Beneath my bare feet I could feel the slivers of wood splintering; fraying at the edges of the old boards. The cool morning air caused the hairs on my arms to stand up, forming small lumps of skin that resembled the rough mossy patches covering the woodlands. It was quiet. It was silent, muffled, and muted. Where were the birds? I looked up to the vibrant green canopies that hung above. Rays of warm sun peeked through the forest’s windows. “Oh!” I gasped. Small strangely shadows were cast across my path, resembling long, thin snakes. I had been fooled by the small twisting philodendrons catching the sunlight. I reached up to pull one off a branch. I gave it a firm tug, causing a shower of warm dewdrops to fall. “Aha! There!” A big red bird shot up quickly, diving and swooping in the sun as the branches I had disturbed settled back down. It seemed I had woken the forest from its mundane rest.
I continued my walk for several kilometres; I had no destination in mind. The sun began to slowly rise above my head. It was midday. I knew the sun would begin to set soon as I watched the shades of green become shadowed in tones of cool blues. The birds were singing softly above my head. They swooped, dived and flew with poise, landing here and there. Their bright red coats contrast against the cool greens. Had my vision been better, I would have been able to notice the delicate details surrounding their gentle eyes. I continued to walk, as I knew not only the birds thrived in these woodlands.
The sun was in its final hours. I was still walking down the same cold, fraying path. The mossy bumps became cool to the touch as the night drew closer. There was now an eerie sensation to the woodlands. The mossy trees above began to take on the shapes of monsters. Lions, tigers, bears. Silhouettes of beasts seemed to be following me. Thud thud thud. I began to speed up my pace. My feet became cold on the soles as the warm sun had melted behind the horizon. Thud thud thud. I jogged in hopes of reaching the end of this path. “Was it ever going to end?” I thought to myself as my pace quickened even more. Thud thud… I stopped. The sun had fully set. I leaned forwards, hands on my dirty knees, panting, sweating. I had to sit down. The damp boards soaked through my clothes. Out of breath, I looked up at the sky. Though the same forest windows that once magnified rays of sun, were now small black voids of the night sky. It was completely silent. So silent I could hear myself brea- Rustle rustle shhhh. There was something in the bush. I silence my breath. I layed down on the slippery, clammy boardwalk: defeated, alone, cold. I knew this path would never end. I closed my eyes. Rustle rustle shhhh…
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