Come Along
She was standing at the entrance of the Forbidden Woods. Everything was silent and peaceful. Except for a couple of birds chirping and the leaves in the wind. The sun was high in the sky and it’s warmth felt like a hug to her.
A noise caught her attention. She turned her head and noticed a big and healthy rabbit, looking at her straight in the eyes. It did not seem afraid but she decided not to move forward. They stared into each other’s eyes for a while. The rabbit stood still, as it was aware of its beauty and that someone or at least something was looking at it. Suddenly, it ran into the woods.
The rabbit did not belong to anyone. It was free. It could go anywhere whenever it wanted. She wanted to be as free as this creature. To run, too, into the Woods and never come back. She felt it deep into her soul. The Woods were calling her. She took a step. And two. Three. And before she knew it she was running. She ran as fast as she could, for as far as her legs could take her. She ran into the Woods. And she felt it. The freedom, the peace. For a second, nothing in the world mattered anymore. She kept running until she was out of breath. She loved the feeling of her lungs burning like fire inside of her chest. She wanted to scream. Scream of fear. Sadness. Anger. Maybe if she screamed long enough and loud enough those feelings would vanish away. But she did not make a noise. She didn’t want to disturb the peace of the Woods. The birds were singing cheerful songs and dancing in the sky along with butterflies and leaves. She did not, in any case, want to disturb such beautiful symphony.
She did not understand why no one could enter the Woods. Everything that she could see was pure delight for the eyes. Gigantic trees everywhere, with the leaves of a beautiful shade of deep dark green. Wild flowers, mushrooms, streams filled with clear water and moss were also found all over the area.
She wanted to stay and never go back. She belonged there. She belonged to nature. This place filled the void in her heart. She wanted to be one of the creature of the Woods and have the chance to live there.
This place that some called forbidden; she called it Home.