Nightmare
Nightmare
I walked along an earthy path leading up a hill where a living forest lay. For some reason unbeknown to me people came to this forest to become a part of it, and my time had come. The forest was calling to me to join it. I walked unharmed and unpressured, feeling like coming home after a long journey. The path ended and I could hear voices coming from the trees. An old woman with an air of great power and wisdom glided toward me. I couldn't look straight at her and her face is allusive to me, but she was covered in green vines and leaves the ancient color of sage. She welcomed me in like a grandmother ushers a granddaughter she was expecting to visit; a welcomed command. I looked around at the trees and that's when I noticed the other beings in the forest, looking up at the trees just as I was. They were all strangers and all were as confused as me. The old woman never smiled. She instructed us to pick any spot we liked in the forest. The trees that had been imobile and had made up the forest I saw suddenly had the faces children calling to their friends to come stand by them. The woman called forth the creatures called gornuls to help smaller children sit in the tree at the spot they picked and make sure they were secure. The gornuls were large brown creatures, grunting as they went about in servitude. As I walked around, looking for a familiar face but finding no one, I heard the woman's voice telling us all what was about to happen. We were allowed to pick one tree and we would become part of that tree, to join the forest forever. We would get two chances. If became the tree and didn't like where we had chosen we would be allowed one more chance to find a new spot. After two chances a person would be killed.
I chose a spot where the sun shone, set apart from the other clusters of trees. It was a little lonely, but peaceful.
...
New people were coming up the hill, I could hear their voices rustling in my leaves. Brandon stepped through the shadows and into the forest. I called to him but he wouldn't hear me yet, he didn't have the power, we weren't transformed. With him was Iorio, Ami, Chris, people I recognized! I was so happy they had come, I have been lonely. I watched the gornuls wander through the meandering children and listened as the woman recite her rules. Brandon picked a spot on the other side of the forest, but I could still see him through a path of trees. Iorio, Ami, and Chris, now I could recognize Shira, and Darky, Courtney. They each chose a spot forming a circle with Brandon. In front of them the gornuls placed a piece of paper, a new test, would you join or be killed? They each scribbled something on their piece of paper and then we trees were set free to move if it was in our hearts to do so. I ran across the forest and planted my feet next to Brandon. This was my second chance and now I would be here forever next to Brandon and my friends. The papers were collected and suddenly my heart sank. Brandon was being lead away by the gornuls along with other kids who had chosen not to join. It was not what he believed in. I didn't believe in it either, but this? Why this? He would leave me rather than being a part of something he didn't believe in. I loved him for it, and I was terrified. This had been my second chance, my last. I called to the woman and protested that I no longer wanted to be part of her forest. I wanted to leave with the others. She gave me my legs back and I ran to be part of the group walking away from me. I grabbed Brandon and hugged him as tight as I could. We were all lined up and told this was our final chance to choose a different path. The woman shouted now, screamed her rulebook down our throats, forced her threats and the wind in her voice tossed our hair back. Brandon protested, he would not join, we would not join, this is not how you are supposed to live: rooted to one place forever, unable to fight... being stagnet and helpless. He refused as others did to be part of her world. I begged for a way out, for some mercy. To let us go back to our lives in that other world we'd been living in. She refused and the gornuls howled. I asked to be let to walk down the hill while I contemplated my choice. She granted my wish. At the bottom of the hill I began to cry. I was terrified, how could I get us out of this? There was no way! I turned to look up the hill and saw the gornuls leading the kids down the other side of the hill. I ran towards them screaming and crying. They were being lead into the other forest, the dark one at the bottom of the hill where nothing lived. My screams were futile and my tears wasted, I could not catch up. Brandon broke from them and was skipping down the side of the hill, the gornuls closely following. My arms reached for him through the distance and he disappeared into the forest. The I heard a gun shot.
...
I can still sense how it feels to lose him.
...
I woke up just after the gun shot when, in my dream, I fell to my knees sobbing. I looked to the sky with blackened eyes, and then I was awake. Crying and hugging Brandon lying next to me in bed.
