The Forest
In the depths of a forest far away from any town in the midst of a pond lies a small wooden cabin. Nearby pond as clear as it is deep, water so transparent that bottom could be discerned from the surface. The small and humble cabin lied peacefully surrounded by tall pines or the occasional loon, contrasting the smallness of man in the endless wonders of greenery. A young man wearing a long, weather worn woolen coat in deep moss green, fraying at the edges, lined with faded silk that once shone like dragonfly wings could be seen opening the cottage doors. To the locals in the village he was known as quite the eccentric, for his unusual life style.
Inside of his cabin, a humble collection of items can found. A typewriter, a small window, a bed under which he held a small pistol. This cabin had all the essentials he needed to survive on his own. It was an experiment in living to prove man can return to nature.
He stepped out of the house as the morning sun shined through the branches of the tall pines surrounding the whole place. Lost in the gaze, the man smirked where he moved along the trails. As he ventured the occasional rustling of leaves could be heard on the ground, as well as bustling calls of the loons in the sky. A sound that captivated the lost man who was deep in though as he curiously inspected the forest before him.
„The sound of the morning singing of the loons, reminds me so clearly of the picture I had in mind before moving into this forest more than a year ago. A feeling I remember so vividly it cannot be understated...“
The man continued walking forwards as he would occasionally get lost in the depths of his very own thoughts. Taking out of his pen and notebook from his pockets as the morning wind blew, he thought once more:
„There was but a deep sense of dread I found living each day confined in the chains of society. So dull it made my soul feel imprisoned. My heart longed for something more. As such I went on a journey into the forest. Where my heart led me, all I sought was to live deliberately and free. Since that very day I have found the freedom my heart so deeply craved.“
As he spoke those words he spread his arms wide open, his gaze lost in the clear morning sky. In his eyelid a reflection of a raven flying back passes. A wide smile spreads across his face as he drops his pen and paper onto the ground.
„A society so alienated from nature where each day is spent living as birds in the cage I can finally spread my wings and fly. For to live like everyone else I have felt like an eagle trapped on the farm alongside chickens being told I could never fly. Yet despite it all I have flown far and reached into the sky.“
Man continues walking discarding his pen and the notebook as he cheerfully walks over descending deeper into the forest. The brown hard-cover notebook lay open. Inside of the notebook lay written today’s date. A short message, „I will not let them tread upon my forest… my vengeance….“ A leaf fell onto the last paragraph of the page concealing what had been written on there.
Man had been walking far across the forest where a large boulder awaited him. He carefully climbs onto the large boulder and sits over as he has yet another stream of consciousness flow through his mind.
„The masses lead a life of nothing but a life of complacency and a quiet resignation. Their lives so dull each day filled more with endless worry and desperate consumption. Clocking in to work at night, work, break, eat, work, shift ends, catch the train home, be tired, consume latest news, sleep, repeat next morning. More than anything it would make any being tired. For only a machine could fully get used to such an existence...“
He looked around himself as he gazed at the raven that had flown on his shoulder. Before he could realize what had happened the crow had flown far away into the skies, lost in the endless branches. The man’s gaze zoomed far to search for the crow who hurriedly flapped its wings as it flew across the landscape.
Far in the distance, a waterfall could be seen, as crystal clear as a diamond, flowing from a slightly moss-covered hill, into the water which flowed into the lake beside his cottage. The man hurriedly walks over to the crystal clear waterfall and wonders to himself.
„The streams flowing, fluid with a range of multiplicity a gentle reminder of a thought free to flow as a stream of consciousness unbound by any structure which contains it. Contrast the thoughts of today, that are those of the printed newspapers, carefully structured with each word nitpicked so as not to offend anyone, printed and imposed on the page as a dictator imposes his rule onto the land. Sold and marketed to the mass who no longer needs to think for themselves, for it has already been thought for them. A truly free thought is found unbound by any limitations or rules imposed upon it, as it flows like a waterfall. Such a shame the former is the condition of the modern man.“
On the water's surface, the man could see a reflection forming before him. A clear blue sky was behind him as he gazed upon his face, he stared deep into his own eyes and lost in deep thought once more.
„It is the Earth’s eye, as much as I gaze into the abyss it gazes back into me. I measure the depth of my nature in the depths of the very lake into which I stare. The very Earth gets to know me, for it knows me better than I know myself, it has given birth to me, a place for me to stay provided me with shelter. Why must man so ruthlessly destroy their very home? No, the home of the very mother nature herself.“
He gazed upon the water's surface as a leaf fell onto the water distorting his reflection, as his gaze shifted onto the pines in the forest. As a realization strikes him, his gaze is confused.
