I took a step onto the path and began to follow it. I was told not to stray from the path at all costs, or it could be the end of me. Although the forest seemed peaceful, I felt a sense of dread as I strayed farther and farther away from the entrance. I heard the crunch of the leaves under my feet as I gazed around at my surroundings. “So far so good,” I thought. “Why did that man warn me about leaving the path? I don’t see any reason to be afraid of the forest. Everything looks so calm, but I can’t shake this feeling that something is out there, watching me.” I keep feeling the need to look over his shoulder.

                I continued walking until I came across a small cabin on the side of the road. “I should keep going,” I thought. But I felt a strange urge to enter the cabin. I decided that the man I came across was either trying to scare me, or just a lunatic. I walked up the old, wooden stairs. The cabin seemed a little worn down, but still in living condition. I knocked on the door, not sure what I’d find. I waited until I concluded no one was coming, and I entered the cabin. There was someone still living there. They weren’t in the house, but the fireplace was used recently. I decided that I would rest here, but I didn’t want to stay too long. I didn’t want to be caught intruding.

                I continued on the path, when I came across a chest just off the road. The fear of leaving the path was gone now, and I decided to take a look. The chest was wooden and rectangular, with a two clamps on it. To my surprise, it wasn’t even locked. I open it up to find

                The forest was longer than first expected. I ran out of my water, and my throat was parched. I continued on the trail, when I spotted a chalice on the side of the road. Everything I have come across has benefited me in some way, so I strayed from the path and took the chalice off the ground. It was a silver chalice, with jewels engraved into it. It was filled with water. I started to laugh. “My luck today has been incredible. Uncanny even.” I drank from the chalice until the last drop touched my tongue. In all my life, I don’t think I have ever tasted water this good. I smiled as I headed to the path.

                I saw in the distance a something peculiar. As I got closer to it I noticed it was pitch black ahead. “That’s strange,” I thought. “The sun is still up. Why is it so dark over here?” Feeling uneasy, I slowly walked toward the darkness. I moved closer and closer, until I was inches away. I reached forward and my hand pressed against the dark. ”It’s a barrier.” I thought. Panic grew inside of me. ”Why is this here?” I looked both ways. There has got to be an end to this thing. But I couldn’t see one. I began running along the side of the barrier, hoping to find an end. “There is no way to climb it.” I thought. “This is pointless.” Panic quickly transformed into terror. “I have to run back. Maybe I can get out the way I came. Don’t panic.”

                After a long trip back, I came to where the entrance would be. But the entrance wasn’t there. The helplessness overwhelmed me. “This doesn’t make any sense. It was right here. What’s happening?” Then I remembered the man I met. “I left the path.” I realized. “I’m trapped.” I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew it to be true. I would have kept looking for an exit, but it would’ve been pointless. I slumped to the floor, my mind began flooding with regrets. “Why did I leave the path?” That question ran through his mind for the rest of his days. 

Losing a Friend

Austin and I were playing football with some other 2^nd graders. I never really liked playing football with them. There was always the small group of friends who would play as if no one else was around. Which meant I would spend multiple recesses wondering if I would actually touch the ball. The only reason I kept playing was because my best friend Austin loved playing. I did whatever he did. That day, Caleb was quarterback and Austin and I were wide receivers. We all lined up at the ball. He yelled “hike” and I started running. I heard the defenders begin to count. 

“One apple, two apple…”

Caleb looked at me and he threw the ball. It caught me off guard. I didn’t know why he decided to throw it to me today, all I knew is that I had to catch the ball. I needed to show them that I was good enough to play with them. 

And of course, I dropped it.

  My spirits were low, but they took a bigger blow when Austin yelled, “Tyler.” the look of anger on his face made me feel horrible. I immediately left the game, and I walked toward the playground tower. I sat on the bridge and began to cry. 

I was still crying when I noticed a boy sitting across from me. He was a dark skinned boy. His mom was from Peru, and his dad was a white American. His name was Chris, a boy in my 2^nd classroom. We never talked, and I barely remembered his name. He asked what was wrong, and I told him. He said he had a bad day too. We a reading catalogue of books that the teacher gave us. We would ask our parents for any item on it, and if they agreed, we would get it shipped to the school. That day, all the kids got their books, except for Chris. 

