A Walk Through The Woods

 

The forest is full of life. As you start walking, you can hear the dry, decayed leaves crunch under your boots. You can see vines, creepers and fungi growing on tree trunks, disappearing into their canopies. 

As you follow your eyes up along those tall trunks, you would see the birds, their nests completely camouflaged. They seem to look down at you with their little, black, beady eyes in a threatening way which makes you want to scurry off quickly before they peck your eyes out. But if you watch closely, you can see their lovely, soft feathers, puffed up in pride for how magnificent they look. They chirp vocally, it would seem as if they want you of there. Do not disturb them. 

As you walk along, you will come across furry, white-bottomed monkeys too! Either fidgeting with a nut or a fruit, legs propped up with their glossy eyes full of concentration, trying to figure out how to eat it or having the time of their life picking and eating fleas on their companion’s fur. Make sure you don’t bother them, or they will attack you or steal your snacks. They would probably throw the same nut at you that they were frustrated with.

You will see cute, small squirrels scuttling back to their homes, their mouths almost bursting with all the treasures they’ve collected. Their fluffy bottle-brush tails curling and straightening in the most coordinated and fascinating way.

If you approach a tree trunk, you will see a lot of different things happening at once. Of course, the immediate thing that will catch your eye, will be hard working red-ants. Hurrying off to their holes, mouths full of food, communicating with fellow ants god-knows-what, following paths only they know the reason for. You’ll see the muddy brown tunnels made by the white, blind termites. Hurrying off to feed their queen, lazing somewhere around inside the tree.

 White lichen, green, red & brown moss, all stuck like super-glue on the tree trunks. Slowly feeding on the trees’ nutrients that it worked hard for. And if you are not careful where you place your hand, it might land on a peppered-moth which would be perfectly camouflaged with the lichen! 

Delicate vines and creepers grow up to reach for the sunlight. If you look down, you’ll see that you have been stepping on poor, small herbs and plants. Some three cloved, some spiked, some willow-shaped. Some bear bright red or yellow berries which are probably poisonous. 

Now, step back, close your eyes, and just listen to the sounds of the forest- the rustle of the leaves while the wind hums its way through the branches, twigs falling on the decayed leaves, the soft chirps of the baby birds and the music of the gushing river somewhere far away.

~Sabrina Quddus-11 ISC