The Path

 

The last thing he could remember was seeing the taillights of car leaving him behind at the edge of the forest. After a moment, it was only a light cloud of dust and the slightly darkening sky as dusk began to set. Standing still as the hazy blue turned to black, the chill set in and he stepped into the tree line. He had no path, he had no direction to follow, his wandering led him in circles and he eventually lay down under a fallen tree. Waking the next morning to the sound of birds, he crawled out of his overfall and was relieved to see beyond the boundaries that darkness had set the night before.

He had been walking through the forest for a long time. At times it seemed aimless and occasionally he would think he would know where he was going but it always remained the same, deep forest as far he could see. It was a beautiful forest, there was no denying that but the prospect of walking alone, with no real goal in mind was less than fruitful.

At times he would think that he saw a glimpse of clearing, only to find that he was mistaken. Small paths would appear for a time but then he would again be wading through underbrush, blackberry brambles and low hanging branches. Once he caught a glimpse of someone, far off. He could barely make them out, he knew it was a person but who or even what, he was not sure. He started running, following the voice he could hear carried on the wind but after a time he realized that he had been deceived.

He now stood in a new patch of forest that he had not seen before. A narrow path was now under foot and it was solid and sure. Looking ahead, he could see golden beams of sunlight poking through the overhead canopy and the path became wider. A fluttering caught his attention and he hurried forward to find a small note caught in the branches of a small bush. Quickly grabbing it before the wind took it away, he unfolded the small paper and it read, “Hello, come find me.”

Thrilled at his find, his heart began to race, and a smile broke out across his face. Standing in place, he began to look around, but he could see no one. He looked back out across the way from which he had come but stopped himself. There was no sense returning there. Turning back, he walked to the bush from where he found the note and then continued further on. The path was wider now and he found another note which read, “You’re getting closer.”

Starting to jog now, he came across more and more notes each one an encouragement, a kind word, or something as simple as a smiley face. The path was brighter now, cleaner, as if someone had specifically made it just for him. The forest had begun to thin, and a gentle incline became apparent. Looking far ahead to the top of the hill before him, he saw someone. Waving, he tried to catch their attention. A gentle wave was returned, and his heart grew within him. Working his way up the hillside, the incline continued to increase. “I don’t care how hard this is,” he said, “I am going to make it.”

Finally, they made eye contact and following the notes to the top of the hill, they embraced.