From that day forward, Chris and I were inseparable. We even had a teacher call us “salt and pepper.” Chris and I thought it was fitting. I stopped playing football at the field with Austin, and started playing tag with Chris on the playground. We also started a Star Wars epic imaginary story, where Chris and I were members of the Jedi council on a mission to stop the malicious Darth Marl. That story continued throughout the rest of my elementary career.  

Chris and I also became the leaders of the club known as the KUWT, or the Kluckhohn United War Team. We recruited new members, went on “missions”, and even created a base. The isolated tree by the edge of the basketball courts. Some of the members of the KUWT in elementary are my best friends to this day. There became a decent number of kids in our club, but the core group was me, Chris, Ben, Cody, and Peter. 

Everything began to change when I started 5^th grade. I believe what triggered the events to come was when Chris and I didn’t have the same home room. We had the same home room every single year except for this year. Then Ben, Cody, Peter, and myself joined the band. What that meant of Fridays, instead of going outside and playing lunch recess, which was the longest recess we had, we practiced in the band. That left Chris by himself with no one to play with. 

I went outside for recess the Monday after we started band practice. I was looking for Chris, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. This continued for a few more days, until I ran into him in the hall.

 “Hey, Chris! Where were you yesterday? Were you sick?”  I asked.

“No, I’ve been playing football.” He said.

I just looked at him, baffled. Chris always said he didn’t like the “football kids” and that he didn’t like football. “No wonder I couldn’t find him.” I thought. “I would have never even thought about looking in the field. 

From that day on, he continued to play football, and the KUWT slowly began to disassemble. Everyone except me, Ben, and Cody stopped playing with us. Chris was very much the glue that held us together. I noticed Chris got a lot more worried about being cool and was more focused on how people thought of him. We grew apart and stopped hanging out with each other completely in middle school.

I’m not upset at Chris. He found new interests, and so did I. Instead I thank him for sitting next to me on the bridge the day I lost a friend. If Chris hadn’t of sat next to me that day on the bridge, my life would be very different. I know one thing. Without Chris, elementary school would have been a lot less fun. Ben and Cody are currently my best friends, and I only met them because I was with Chris. Chris taught me that people grow apart, and it’s okay. Most importantly, Chris taught me to always be kind to someone, even if they are complete strangers. Who knows, maybe they’ll become your best friend.

The Open Field

Tom walked down the hill of the bowl-shaped field. Aside from the trees surrounding the barrier and the lake nearby, the field was completely empty. The freshly cut green grass crunched beneath his feet with every step he took. He felt the warmth of the sun radiate on my skin, and the cool breeze from the wind to compliment it. He gazed upon the white, fluffy clouds which accompanied the deep blue sky. Aside from the sound of insects and the occasional chirping of birds, silence surrounded the field. Tom loved the silence. Silence meant no distractions. Without distractions, Tom could focus on the environment around him. There’s a presence he felt in nature he couldn’t find anywhere else. 

He felt a small hand slip into his. His daughter, Hannah, just turned 6 years old on Thursday, and Tom wanted to do something special with her this weekend. They decided slap together some sandwiches and drive to the lake for a picnic. Tom and his wife would go there all the time when they were dating, and it became a traditional vacation spot for him and his family. Tom picked Hannah off the ground and set her on his shoulders, carrying her down to the middle of the open field. After lifting her off his shoulders, he lay down the large, blue blanket and prepared their lunch. They brought with them turkey sandwiches on white bread, along with a couple of juice boxes. Tom and Hannah began to enjoy their meal. Tom lay on the ground and stretched his arms around my head for a little cushion. Tom wrapped Hannah in his arms and listened as Hannah began listing what she thought the clouds looked like. His favourite was the hippo with a pirate hat. As he listened to her, Tom wondered why children had such vivid imaginations, and why it seems to leave them the more they mature. Hannah’s so innocent and full of wonder, and Tom wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible. He often wonders what he did to deserve such a beautiful little girl. All he knows is he’s grateful for every moment spent with her.

