The brisk breeze tingles my skin
and hands as I step out onto my front porch this chilly October morning. It’s a
quiet morning, only the gentle sway of the trees that surround my house to keep
me company with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. I can barely see them
from the mist that sticks and covers them like swirling cotton. A shiver runs
down my spine as my body adjusts to the sudden temperature change stepping out
of the comfortable confines of my one story bungalow. It’s cold enough that I
can see my breath. I bring up my favorite owl coffee cup to my face and let the
aroma and steam warm my face before taking a long sip of my morning java. It’s
a small ritual I do every morning before I go to work, just some quiet time,
alone with my thoughts; before I have to hop in the car and head to the office.
I moved
out to the woods as a way to clear my head. I tired of city life, and saved
enough money to purchase a house and escape the noise, the lights, and the
people. I wasn’t the young, night-life seeking party girl of my twenties. No,
it was time to find a place to settle down in a place of my own, etch out my
own little corner in the world, and one day maybe get married if the right guy
came along. What better way to get started than to plant yourself smack dab in
the middle of nature? The thought of severing most of my ties with the world
filled me with excitement. I even bought books on North American wildlife,
binoculars, and even a nice camera. I admit I went a tad overboard, but I
couldn’t be happier with my decision.
I take
another sip of my Sumatran blend, savoring the splash of almond milk and stevia
mixed within the coffee, sniffling back a runny nose. Since moving in a few
months ago, I’ve spent a lot of time here on my porch. When I first moved in, I
thought I found paradise. The place was a steal, hardly had to negotiate the
price down at all. Sure, the house needed some updating, but I saw it as an
opportunity for molding the house into my dream castle. This place would be my
own.
When I
met with my realtor and she handed me the keys to the place, she told me
something I found a bit strange at the time. “Don’t go into the woods. It may
look pretty, but it’s full of life.” At the time, I thought she was just
offering some advice, thinking I’m some sort of naïve city girl. I brushed it
off and got to work painting and cleaning before my possessions arrived later
that week.
On the
day before my big move, I stayed longer than I expected, until late into the
evening. I stepped outside to cool down when something occurred to me. I lived
in the middle of the woods, but I couldn’t hear a single noise: no bird calls,
no howling dogs, no hooting owls, insect cries, or anything. Thinking back, I
didn’t remember hearing any animals during the course of the week. I only heard
the rustling of leaves in the wind. I closed my eyes in anticipation of the
breeze, but none came to relieve me from the still night air. To this day, I
have yet to hear the cry of a single animal around my house.
Now and
again when driving to or from home, I’ll see a vehicle on the side of the road
to the woods. They build up over time before the city comes and tows them away.
The officers don’t even bother to give the offending cars tickets anymore, a
waste of valuable paper I guess.
There’s
also the shoes. I’ll often find pairs of shoes flung haphazardly on the side of
the road. Sneakers, running shoes, dress shoes, high heels, I’ve seen them all,
each covered in a filmy slime that eats away the outer layer. Sometimes there’s
a purse, or a briefcase, but I always see the shoes. I’d be upset about the
litter, but they dissolve in about a week.
My mug
is empty now. I should probably get ready for work now. I take one more glance
at the woods and the mist that covers them. I have to be fast, there hasn’t been an
abandoned vehicle in a week, and I know they’re hungry, and that’ll make them
desperate. As I turn to head back inside, my eyes fall on the woods from the
other side of the field. There is no mist there. I sigh, watching the breath
from my mouth dissipate into nothingness. I wish I was back in the city,
surrounded by concrete, steel, and glass, instead of swaying, breathing, and
ravenous trees.
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