A Forest She Once Knew
(Short Story)
By: Sarah S
Age: 16
Atlanta, GA USA
(Short Story)
By: Sarah S
Age: 16
Atlanta, GA USA
A quiet whisper of noises ran through the forest as three scarlet tanagers fought over an earthworm, a red fox nibbled on nearby berries, and an alligator crawled from land back into the river’s deep waters. A little girl ran through the forest with her arms wide open, awed by the vastness that it presented. She hiked up over moss-coated rocks, slowly picking the small ones up hoping to find mysterious creatures underneath. Disappointed at not finding anything, she grabbed her mom’s tape measure out of her raincoat. Placing the tape measure on the ground, with a rock on top of the zero inch, she carefully made her way around the tree’s trunk: exactly sixty inches in circumference. Satisfied with her accomplishment, she tugged on her tape measure releasing it from under the rock and looked around. Unsure of which direction to continue her adventure in she waited for a noise, any noise, and when she heard the call of a bald eagle she raced in its direction. Unfortunately, as she drew closer the eagle heard the crunching of freshly fallen leaves underneath her feet and with one last call it took off in flight. Dismayed that she missed her chance to see her first bald eagle, she sat down with her back against a tree trunk, pulled out her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and slowly nibbled at it. However, it wasn’t long before she heard the growl of a brown bear that she got startled, heart racing she quickly sat up, stuffed her sandwich in her pocket, and tumbled down behind a couple of trees out of the bear’s path. She quietly slipped off her backpack and lay down next to it. She tucked her fists underneath her chin to hold it up and held her breath as she waited for the bears to cross her path. Nearly a minute later a family of brown bears walked in front of her, one mom and three baby bears. The mom strode ahead as all three of the cubs waddled behind her, unable to walk straight. A smile pulled across the little girl’s face, finally an adventure she could truly tell people about! She peered over the dirt wall that had kept her safe, and after realizing the coast was clear, hopped up and headed in the opposite direction the bears were heading in. In a matter of minutes, dark clouds moved in overhead and heavy rain began to fall. The little girl searched for an area to take cover as she pulled her raincoat’s hoodie over her head. Unable to find shelter, she embraced the downpour and splashed her way through it. After a while she came upon a river, a deep river. She sat on the bank and pulled out her binoculars to see if she could spot any animals through the thick rain. And she did! A family of American beavers was on the other end of the river building themselves a little home out of fallen sticks. The family worked diligently as the little girl sat on the other side admiring the new house and the little family. But before she knew it, the sky had cleared and the day had passed. The red ball of fire descended down behind the trees and the girl got up, brushed herself off, and headed back home. As she reached her starting point, she turned around to look back at the forest, which was still light up by the sun. She smiled to herself knowing that this would be one day that she would never forget. And she never did.
The little girl returned to the forest as an older woman, coming alone she hoped to experience the same joy and thrill she had that one day fifty years ago. Stepping out of her car, her eyes drew up to the one thing she did not suspect, red clay soil and a construction site. There were a few homes that she could see from where she was standing. She turned around, and around hoping that this wasn’t the same forest she had once happened upon, but that it was a mistake. Unfortunately it was the same forest. Teary eyed, she walked on the red clay as the scorching sun beamed down on her. She looked up, and she could clearly see the sky, there was no longer a canopy that shielded the sun from completely coming through. No more brown bears, no more trees to measure, and no more bald eagles. Disheartened, she ran to the river, but it wasn’t so much a river anymore rather a creek with lots of stones. The depth was gone as the rocks at the bottom could be seen through the shallow water. She looked across the river to see that there were no more trees, just bare land and dirt. No American beaver family or their home. Saddened by what she saw, she trudged back the path she came. Walking back she noticed a mossy rock, quite similar to the ones she had overturned those many years ago, as she picked it up a small earthworm crawled out from under. With half a smile she picked up the rock and put it in her pocket. She walked to the beginning of the path she’d followed, turned around and stood there for a while. A tear trickled down her face, her vision blurred, this was the end, the end for these animal’s home and an end to her adventure.
Author’s Note to Readers: Everyone of us can relate to the little girl in this story because at one point in our lives we were that little girl, with a longing sense of connection to nature and a sense of exploration. Deforestation is one of the leading causes of habitat loss for animals. "Forests are more than just a collection of trees- they are integrated ecosystems and home to some of the most diverse life on Earth. They are also major played in the carbon and water cycles that make life possible. When forests are lost or degraded, their destruction sets off a series of changes that affect life both locally and around the world.” – World Wild Life
To learn more about the effects of deforestation please visit: World Wildlife Fund - Threats - Deforestation
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The little girl returned to the forest as an older woman, coming alone she hoped to experience the same joy and thrill she had that one day fifty years ago. Stepping out of her car, her eyes drew up to the one thing she did not suspect, red clay soil and a construction site. There were a few homes that she could see from where she was standing. She turned around, and around hoping that this wasn’t the same forest she had once happened upon, but that it was a mistake. Unfortunately it was the same forest. Teary eyed, she walked on the red clay as the scorching sun beamed down on her. She looked up, and she could clearly see the sky, there was no longer a canopy that shielded the sun from completely coming through. No more brown bears, no more trees to measure, and no more bald eagles. Disheartened, she ran to the river, but it wasn’t so much a river anymore rather a creek with lots of stones. The depth was gone as the rocks at the bottom could be seen through the shallow water. She looked across the river to see that there were no more trees, just bare land and dirt. No American beaver family or their home. Saddened by what she saw, she trudged back the path she came. Walking back she noticed a mossy rock, quite similar to the ones she had overturned those many years ago, as she picked it up a small earthworm crawled out from under. With half a smile she picked up the rock and put it in her pocket. She walked to the beginning of the path she’d followed, turned around and stood there for a while. A tear trickled down her face, her vision blurred, this was the end, the end for these animal’s home and an end to her adventure.
Author’s Note to Readers: Everyone of us can relate to the little girl in this story because at one point in our lives we were that little girl, with a longing sense of connection to nature and a sense of exploration. Deforestation is one of the leading causes of habitat loss for animals. "Forests are more than just a collection of trees- they are integrated ecosystems and home to some of the most diverse life on Earth. They are also major played in the carbon and water cycles that make life possible. When forests are lost or degraded, their destruction sets off a series of changes that affect life both locally and around the world.” – World Wild Life
To learn more about the effects of deforestation please visit: World Wildlife Fund - Threats - Deforestation
Back to Current Issue or Next Article