I'd always loved the woods. I loved it for its sounds, its scents, its
colors and its profoundness. I loved it for the way the slippery earth
held onto the roots of tall life and vice versa. It seemed like
cooperation and understanding. I loved the inclines and the valleys. I
loved the sensation of entering another dimension, the lack of souls
that resulted in a comfortable silence. You see, it was always quiet but
not too quiet. Birdsong still resonated throughout the area. I also
found it fascinating that the leaves could cast shadows on the green
carpet or mud trail below. What I didn't have much patience for was the
gigantic backpack that hung on my shoulders. It held the necessary items
like canteens, changes of clothes, matches, bandages and other first
aid related things, binoculars, a sleeping bag, some food and yeah I can
go on.
I shrugged uncomfortably, feeling the weight. I was probably just tired but the thing felt like it weighed several tons.
"Hurry up, Rose!" Jamie called. She flicked her bouncy, red curls
slightly annoyed at my slow pace. It wasn't the angry type of annoyance.
It was more towards the affectionate type that a best friend might use.
And that she was.
I glared at her. "I'm carrying two elephants over here." I reached back
to pat my enormous backpack. "You take a turn. There's some of your
stuff in here too." I said.
"Emmett!" She hollered. Emmett was her steady, unwavering boyfriend. The
boy came barreling toward us. He kissed Jamie on the cheek and smiled
at me. Jamie gestured to me and told him, "Rose needs help."
"Matt! Logan! Give us a second!" Emmett called loudly to the boys ahead.
"Alright, give it to me." He snatched the bag from off my shoulders. I
didn't know how he would manage it because he had his own backpack to
carry as well.
"You don't have to-" I began.
He cut me off. "Oh relax." He laughed. He shifted some things around.
"Okay, there." He said, satisfied. I shook my head, half in awe and half
in disbelief. He stomped ahead, breaking a perceptible path through the
underbrush. I heard him chortling with the boys ahead.
We got moving too. I nudged Jamie and she blushed. "You should keep him."
"I'll think about it." She said jokingly. "I'm on the fence."
"I heard that!" Emmett called.
She laughed, glowing. She practically skipped through the forest. And
she had reason enough to be that happy. Emmett was caring and
protective, her knight in shining armor. I had to admit, I was a little
envious of their bond. They had been together since the first grade. The
love at first sight garbage was disconcerting, hard to comprehend.
Though, that could have been because it hadn't happened to me. I wasn't
jealous of their years. What irked me was their devotion, compatibility
and just plain easiness. It was hard to picture someone ever loving me
that way. Jamie interrupted my thoughts. "I can't believe your mom let
you do this."
"What? Camping?"
"Yeah."
"Ah well. She knows that dad used to take me. She knows it means a lot to me."
"So she lets you get eaten by bears but freaks out if you go to a little party?" Her tone was skeptical.
"We won't find bears here and those little parties are insanely wild. I never mind missing them."
"You gotta learn to live a little. Getting a little tipsy isn't a bad thing."
I ignored her words as I held a mesh of plants to one side, letting her pass.
"You can't stay cooped up in your room all day, reading."
"I don't do that." I said, miffed.
"Yes you do."
"Okay, fine but I like it that way. Butt out."
She ignored me. "What about dating?"
"It's been a while." I confessed. "Look, you don't have to play therapist. I'm fine."
"What about Logan? He's pretty hot."
"Jamie!" I groaned. I pushed past her and trudged on ahead.
I heard her chuckling behind me. I was irritated. For some reason,
dating was especially difficult for me. Mr. Right seemed a million miles
away.
When we finally arrived at the lake, we were all exhausted. The boys set
up the tents while Jamie and I arranged a good meal. Tuna sandwiches,
chips and soda. The group dispersed after lunch. Everyone just started
to drift off in different directions. The lanky red-haired boy, Logan
went to skip rocks. Soon, his best friend, Matt joined him for a
'friendly' game of wrestling. Their playful sounds gave the forest a
cheery atmosphere. I didn't even want to imagine what Jamie and Emmett
were doing. All I knew was that they had left our little campsite with a
thick quilt. I pulled out the book I was halfway through reading and
leaned against a rough tree trunk. I was content to lose myself fin the
book, easily picturing the impossibilities it suggested. It required a
lot less effort to do so in the timberland. My dad always said that
there is quiet magic in between the trees. I didn't know how long I sat
there but the sun was already slowly disappearing behind the clouds. I
started when someone snatched my book away.
"Hey! Jamie! I was on the last page!"
"Okay, Emmett." She said.
Her boyfriend swooped in, picked me up as if I weighed five pounds and ran for the lake.
I screamed, "Guys! No!"
It was too late. He threw me into the lake. I came up gasping and shivering as the chill found me. "Emmett!"
He laughed then dumped Jamie in as well. Jamie giggled and came toward me. "I told you to stop reading, didn't I?"
The boys jumped in soon after and we frolicked in the water like
children for a good two hours. It brought back a thousand childhood
memories. When the sun finally set, we all cleaned up and put on some
dry clothes. Soon enough, we were all huddled together by the blaze,
drinking warmth.