„My dwelling may be small, I could hardly entertain that there will ever be an echo to it. However, it seems to me larger than the whole universe. How could I get so selfishly consumed gazing upon myself, while a world blooming with flowers awaits? For who would I be to tread upon the flowers that lay beneath my feet?“
His thoughts shifted wildly from place to place….
2 Denial
Then faintly in the distance, he heard a noise…. noise….. unheard noise….. almost as if it didn’t belong to the scenery he surrounded himself by. He tilted his neck sideways with a wide look in his eyes, pupils shrunk, chattering his teeth as he clenched his fists and walked further into the forest.
The noise had been difficult to hear from such a distance. Yet he was able to discern it had not belonged to the forest. „What is the source of this bizarre noise? I must find out.“ He spoke clenching his fists harder as he hurriedly walked forward. Walking, as he continued to walk a deep deep feeling awoke inside of his heart. One that made him stop, gulping down his throat as a terrified look struck his usually composed face. He struggled to breathe as endless thoughts raced through his mind.
„It…. it…. can’t…. be? no…. NOO!, right? What? I don’t, that’s… I am…. just imagining things right, hahaha, that’s right.. hahaha I am just going crazy from living such a peaceful life… my mind was just playing tricks on me hahaha.“
His gaze was lost in the distance, struggling to breathe he abruptly turned around refusing to venture any deeper into the forest. There was absolutely nothing there worth checking out, it was pure phantasma, a figment of his imagination. He had heard noises produced solely by his imagination.
„This surely made me hungry, haha, I should head over to the village to grab something to appease my in-satiated carnal existence.“
Wiping his forehead with a sweat, a dark shadow appeared inside of his heart, slowly aching at him as he ventured further, he played it off as a mere trickery of his mind. As stated beforehand, he is living a life completely content, and in peace with Mother Nature. He hurriedly walked towards the nearby village. As he did, the sun found itself high above his head signaling a brief afternoon. His arm covered his eyes as he stared into the sky, another two ravens approached in the sky.
The heat made him sweat harder, he undid the buttons on his coat as it became harder for him to breathe. He soon arrived near the village, where locals hurriedly walked around the town as they noticed the man approaching.
„Ah, the smell of the village bustling with life, the sound of the smith’s anvil and the freshly baked bread. If I didn’t live there by myself, I surely would have starved to death.“
The man slowly approached the village, and he did so with great composure, the locals waved at him, and as he put on a fake smile he waved back at them. There he found an old lady whom he greatly knew and spoke with her briefly.
„Hello there miss what a splendid day is today?“ He once more put on a shallow smile with his eyes closed as he put his hands carefree behind his back. The older miss stared at him for a bit and they continued talking for a while awkwardly about the weather. With each moment his chest hurting more, he spoke with a solemn tone.
Having been offered some bread he gratefully chews on it, as the lady talks back to him. „Very young man, I am ever so grateful you’ve taken a liking to our bread. You’ve always held a quiet fondness for this village, even with all your whimsical ways. Fret not, one day, you shall make a fine gentleman. There’s a spark in you, I can see it clear as day.“
He shrugged it off as he enjoyed the bread he was given. While having a small feast worthy of a man living according to his humble needs he was offered some wine as an appetiser. He gladly accepts the lady’s offer as she continues talking with him. „Have you heard of the ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼? They say it’s drawing near…“
Suddenly as the words echoed through his mind, dark shadows appeared out of nowhere. Shadowy arms surrounding his heart suddenly grabbed at it. The sharp fingers were carved into his flesh. The man’s vision becomes blurry as he slowly faints. The lady talking before him notices the man feeling faint, last thing he remembers is a worried look she had through her glasses, a look of genuine surprise on her face. Then complete blackout……
3 A wake up call
….. he wakes up in a confused state. „Henry, you're finally awake. Had us worried sick, you did.“ A deep and mysterious voice spoke, a voice he couldn’t immediately recognize. „Oi, boy! You hear me? I’m talkin’ to ya. You took a nasty fall and cracked your head on that rock yonder. Watch yourself next time, fool like you’ll get killed bein’ that careless.“ The man patted him on the shoulders, as the young man was still trying to get to himself and promptly left the room shutting the door loudly.
