The boy in the clearing

[upperAtmosphere]

Work in Progress

 

The woods hummed with life that night. The frogs were croaking at one another and a light breeze moved through the trees and made the leaves dance in pretty circles on the ground in a tiny, but none the less grand, ball. A deer slowly paced between the trunks of spruce and maple trees, carefully placing each hoof as not to make any noise. She crept along peaking around low branches, ever vigilant of predators. The deer perked her head up in alarm, her ears twitching back and forth, in the distance she could hear something moving, very fast and very loudly, through the forest.

 

This thing moving through the woods was no predator, but a young boy. No older than six or seven. He was running as fast as he could, pushing branches and leaping over roots. His eyes were blurred with tears, his face red from anger and exhaustion. His red jacket was torn and dirty from running there. The boy must have been running for some time, Sweat built up on his brow and his chest and his legs ached from the strain. The pain in his legs was compounded by the pain of falling. His shoe caught on an outstretched root, curiously shaped like a foot. He hit the ground hard, with a sharp thud he hit dirt and leaves. Right there he stopped.

 

He was in a clearing. The trees above covered the light of the moon, making it darker than the rest of the forest. He pushed himself up from the ground and sat there in the middle of the clearing, panst torn at the knee clean through and blood beginning to slowly bubble up on the red raw flesh revealed there. His palms were sore and there was tiny rocks pressed into the thick part of his thumb and wrist. He brushed the rocks from his sore palms, buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Softly at first, but slowly, and with growing intensity, he got louder and louder, eventually piercing the dark night with moans and wales of pain. The darkness seemed to mimic his sounds, growing louder and fiercer as he did. The forest seemed to breathe and violently exhale with him. As he continued to get louder and louder he reached the peak of his vocalization, and with one final screech into the dark he grew silent. The blackness around him calmed as he did. He looked around him. The forest was silent and still. The wind had stopped and there was no sounds of life anymore. Even the insects had ceased their buzzing and jumping.

 

He breathed deep the air that had now grown cold and wet. The darkness seemed to be moving in, creeping ever closer to the boy in the clearing. The child looked up from his hands and into the darkness. The darkness seemed transparent almost, as if he could see past it into the rest of the forest, even though he could not. It seemed transparent everywhere but one place. In front of they boy was where the darkness no longer seemed see through.

 

 

 

+++Please excuse my grammar and spelling errors if i missed anything.+++

Edited July 19, 2012 by upperAtmosphere

[Maharg67]

Very good! Liked the story, liked the ending. Wish the boy had chosen to be quieter. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Kudos!!! :thumbsup:

 

PS: having problem giving kudos so will do so as soon as I can!

Edited July 19, 2012 by Maharg67

[upperAtmosphere]

Thanks! :biggrin:

 

Just wondering, did you understand the part "...the leaves dance in pretty circles on the ground in a tiny, but none the less grand, ball."?

 

while i was writing it in my head it sounded right but on paper i dont know, it seemed a little strange.