After lunch, Tom and Hannah walked toward the small, secluded lake. An old dock was set up toward the middle of the bank. Tom heard the clunk sound coming from their footsteps. Tom leaned on the wooden railing surrounding the dock. Looking down, he could see the murky green water and the weeds near the surface. The scent from the lake water was strong. From the corner of his eye, Tom spotted a quick movement. He motioned Hannah over, and he pointed at a dark spot in the water. It was barely visible, but Tom knew exactly what it was. She didn’t see it at first, but after Tom urged her to look harder, she saw the fish that was circling the end of the dock. Tom asked her if she saw it, and, without taking her eyes off it, she nodded her head in awe. Against Hannah’s wishes, Tom decided it was time for them to leave. They packed their things into the car, and made their way back home. The ride back home was only 20 minutes away, but Hannah was already passed out in the back seat. Tom smiled as he thought about today. It was a nice, relaxing day spent with his daughter.

Thanksgiving

Tyler walked into his grandmother’s house. From the moment he stepped into the room, Tyler felt the warmth radiating from the room. He smiled when he heard the laughter coming from the living room, and when the smell of the turkey reached him. Thanksgiving is Tyler’s favourite holiday. To Tyler, nothing was better than being with his family and enjoying what he considers the best home cooked food on the planet. 

Grandma Kathleen gave him and his family a warm smile when she saw them. Tyler always thought of Grandma as the definition of the perfect grandmother. She has everything. The smile, the rosy cheeks, and the kind eyes. Grandma is also the sweetest person he knows, not to mention her legendary cooking.  

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Grandma said 

“Happy Thanksgiving Grandma.” Tyler responded as he embraced her. She went on to do the same with Tyler’s mom, dad, and his two brothers. 

After greeting his aunts, uncles, and cousins, everyone decided it was time to have the Thanksgiving dinner. After saying grace, the cousins rush to the front of the line. Tyler’s plate consists of turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. After gathering his food, Tyler follows his cousins downstairs to the “kids” table. Even though half of the kids are out of high school. Taylor, the oldest and the leader of our gang was the one who decided what we do after we eat. Sometimes we would watch the NFL football games, and sometimes we would play a football game of our own. Whatever they did, it didn’t matter to Tyler. 

Today they decided to go outside and play some football. Tackle football of course. Tyler’s team started on offense. Taylor was the quarter back, Tyler’s brother, Seth, was the wide receiver, and Tyler was the running back. 

“Hike!” Taylor yelled. He ran back and handed the ball to Tyler. Tyler sprinted to the outside, and in the corner of his eye, he saw his cousin Dylan taking an angle on him. Tyler would have to accelerate in order to beat him out. Tyler felt Dylan’s hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off and ran in between the two trees we marked as the end zone. Tyler grinned when he saw his teammates chest bump in the middle of the field. They never did know who won or who lost. They just kept playing until someone got hurt, or desert was ready to be served. 

When Tyler learned Grandma baked an apple pie, he decided it was time to grab a slice. Instead of going back downstairs, Tyler decided to stay near the main dinner table where all of the adults were talking. It’s always fun listening to them talk. Uncle Craig loved telling his stories. He told the story about the time Tyler’s mom panicked when she thought she lost him while I was lying on his towel. He tells it well, even if we do hear it every year.

While they were on the topic of Tyler’s over protective mother, his dad told them the story of Tyler’s mom yelling at Tyler and his brothers to “stay away from the edge” at the Badlands. Tyler wishes he could talk like his dad. When he tells his stories, everyone hangs on every word he stays. And even if the ending wasn’t that funny, his delivery is so good that people can’t help but laugh when it’s over. Tyler tried to tell the same stories to his friends, and all he gets is blank stares.

After visiting a while more, Tyler’s dad informed him and his brothers it’s time to go. Tyler went around the room and said goodbye to everyone. He really enjoyed himself, and couldn’t wait for the next family get-together. “Football, food, and family. What’s not to love about Thanksgiving?” Tyler thought.