His name was Henry, he hadn’t heard that name in quite a while. He looked around the room, and the first thought he had, was where had he placed his notebook, he hurriedly checked all of his pockets unable to find it, and it was then that a memory struck him. As blurry as day, it was misplaced next to his cabin as he carefree walked around the forest.
„The last thing I remember was coming here, talking to Agatha, then I suddenly woke up here. What happened? We sat outside, and then I was given wine?“ His head hurt as he tried recollecting his jumbled-up memories, his hand on his forehead as he tried to stop the pain. Suddenly his eyes widened as he remembered. „That’s right, I need to get going.“ a sharp pain made him skip a heartbeat.
He hurriedly left the bed he was inside, opened the doors, and rushed outside. He stumbled upon the man who had been talking to him earlier. „Oi Oi boy! Watch yer step! Would be a real shame if ya fell again and spilled yer brains accros’ the floor.“ He cracked into a burst of laughter alongside a couple of other men who stood outside the house he had been inside.
„You gave us quite a fright, dear. I feared we might’ve lost you for a moment there.“ a gentle voice spoke right behind him. It was Miss Agatha whom he had chatted moments before. „Thank you so much, Miss Agatha, and Ronan, I am thankful for your hospitality, however I must head on.“ „Oi, boy, where do you think you're goin'? You'd best be careful out there. The world ain't as kind as this village. Keep your wits about you, or you'll find trouble before long.“
„What seems to be the commotion right there?“ A young lady appeared as the crowd was cheerfully talking. "Sheila, you wouldn’t believe it. Henry there, stubborn as a mule, took a nasty spill and cracked his head on a rock. Was out cold for a good while. He’s lucky, really. Could’ve been worse. But he’s too damn proud to stay put and rest. Can’t say I blame him, though. But he needs to watch his step or he won’t make it far." He pat Henry on the shoulder and smiled at Sheila.
„Wait, he did what? Cracked his head on a rock? That’s insane! He’s lucky he didn’t get himself killed!“ Her gaze was quite lost as she spoke her surprise to the group. „Ah, it ain't that big a deal. Henry's tough as nails, he'll be fine. But enough of that. We’ve got more important things to focus on. We need to get moving and deal with ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼ Time’s not on our side." As Ronan and the crowd spoke a sharp pain struck Henry deep into his chest.
As the crowd moved before, Henry rushed from the village, not yet fully healed, a dark shadowing in the back of his mind chasing him through the forest. He found himself in the middle of nowhere as dusk approached. Trying to get his breath he held onto a tree as he breathed heavily, the dark shadow grabbed by his heart and played with it gently, in the most menacing way. His gaze grew intense.
„It can’t be? Right? I need to check I need to check, have my memories fooled me? It can’t be the case?“ The noise he had heard before, struck him deeper than any wound. Henry couldn’t lose his composure this time. He walked to where the source of the noise had been earlier today. He carefully peaked across the leaves, and a black shadow that had clouded his vision dissipated. Left behind was a cold sight.
„So it was true?“ Henry fell into the mud below him. As he stared into the machinery before him. The towering behemoths of iron and steel with their jagged teeth and mechanical jaws stood before him. His gaze was cut by the sharpness of the gears as he stared into them deeply as blood poured out of them. Suddenly the whole forest had been covered in blood. A rain of blood had poured from a dark sky, and a shadow before him stood. He tried to approach it walking pathetically towards it, however, the heartless engines lit up with a vibrant red as they approached him. Their chainsaw blades showed no mercy as they approached him.
Suddenly he was surrounded by the mechanical predators, the only thing he could hear was the roar of their engines, a black smoke surrounded him, as they started piercing through his skin, and blood spilled across the lush green grass before him. His limbs are cut out from his body, and he screams in agony.
Suddenly Henry was brought back to reality and the machines stood still in silence. The only thing he could hear was the howl of owls. He looked at his body and arms, to find they were still intact. Exhausted he headed back into his cabin.
5 A wake up call
The very next morning he woke up. The sunlight lit up his cabin, he stood up and took a couple of deep breaths. Noticing a gun inside of his cabin, he briefly looks at it, then swiftly hides it inside of his coat, alongside a pair of matches he found lying. Having decided that he wouldn’t be paying more attention to the sight he had before he decided to take the day and go for a walk.
„I should have known that the day would come, at last, the village is looking for modernization too, I live quite the distance away so they won’t be coming my way any time soon.“ His hand reached into the sky as he looked into the morning sun, and he saw three ravens fly in the sky.
