"The Night in the Forest" by Jullian R

     In the countryside, where the smallest of towns are hidden, and where nature is embedded into the cloth, that are those tiny towns. There lay a lonely home, no neighbors found but an enchanting forest. In that home a child rests by his open window, gazing up at the night sky waiting for the sounds of the forest to tell him a story of true magnificence, that would allow his little head to lay and fall into a deep sleep. As was every night before, the forest outside the child’s window would speak telling him stories as he would sleep, however on this night the forest was silent. The child restless and unable to slumber, decided that if he could reach closer to the forest that maybe the story he seeked would be told and he could return to bed to sleep once again. So his journey began, as he left his house to go request the forest for a story he desired for his slumber. The stars were even brighter as he began his trek, night had fell onto the child, but the sky was the deepest blue and gave the child comfort as his undersized legs carried him along on his adventure. Eventually, he reached the outside of the forest where the densest of trees stand, almost as a barrier to all the mystic phenomena that occur behind those trunks. As he arrived looking up to the trees, the silence that fills the cool mountain air is deafening. Soon almost like a cat sneaking up on a mouse, a breeze picks up and the child looks up in utter disbelief, As he felt the wind picking up around him and the trees start swaying back and forth as if they were dancing, it was an invitation for the young child into the joyous occasion. So he did, the leaves off the ground began to circulate around the boy and lead him into the forest. It was apparent then, that the trees began to sing to the child, a song of softness and comfort as he enters the forest to delve deeper for his search of his story that he would enjoy at the side of his bed. The child has finally entered into the forest, the trees begin to quiet down, and the sounds of a creek begin to occupy the little child’s ears. As he breathes out, his breathe is caught in the cool winter air, as if it had belonged to the night sky. The trees began to speak again, though not of a story, but of directions to follow the sounds of the creek. So the journey continued, the child began to to follow the ever growing sounds of the stream of water. The sounds grew and grew, almost as if the child became apart of the stream itself. Following along the stream, the child sees fireflies hastily flying after one another as if they were after something too. Soon the whole forest around him was lit up by these small insects. The boy thought to himself, and felt as if the night sky itself fell upon him on this walk to wherever the creek would lead him. The fireflies finally dispersed, falling into the night sky, but not before the young child had reached the end of the creek. In his astonishment he had found that it lead to a waterfall, and the moon sat comfortably above the seemingly abundant source of water, while the water lit up by each star in the sky glistened and flowed it’s way to the child’s hands. Rocks that seemed to be carved out by those of the renaissance age, seemed to hold this waterfall together. The child began to run up and down following the water as they were playing a game of tag, one trying to outrun the other. The child ran as if the night had no end and the sky would stay a deep blue forever. Finally after some time had past, the child heard something rattle near a bush. Startled the child immediately began to retract back into the forest. As he stepped slowly it had a appeared, a lowly deer searching for its food. A smile wider than a mile appeared onto the child’s face, as the deer noticed the child the two made eye contact for what had seemed forever. Eventually the deer drew back, into the forest. At that time, the child finally realized it was time for him to head back. Following the creek back, the trees began to hum a song to the child. As the song grew in loudness, so did the child’s urgency for sleep. He eventually reaches the edge of the forest back to his home, where his journey started. The trees began to take their place back, slowly beginning to stop swinging and humming. The trees stopped, but the child gazed one last time in utter amazement. The short walk finally ends, as he reaches his window and climbs back into his room where his bed lay. As the child begins to lay his head, he decides to look out at the forest one more time. There he sees the deer from earlier, with a small pause he give the dear a slight nod and a smile. From there, the deer begins to turn back as he slowly trots back to the forest as the trees begin swinging again in a jolly manner. The young child then lays his head to rest for the night safely in his bed, he realizes the forest did indeed grant him a story. A story only found in the countryside, where the smallest of towns are hidden, and where nature is embedded into the cloth of this tiny town. Satisfied, he shuts his little eyes as the he slowly falls into sleep, goodnight.