Literary Journal - The Muse - Dominican Academy

Retrieve the best moments and never look back,
But time won‟t let me go forward- too late for that.
Forest Walk
Lydia Fernandez
The air is crisp and cold as you walk among the trees. The
temperature is freezing and you hold your arms close to your body
to preserve heat. Snowflakes float delicately from the sky, coating
the frozen ground. Leaves crunch under your boots as you walk,
dodging fallen trees and branches. Your gloved hands grip shrub
branches, clearing a path on which to walk. You smile over your
shoulder at your best friend, who walks behind you, bundled up in
her hat and coat. She laughs at something her cousin says, as he
walks to her left. The three of you walk along a babbling creek,
curious to see where it goes. Each step you take is cautious, as you
do not want to fall into the icy water. To cross the creek you must
hop on stepping stones, but none of them is flat enough. You can
see each breath taken as the three of you discuss a way to get
across. Instead you all decide to turn around and go back to the
cabin in which you are staying. As you walk, you look up into the
sky at the bony treetops. The branches are black against the bleak,
cloudy sky. Despite how dead the world looks, it is more in a
dormant phase. Winter time in the forest is peaceful, but not
always.