The Forest
Summer 1912
In the quiet sanctuary of my ancient trees, two young souls met, and like the first whisper of spring, something new and irrevocable took root.
Eadrick, his skin as bright as the sun, always seemed more at peace in the forest than in his own mansion. Ifunayla, her skin as radiant as the moon, new to these parts of the forest, cautiously felt her way around. There was something about her. Whenever she was around, I always felt this energy bleeding through my soil, and my trees.
She was by the stream, aimlessly tossing pebbles into it. Eadrick, who often roamed my depths, stumbled upon her.
He stood there for a few seconds, watching her before speaking. “Hi there.”
She turned, startled, her expression then warmed up.
“I’ve never seen you before, do you live around here?” He edged a little closer.
“Yes, but you can’t tell anyone you saw me, can you keep a secret?”
“Okay.” He nodded.
“My name is Ifunayla, but you can call me Ifu.” Her tone was friendly and hesitant.
“Hi Ifu, my name is Eadrick.” His eyes sparkled with a sense of camaraderie. He held out his hand to her.
She looked down at his hand, hesitant, before reaching out to shake it. “Hi, Eadrick.” A genuine connection sparked between them. And I felt a surge of energy enveloping them both like a bubble. Making me feel alive more than ever before.
He stared at her as she threw a pebble into the stream. “What are you doing?”
She picked up another pebble. “Just throwing these into the stream, it’s calming, see?”
“Can I try?” A big grin spread across his face as he bounced in anticipation
She handed him a small rock. “Sure!” They threw the rocks side by side, at the same time. Their laughter echoed into my canopy.
“This is so fun,” Eadrick laughed.
“It is, each ripple is almost like its own little story. It starts small, and then grows wider.” She laughs; the sound was like a melody.
His eyes widened as he stared at her. “I never thought of it like that.”
They both laugh, their laughter was like music to my leaves. I couldn’t put a leaf on it, but something felt different at that moment.
Their friendship was just a bud, yet deep down in my roots, I sensed that their story would be intertwined with mine for years to come.
For centuries, I’ve been waiting, and now I feel it again.