I walked along an earthy path leading up a hill where a living forest lay. For some reason unbeknown to me people came to this forest to become a part of it, and my time had come. The forest was calling to me to join it. I walked unharmed and unpressured, feeling like coming home after a long journey. The path ended and I could hear voices coming from the trees. An old woman with an air of great power and wisdom glided toward me. I couldn't look straight at her and her face is allusive to me, but she was covered in green vines and leaves the ancient color of sage. She welcomed me in like a grandmother ushers a granddaughter she was expecting to visit; a welcomed command. I looked around at the trees and that's when I noticed the other beings in the forest, looking up at the trees just as I was. They were all strangers and all were as confused as me. The old woman never smiled. She instructed us to pick any spot we liked in the forest. The trees that had been imobile and had made up the forest I saw suddenly had the faces children calling to their friends to come stand by them. The woman called forth the creatures called gornuls to help smaller children sit in the tree at the spot they picked and make sure they were secure. The gornuls were large brown creatures, grunting as they went about in servitude. As I walked around, looking for a familiar face but finding no one, I heard the woman's voice telling us all what was about to happen. We were allowed to pick one tree and we would become part of that tree, to join the forest forever. We would get two chances. If became the tree and didn't like where we had chosen we would be allowed one more chance to find a new spot. After two chances a person would be killed.
I chose a spot where the sun shone, set apart from the other clusters of trees. It was a little lonely, but peaceful.
...
New people were coming up the hill, I could hear their voices rustling in my leaves. Brandon stepped through the shadows and into the forest. I called to him but he wouldn't hear me yet, he didn't have the power, we weren't transformed. With him was Iorio, Ami, Chris, people I recognized! I was so happy they had come, I have been lonely. I watched the gornuls wander through the meandering children and listened as the woman recite her rules. Brandon picked a spot on the other side of the forest, but I could still see him through a path of trees. Iorio, Ami, and Chris, now I could recognize Shira, and Darky, Courtney. They each chose a spot forming a circle with Brandon. In front of them the gornuls placed a piece of paper, a new test, would you join or be killed? They each scribbled something on their piece of paper and then we trees were set free to move if it was in our hearts to do so. I ran across the forest and planted my feet next to Brandon. This was my second chance and now I would be here forever next to Brandon and my friends. The papers were collected and suddenly my heart sank. Brandon was being lead away by the gornuls along with other kids who had chosen not to join. It was not what he believed in. I didn't believe in it either, but this? Why this? He would leave me rather than being a part of something he didn't believe in. I loved him for it, and I was terrified. This had been my second chance, my last. I called to the woman and protested that I no longer wanted to be part of her forest. I wanted to leave with the others. She gave me my legs back and I ran to be part of the group walking away from me. I grabbed Brandon and hugged him as tight as I could. We were all lined up and told this was our final chance to choose a different path. The woman shouted now, screamed her rulebook down our throats, forced her threats and the wind in her voice tossed our hair back. Brandon protested, he would not join, we would not join, this is not how you are supposed to live: rooted to one place forever, unable to fight... being stagnet and helpless. He refused as others did to be part of her world. I begged for a way out, for some mercy. To let us go back to our lives in that other world we'd been living in. She refused and the gornuls howled. I asked to be let to walk down the hill while I contemplated my choice. She granted my wish. At the bottom of the hill I began to cry. I was terrified, how could I get us out of this? There was no way! I turned to look up the hill and saw the gornuls leading the kids down the other side of the hill. I ran towards them screaming and crying. They were being lead into the other forest, the dark one at the bottom of the hill where nothing lived. My screams were futile and my tears wasted, I could not catch up. Brandon broke from them and was skipping down the side of the hill, the gornuls closely following. My arms reached for him through the distance and he disappeared into the forest. The I heard a gun shot.
...
I can still sense how it feels to lose him.
...
I woke up just after the gun shot when, in my dream, I fell to my knees sobbing. I looked to the sky with blackened eyes, and then I was awake. Crying and hugging Brandon lying next to me in bed.