in her predawn excursion through the Old Woods the next morning, Elle noted that the forest was just as eerily quiet as it had been the evening before. Treading as stealthily as possible through the underbrush in her combat boots, Elle followed the overgrown path through the woods towards Crater Creek by the light of her trusty flashlight. Occasionally, she stopped to get her bearings and to look for signs of animal life. Once she reached the midpoint of the trail, a point marked by a huge fallen oak tree partially covered in delicate green moss, she stopped and rested.
Operation Black Box was off to a good start. Phase I involved sneaking out of the house and down to the creek before anyone else got up. Unfortunately, Phase I did not involve eating breakfast, and now her stomach was rumbling irritably. Glancing to her left, she noticed a bush with small bright red berries. She briefly considered trying a nibble, but decided against it, just in case they were poisonous. She didn't want Phase II of Operation Black Box to involve vomiting uncontrollably and/or visiting the Emergency Room. As she looked around for other edible, less-potentially poisonous plants, the light from her flashlight dimmed. She shook it, and the light briefly flickered a little brighter, but then dimmed again almost instantly; the light wouldn't last much longer. Fortunately, the sun would rise soon, and she wouldn't need her flashlight.
She stood to resume the hike, but hesitated, listening intently. A gentle rustling noise behind her had caught her attention. She slowly turned, hoping to see a bird, or maybe even a deer, but was disappointed to see nothing but dense foliage. She scanned the area, inadvertently shivering as a strange feeling washed over her. She felt like something was out there, just beyond the point where the flashlight's feeble light beam ended. The flashlight dimmed again, and she smacked it on her palm, but the light was fading fast. She knew she had limited time now, so she set off quickly, shaking off the strange feeling.
Five minutes later, just as her flashlight finally died for good, she stepped out into the clearing around Crater Creek. The eerie pre-dawn light in the overcast sky cast a creepy effect for Phase II of Operation Black Box, which involved re-locating the strange box from yesterday. She quickly tramped to the patch of soft grass on the bank, and squinted amongst the rocks, relieved to see the small black box sitting in the same spot that she had left it yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, it had closed into a solid box again, leaving seamless black surfaces, smooth as a stone. She turned the box, inspecting all sides, but couldn't find the small blinking blue light anywhere. But it was hard to see in this light, so she tucked the box under her arm and decided to head back home for further inspection.
By this point, the sun was rising, and thankfully, Elle didn't need the flashlight to navigate her way home. She turned to retrace her steps. As she walked, she considered the box and it's strange occupant. Most importantly: How did it get there? No one ever visited these woods. In all the years she had spent in the Old Woods, she had never seen another person out here- nothing but birds and animals--and even those were scarce nowadays.
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Deep in thought, Elle trudged on, but unfortunately, she wasn't watching where she was walking. She stopped abruptly a few feet from a large pine tree with gobs of sap running down its thick bark like large amber tears. She didn't recognize the tree. Elle looked around, feeling a little panicky, as she realized that she had wandered off the path, and was lost somewhere in the forest. Now it would take her even longer to get back home, which meant she might miss the bus and have to ride her bike to school. Or worse--she might have to ask Mindy for a ride.
A soft noise behind her, like the snapping of a twig, sent a shiver down her spine. She turned but saw nothing. The hairs rose on the back of her neck; something was out there; she could feel it. Elle scanned the distance, but the low light and dense foliage made it impossible to see more than about 30 feet away. Elle glanced up, trying to decipher the direction of the sun to get her bearings, but the light was too dim to tell for sure which way was east. Dang it! Where's the North Star when you need it?! She should have asked her Grandpa what to do when navigating through a forest at dawn in cloudy weather…
She made up her mind to head to the left, the direction where the overcast sky looked slightly brighter, and started trotting, carefully jumping over the odd bramble or tree root in the path. Despite the easy pace, her heart jumped in her chest as if she were sprinting, and Elle realized that she was suddenly, inexplicably afraid. Something's following you, her hindbrain whispered. She began to run.
After a few minutes, she came to a small clearing within a circle of oak trees. She stopped to catch her breath and listened intently. The forest was silent. She breathed deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly, like Ms. Dismel had taught her, to try to control the anxiety rising in her chest. Think positive, Elle: You may be lost, alone and afraid, but hey, you’re up early! And you're getting great exercise!
Suddenly, the bush beside her moved, disrupting her positive thoughts. She backed-up quickly, holding the black box out like a shield, nearly tripping over her boots.
A little brown squirrel popped it's head out of the bush and scampered out into the clearing.
Elle exhaled hugely, her shoulders slumping with relief. "Oh, it's you!" she said, shaking her head to clear her troubled thoughts. She smiled at the little squirrel, recognizing him instantly by his downy white patch of fur on his upper chest, and the little nick on his left ear. This was the little squirrel she had nicknamed, "Nutty" that she regularly fed in her yard.
"What are you doing way out here? Are you lost, too?" she asked, feeling in her jacket pockets for the stash of nuts that she always kept on-hand.
She tossed him a few nuts, but instead of gobbling them up instantly, he took a few steps back, away from her. "What's wrong? Are they stale?" She looked at the nuts, sniffing them. They seemed fine to her. Nutty took a few more steps to the right. "Are you ok, Nutty?" she asked, getting worried the little guy might be sick.
He turned and slowly hopped a few paces into the forest. Feeling curious, Elle followed him. Little by little, the squirrel hopped and scurried as Elle followed closely behind. After a few minutes, Elle stepped out onto a path, and glanced around, relieved to recognize the familiar trail heading to her backyard. The little squirrel scampered towards his tree at the edge of the Old Woods; luckily, he had led her straight home. She shook her head at her stroke of good luck, and at her stupidity for getting lost in the first place.
Nutty ran up the large tree at the edge of the woods and jumped into a hole high up near the branches. He peered down at her. Elle smiled up at him, "Thanks, I owe you," she said. "I'll bring you some really good nuts tonight!" she promised and ran up the hill to the house.