Sapphic Voices General Fiction

The Woods

It was an overcast, fall day but beautiful nonetheless. I was squirming in my seat at the kitchen table, overly anxious to get outside. I finished every bite of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, careful not to make a mess and I gulped down my milk. Slowly, I placed my dishes in the sink, cautious not to wake my mother who was taking her Saturday afternoon nap on the couch.

Tugging on my tennis shoes I pulled my hair back into a sloppy pony tail and grabbed my "play coat" as my mother called it. Quietly closing the door behind me I stood on the porch and lifted my face to allow the gentle breeze to caress my flustered cheeks. I took a deep breathe, reveling in the smell of fall, the leaves and the rustic smell of the earth as it prepared itself for a winter rest. I felt free, free from the menacing presence of my mother's ever raised hand, and free from the confines of the house I had grown to dread calling home.

I hopped off of the porch and ran. Through the back yard, past the pool and our barking dogs eager for attention, past the wood pile and the brush that separated our mowed lawn from the wild field beyond, and into my world. My woods. These were my trees and my creatures that ran startled by the sudden appearance of a human.

Stepping over a small, clear stream that had quenched my thirst so many times in the hot summers of years past, I headed towards my favorite tree. I knew these grounds like the back of my hand and I easily avoided the many thorn bushes and rabbit burrows. In a small clearing, my tree stood alone. I called it the "muscle tree" because of the ripples that ran through the bark and limbs. It was the best climbing tree in the woods and I readily made my way up to a high branch that allowed me to overlook the woods and the neighborhood it surrounded. Silence enveloped me and the boughs of the tree rocked me gently with the steady autumn breeze.

As I sat there alone I allowed the thoughts to run through my head that I had suppressed throughout the day. Why am I here? What purpose do I have in life? As I look back now I realize those are deep thoughts for a child of 10 and I know that without the solace of my woods I would have searched for answers elsewhere and although the woods offered no answers , they comforted me when I needed it most.

I was stirred from my thoughts by the calls of my best friend Carrie, the only other person that knew of my tree, and I smiled, excited about the games we would play together. I scrambled down the tree as our laughter filled the woods of my childhood.

If you have enjoyed Ami's "The Woods", then please be certain to e-mail her at  taurian88[at]yahoo.com  and thank her for posting this Story.

Click here for a list of all of Ami's  Stories and Poetry at  Sapphic Voices Authoresses.