"This is a complete cliche. I can't believe you packed marshmallows,
Rose." Matt said to me, eying the marshmallow on his skewer.
I reached for it. "If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
He chuckled and popped it in his mouth. "I'll live." He smirked.
We played a board game that Matt had thought to bring then went to bed. I ignored the rough nylon surface and closed my eyes.
The whoosh of wind brought me back to consciousness. I sat up and rubbed
my eyes, still half in dreams. There was a flicker of something in me.
It was a dying flame of a candle maybe. It was ephemeral warmth. My
heart rate was a little faster, my palms were slick. I quickly
straightened out the mess that was my tangled locks then grabbed my coat
from the tent floor. Jamie was fast asleep, snoring softly. I didn't
know why I stepped out into the night. Perhaps it was the mild
claustrophobia I felt or the restlessness that suddenly occupied my
body. I was too wired to go back to sleep. The lake looked mysterious
and sleek in the light of the moon. A part of my mind was aware of my
lack of concern regarding my safety. I didn't take so much as a stick
with me as I ventured into the forest, east of the lake. There was no
telling what time it was. The sky held no clue. The stars however were
glorious. I hugged myself as the cold breeze blew past me and rustled
the leaves. The trees seemed to accept me as one of their own. Oddly,
the roots that were all but invisible in the night seemed easier to
avoid. It was easier than the hike I experienced earlier that day. I
didn't question what I was doing, not really. There was no reason to. I
would have wandered anyway. I followed a little lightning bug through
the trees.
Before long, before I found my sanity, I stumbled upon a meadow. It was
easily the most spectacular thing I had seen in the forest since I
entered its depths. There weren't many striking flowers, just a lot of
tall grass. Now and again though, I spotted puffs of color that upon
closer examination, proved to be blooms of some sort. I picked one and
sniffed at it. The scent wasn't cloying or bitter. It had the scent of
sweet innocence. Without comprehending why, I took several more steps
forward, freeing myself from the clutches of the trees. My heart skipped
a beat when I spotted the backpacker walking deliberately into the
area. When he saw me, he stopped short. He looked confused. I didn't
know what expression was on my face. In the minute we stood unmoving, we
examined each other. He was young, tall, had dark hair and a harmless
stance. I didn't know if I should have been a afraid. Eventually we
walked toward each other. I ignored the rational part of my mind that
instructed me to stay away.
"Hi." He said when we were close enough. "I didn't expect to bump into
anyone so far from the trails or so deep into the woods."
I felt as though I should explain. "My friends and I are camping out here."
He nodded. "Oh so. What are you doing out here?"
"What? I thought I just told you." I looked at him, puzzled.
He grinned. "I meant what are you doing out in the night at," He paused
to check his watch. The light from the watch gave his face an eerily
beautiful, emerald glow. "at three in the morning?"
"I couldn't sleep." I said.
"Why not?"
I didn't want to get into the whole odd tale so I just said, "The sounds."
He was taken aback. "The sounds are resplendent."
"Maybe that's why I'm up." I mumbled, feeling a little awkward. I quickly changed the subject. "What about you?"
"I like the forest at night." He said.
"Oh." I looked down at the pristine flower I was twirling around.
My heart rate stuttered when his hand brushed mine. He took the flower
and pushed a lock of hair behind my right ear. The boy carefully placed
the wildflower in my hair. "There. Perfect."
I blushed. "I should be going."I told him. I turned, planning to head back the way I came but his voice stopped me.
"Do you have to leave? Don't you want to see them?"
"See who?"
He smiled and folded himself on the ground. He patted the grass beside
him, asking me to sit. I sat across from him. His expression was amused
as he opened his backpack and pulled out a mason jar. I stared at it,
confused. He gestured for me to wait. Then, I heard him flick the glass.
Suddenly, there was something in there. There were lights, floating
lights. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Lightning bugs." I said finally.
"I prefer fireflies." He sounded content and thoroughly absorbed. There was not a trace of sadness in his tone. I liked that.
"Isn't that mean? Keeping them in there... they don't have any place to fly to."
He stroke the glass as he thought. "Yeah I suppose you're right."
"Where did they come from?" I asked.
"Turn around, slowly."
I did. Fireflies were everywhere. Their lights made the scene so
incredibly, astoundingly magnificent. I turned to the sound of him
unscrewing the lid of the jar. The three bugs inside took to the sky.
"You never told me your name."
"Roselyn." I said quietly. "And yours?"
"Connor." He told me as he slyly took my hand.
I didn't pull away. I watched the fireflies bring light to the darkness
of night in the most enchanting way possible. They sprinkled stardust as
they danced. I sat happily with an alluring boy I barely knew. Dad had
been right all along. The forest really was magic. I owe a lot to the
little creatures.
Years have gone by like rainbows and sunshine and people still ask us
how we met. When they do, I gaze into his spellbinding eyes and say
"Fireflies."