„Maybe all I had to do was head out into the village and spend a bit more time with the locals before they too get chained up in the shackles of modernity. For they too will end up drifting away from me.“ He sighed heavily as he headed towards the village. Finding the lost journal and the pen from yesterday’s journey. Inside he scribbled briefly before moving on.
There he saw villagers working and moving things as a bustling bunch. Just as always he thought to himself. It was then that Sheila waved towards him and smiled gently at him. Henry approached her and smiled at her.
„Hey there Sheila, must be exhausting having to work so early. Isn’t it.“ He stared at Shelia’s blonde hair and beautiful crystal blue eyes. Too caught up in the beauty to realize he was dragging her away from work. „How is your head, Henry? I was worried yesterday when you rushed and I am sure everyone in this village cares about you. So don’t go worrying us like that.“ A disappointing look appeared on Henry’s face as he stared deep into Sheila’s eyes, only to be brought back to reality as he shrugged and awkwardly laughed.
Sheila looking confused smiled at him as she continued carrying the supplies further. Henry couldn’t quite grasp what she was holding, however having seen Ronan on the other side holding a map as he was pointing with his fingers towards a couple of men. Henry decided it was a good as always time to approach and he waved at them cheerfully.
„Oi boy! It's you again, I thought you fell over somewhere inside that darn forest and gotten eaten by a wild beast or somethin’!“ Ronan laughed as he held onto the map, leaving Henry confused as to what it was showing, he couldn’t quite discern its purpose.
„Hello there kind gentleman, what seems to be on the agenda today?“ Henry asked as he attempted to get a look at the work they were doing. „Oi oi! Get a hold of yourself, young man. We’re busy with the whole construction project that'll modernize this village. Word is, they’re cutting down the entire forest, right down to the last timber.“
Henry looked at the map. He then looked at Ronan, then at the map, then stared right back at Ronan and spoke once more. „You have to be joking? This can’t be it, They’re going to cut down the whole forest? I cannot begin to believe such a ridiculous plan.“ Henry spoke with a shock inside of voice, and a deep red awoke inside of his heart as he clenched his fists.
„Aye, that’s what they’re saying. Doesn’t matter if we like it or not, it’s happening. They’ll tear it all down, every last timber. It’s out of our hands now.“ Ronan spoke with a solemn look in his eyes, as he realized he couldn’t cheer Henry on, as the news was enough to devastate him completely.
„Ha! That’s rich! To think they believe they can just tear down the heart of this land and call it ‘progress’?“ Henry burst out laughing as he held his stomach, Ronan raising an eyebrow at his unsettling laughter. "What’s so funny boy? Ya think this is some kind of joke?" Still laughing Henry elaborated „"A joke? No, Ronan, it’s madness. They’ll soon learn... you can’t destroy what you don’t truly understand."“ As Henry’s laughter fades, his expression shifts abruptly.
4 Dead of The Night
His eyes narrow, the warmth replaced by a cold, calculating grim. His lips twist into a thin, unsettling smile, a look of determination chills the air around him. His posture straightens, no longer relaxed but rigid leaving Ronan in a confused disbelief. He brushes it off and continues „Ha, I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re going on about, but I hope ya don’t go knocking your head again. Wouldn’t want you getting all twisted up like that again, eh?“
Smirking Henry turns around leaving the bunch in disbelief as he walks away from the village the air around him left with the colors of his ambition, the wind blew leaving Ronan and the crew in disbelief. As he walked swiftly and firmly, the playful gleam in his gaze darkens, morphing into something far more dangerous. Sheila noticing his departure waves at him gently with a soft smile on her face, even she was overshadowed by the wind approaching from his sheer mysterious aura.
Painting the whole forest around with a deep steadfast crimson, a shade that radiates strength and focus. Contrasting the green of the leafs, the crimson splattered access the trees and the grass everywhere he walked towards. His eyes burning with intensity that refuses to waver. With an unshakable resolve Henry continued forward brushing off the leaves as his eyes fired a gaze embracing the very insanity setting the hue firm. Overshadowed the canvas of green with a firm red he gazed up into the blue sky and shouted.
„For what is the struggle of man, if it does not fill his heart? I swore to protect the forest by any means necessary yet I will let no one tread on it, I swore to protect the very leaves and butterflies who fly across the gentle breeze. I will protect all of it with the very life I have been given. How dare they tread over these lands I so vividly cherish thinking they won’t end in a radiant blast of my undying love and devotion? How dare they, I will make them pay once more and will relish inside of their suffering as they plead for me to release them. They may think they can uproot it, tear it apart with their steel and greed, but they will never break what is born of Earth and spirit. No, I swear it now, for as long as the winds howl through these trees; I will stand against them. I will stand until my bones are dust and my blood runs dry. Every tree, every stone, every leaf…“
His arms reaching for the sky painting it into a crimson red the sun glowing further, as it listens to his steady voice burning with passion enough to awaken a thousand ravens as they fly into the sky above. With his eyes narrow and a fierce resolve Henry continues the speech.
