The Wood : Part 3

Continued from The Wood : Part 1 and The Wood : Part 2

   Now, how can I climb the tree? I didn't think, I just jumped and something propelled me up and forward. Lo and behold, I was up in the air! I honestly didn't know I could do that. Something prompted me. The small voice? Instinct? It's just as though I knew that it was possible. What a great feeling, being able to fly. I felt that my body was as light as feather!

   It was already fully night time by the time I settled down in the medium-sized tree house. I lied in it, snug and comfortable although I bumped my forehead while trying to scramble in just now. The branches that formed the floor were surprisingly soft. I didn't need a mattress or a blanket. The air was quite warm. The full moon gave sufficient light for me to see everything around me. Not everything, really. But I did get startled when I saw an owl on the tree across, blinking its round eyes. Then I was lulled into a deep slumber by the seemingly never ending lullaby of the forest...

   When I woke up, the sun had not yet risen fully. I sat on the edge of the tree house with my feet dangling, listening to the cheerful morning sound. Then I jumped to the ground. More like floated, actually. I still marveled at the way I half flew just now when I started my journey again. I knew that eventually I would reach a place that would be the end of my journey and the place would surely be the most magical of all the things that I had encountered. The eagerness made me feel like bursting with energy. I was practically skipping along the path. After about half an hour walking, I was overcame with hunger. I realized that I haven't eaten since yesterday evening! And not a single drop of water had entered my mouth either.

   While walking I looked around, looking for something to eat. I saw some berries, but I dared not eat them for fear that they were poisonous. I was hungrier and thirstier by each passing minute. At last I couldn't stand it anymore and stopped to rest under a shady tree. I fell asleep soon after, dreaming about food.

   I had no idea how long I slept. I woke up when I felt something tickling my face. When I opened my eyes, what a shock I got! A weird tiger-like creature was sniffing my face! It has white fur with grey stripes. I froze in fear, thinking that I was finished. I am some animal's dinner now and it would serve me right for being overly adventurous! But no, the beast didn't hurt me or eat me. It just sat there staring at me. I stared back. For a long time we just looked at each other. It seemed like eternity before I decided that maybe, just maybe, the animal was tame. It seemed to be...it's acting like a pet cat. Course, it was some kind of cat! Err... really huge cat, though...

- To Be Continued -

Continued in The Wood : Part 4