When dawn cracked the spell of night and chased the blanket of cloud away, a layer of ice was left sparkling on the ground.
When dawn cracked the spell of night and chased the blanket of cloud away, a layer of ice was left sparkling on the ground. The first frost of the season and Andrew’s breath fogged the bus window, while he rubbed his cold hands together. The bus wasn’t very full, and the frigid embrace took much of his new-found enthusiasm. His sleep had been fitful. The overnight storm had kept him awake long after mom left for her midnight shift.
He remembered watching through a gap in his curtain at the mesmerizing arcs of lightning snaking across the sky, which left an indelible imprint of the forest beyond their yard and reinforced the impression that it held many instances of wonder and adventure that needed to be explored. Andrew was surprised at his change in attitude. The forest had always seemed foreboding and menacing in the past, but since his foray through the fence, his whole opinion had shifted.
The waving bows and branches threw off leaves in the storm that, with the irregular lightening, burned hot bright images of unknown shapes and even more alluring shadows into his mind. Then a short while later, as the image receded from his retina, the low grumble rippled across the landscape as the clouds thundered progressively. The rumbling sound built in intensity until the very walls seemed to shake and rattle, and then as he watched and listened, everything became subdued in the downpour. The windswept rain obscuring the forest from view, and the flashes became merely suggestions of what lay beyond, but it’s allure called ever strongly.
Something was out there, Andrew was sure. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had closed his eyes in contentment and finally settled to sleep, he just knew that something lurked out there, something wild and wonderful and not just his soccer ball, which had become a distant second priority.
Andrew woke up, made some peanut butter sandwiches for his lunch at school and hustled to get to the bus on time. Now as he sat nestled in his seat he watched the mist from his breath fogging the window. He wondered if any of his friends would want to join in on his adventure. Perhaps Tim or Joshua, or if he was very lucky, both of them would come over after school and help him look for his missing ball and then they could examine that clearing in the forest, and he would get to share the adventure.
That strange clearing in the forest worried at him. At the time he hadn’t thought about the details, but now he remembered the strong mushroom smell, and the way the trees made way as if they had uprooted themselves to allow the small clearing to be formed. Ferns, and other large leafed plant varieties and a kind of clinging bracken surrounded the edges, with clumps of mushrooms sticking out here and there along the border. Moss and lichen covered the ground making the ground seem inviting and comfortable to sit on. It very definitely reminded him of a fairy circle, like the one described in one of his books about witches. Not that Andrew believed in fairies, or witches and certainly he wouldn’t be telling his friends that, but still… the story's description matched what he saw whenever they spoke of fairy circles in forests. In fact the book had clearly stated that the mushrooms growing along the edges would indicate such a place. A place full of magic and otherworldly happenings. Perhaps his ball had slipped into an alternate dimension or travelled to a lost world. He grinned like a fool at the silliness of the thought. Childish perhaps, but he couldn’t help but be thrilled at the ideas cascading through his imagination.
Andrew got out the bus at the school, jostled by kids all around him as they streamed into the building, all eager to find the warmth within. It was a comforting conformity. A sense of belonging without identity. He derived comfort from it. Despite his loneliness, he could still feel part of something. Perhaps only the tiniest cog in the massive machine of education, but every cog, even a tiny one had its place and Andrew felt like he belonged.
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School passed in a blur. Not the usual blur attributed to his sadness of the past month, but one mixed with feelings of trepidation, excitement and most of all longing to explore. This sudden shift in mood left his friends upbeat and enthusiastic about his suggestion to join him when he searched for his missing ball.
Although Joshua did complain that he had a rematch with his clan planned for that afternoon for some online computer game or other, but that he would be free the following day. He also suggested bringing his sister, Julie, who was a few years older, but wanted to become a Parks and Recreation officer when she graduated high school, and loved anything forest related. Any chance to visit a natural forest would be seen as a great learning experience for her.
Andrew was less than delighted about that prospect but couldn’t find a way to say no. While the mystery that was girls was strangely alluring, the older girls were generally spiteful and intolerant of anyone younger than them. He hoped it wouldn’t be insufferable to have her there to spoil the fun. Anyway, that was tomorrow's problem, and she would most likely say no.
Today's adventure was what he focussed on and time began to crawl as his mind drifted off to inventive ways to collect strange bugs and energetic climbing of interesting trees.
After what seemed an age and a day, the final bell rang and Andrew met up with Tim. Tim said he would first go home and get some rope and a few items from their camping stacks. It seemed that Tim had experience at this sort of thing and so while this was Andrew's adventure, he would defer to Tim if his ideas made sense.
He arrived home to find mom already sleeping off her extra long shift. A note on the counter told him to please be quiet and to sweep the driveway. There was also a chicken-mayo sandwich waiting for him in the fridge. He sighed. He hated the chores, but with Tim coming around, he would have to get them done quickly. He set to his tasks with a spring in his step.
While finishing up his sweeping, Andrew noticed Tim was already waiting for him at the end of the driveway. He then took him around to the backyard and collected the hand axe he snuck out of the shed.
“What do you need that for?" asked Tim. A worried look on his face. “Do we have anything to be worried about in the forest?”
“Not at all, I’m just making sure we can move around easily and if something shows up, I’ve got something to protect myself with.”
“I.. I see.” said Tim, without actually committing to the affirmation. He was clearly thinking he should have brought one too. “Do you have two?” I met his question with a shake of my head. Instead, I pointed to his carry bag.
“What have you got in there?”
“Oh, just some snack bars, a bottle of water and a space blanket in case, you know, in case we get lost. I also have this…” He pulled off his pack and dug around for a bit, pulling out a wicked looking survival knife. “I got this for my birthday from my gramps. He was in the war, you know.”
Andrew eyed the sheathed weapon with a twinge of envy. It even had a compass in the knob of the handle.
”Wow!” Andrew moved over to look more closely, even reaching for it, but Tim quickly tucked it away.
“My mom said I can’t use it until I’m 16, but I thought it would be good for our adventure." His guilty expression explained why he was reluctant to let Andrew handle it. He probably snuck it out the house and wasn't supposed to have it with him.
“I’ll let you hold the axe if I can hold the knife.” Andrew quipped, not wanting to miss the chance to check out something so cool.
“No way, that’s not even fair. Everyone has an axe at home.” From Tim’s expression and the way he packed it up and zipped his bag made Andrew realize it was a chance missed, but maybe they would need it on their venture and he would get a good look at it later. Axes could be used for a lot of things, but survival knives were in a league all of their own.
Ignoring it for now, but still feeling a little jealous, Andrew led them to the sliding panel in the fence. The forest lay beyond. He slid the panel aside and stepped through.