„… they are mine to protect. If it takes every ounce of my strength, every drop of my soul, I will not let this sacred land be defiled. Not now, not ever.“
His voice cracks with intensity as, the sky breaks itself a mysterious white light shining on him from the heavens behind the skies themselves, Henry stares deep, his body trembling with the weight of his promise. As he steps forward, the fire of his conviction lighting the path ahead.
He waited for the dead of night, when the machines were at rest from a long day’s labor, their gears silent and vulnerable. Using his knowledge, he sets to work, quietly and methodically. He orchestrates the elements with uncanny precision, channeling the power he takes advantage of the underlying mechanism of the machines. First, as a line of sacrifice itself, he lights a match from his pocket, positioning it strategically inside the fuel tank of the machines. With a series of carefully placed, timed tree branches in the fuel, he ignites the underbrush around the branches, pouring some of the fuel across the flammable parts, finally setting the machines ablaze in a controlled fury. The flames roar to life, fueled by his sheer will, while the burning tanks explode, crushing the machines in their path.
The gears Henry once feared now lay on the ground helpless in the ashes of the explosions as Henry trampled before them as he watched the spectacle unfolding before him a passion fueling deep inside of his eyes. He relished in the fire, the machines built with human arrogance and greed, are now surrounded by the very nature they sought to conquer. Their metal frames begin to creak and shudder under the heat, smoke billowing into the sky as they are rendered useless, broken by the fury of the land itself. Henry treads on the gears with the mostly gentlemanly look on his face.
He raises his arms into the night sky, and with the snap of his finger, the fire inside the machines explodes the fuel inside of their reservoirs, leaving a firework spectacle in the night sky for Henry to enjoy. His beautiful cloak is now stained with ash as it gets slightly burnt. He hears the wheels of the chains rustle, his eyebrows raised in uncontrolled fury, as he raises his finger and points it towards the burning pile of metal.
„Listen well, for the land has spoken, and it does not forget. Man, in his arrogance, believes he can master nature, and break its will with iron and fire. He assumes he can tread upon the Earth as if it were, but stone beneath his feet, to crush and cut and take without consequence. But the simple truth is, that nature is not to be conquered. It is not to be subdued. It is a force beyond comprehension, older than man’s feeble structures and fleeting inventions. You think you can burn it down, but in the ashes, you will find it reborn. You think you can silence it with machines, but it will rise again, louder than your iron cries.“
He stares into the ruins of what once was the construction site that set itself towards cutting down the wild land of the forest in the name of „progress“, and continues his speech with an undying devotion, his heart now filled with a pure white as he reaches his hands into the heavens. A pure white emanating from his enlightening gaze, painting his clothes and hair white contrasting him with the black of the ashes unfolding before him.
„The lesson, then is simple: you cannot trample what is eternal. You cannot outlast what is born of the Earth’s own green blood. This forest, these waterfalls, this sky, they were here before us, and they will be here long after we are dust. So take heed, for those who choose to ignore the voice of nature, to silence its warnings with greed will find themselves lost in the ruin of their own making.“
He pauses, his voice softening with finality, as he raises his arms once more, relishing in the spectacle of destruction like the wind settling after a storm. An expression of pure bliss befalls his face as he pulls a gun out of his coat.
„You thought you could conquer eternity, but in your arrogance, you’ve only sealed your doom. The Earth will outlast you, and you’ll be nothing but dust, forgotten. Nature will have its vengeance, and you’ll never see it coming.“ As he spoke those last words his voice cutting through the air, sharply as a blade, one and final time, he aimed the pistol towards his own head, with an expression of serenity almost otherworldly. Untroubled by anger or fear, his eyes were clear white, filled with a quiet understanding, his lips slightly parted in a faint, knowing smile. He pulled the trigger, and the last thing left on his face was a grim smile playing on his lips. Before he could grasp it, from his head a rage of blood spilled across the green trees. After a short feeling of faint Henry stared into the scenery his vision growing blurry, a loud noise echoing inside of his head, before he lost consciousness in the split second after the trigger. Leaving him in complete darkness.