The Leaves in the Forest

                                                      The Leaves in the Forest

 

He could hear the leaves crunch under his feet as he ran. He was running as fast as he could but never seemed to get anywhere. Everything looked the same. The trees, broken limbs, animals scurrying away from him. Those leaves were crunching too loudly but, he couldn’t run without stepping on them. He was so scared.

 

Why did I have to go after that butterfly, he thought to himself as he ran? He couldn’t hear his mom calling his name anymore and he didn’t know why. He was running toward her voice but couldn’t find her.

 

Mikee had gone out with his mom for a nature walk an hour ago. It had been two months since his mom and dad had separated. He stayed nervous all the time although he really didn’t know what nervous meant. He just heard his mom and the woman he had to visit once a week, say that word a lot.

 

Mikee was an only child and was very sad since the separation. He didn’t want to go to school nor did he want to play with the new neighbor kids. He just wanted to go home. Right then he didn’t care which home, he just wanted to see his mom.

 

“MOM, MOM, MOM,” he shouted as loud as he could. His voice was louder than the leaves. He just knew it.

“MOM, MOM, MOM, PLEASE ANSWER ME,” he cried. The tears were running down his face and he could barely see. His mom wasn’t answering him.

 

Maybe if I stop and rest she will find me, he thought to himself as he looked for a place to sit down. Just not anywhere in the leaves.

He found a small cubby hole in a tree and he crawled inside. Just as he got himself squeezed in he felt something crawling on his back. “Oh my God” he whispered.

 

Mikee was petrified of bugs. He had been his whole life. Mom and the Dr. said it was part of his “condition” but he didn’t know what condition meant. He just knew he had to move. But, he was stuck.

 

He was stuck in that tree with something on his back. He didn’t know which was worse: the thought of what it was or the thought of not knowing what it was. He just needed out of that tree. He managed to wiggle his feet out of the hole. He hooked his heels on the outside of the tree and pulled as hard as he could with his legs. The blackened wood that looked so weak stayed right in place. Nothing happened.

 

“Mom where are you?” he whispered as eyes burned with tears. He was so scared and now stuck in a tree. At least he could see the sun shining. That meant his mom could see him. He had lost his glasses along the way and now everything was a blur. It was bad enough that he couldn’t see the colors of the leaves now he couldn’t see anything at all.

 

He had his hands out on the outside of the tree. He thought surely now he could pull himself out. So he pulled with his arms and legs as hard as he could. “MMMMMM” he groaned as he pulled. He pulled and pulled and pulled and still his butt wouldn’t budge. He was beginning to think the tree was a bad idea.

 

He was so numb with fear now he couldn’t feel his back. Let alone what was crawling on it. Didn’t matter though, he had to get out of that tree.

 

Mikee was crying so hard that his screams for his mom were now whispers. “Mom, mom, please find me. Please find me. Please find me. I’m so scared, mom. I promise I won’t hate our new house anymore and I promise I will give my new school a chance. I won’t be bad anymore, I promise. Just please find me.” He was sobbing and his whole body was heaving. Why could he not get free?

 

Maybe it was the coat he insisted on wearing. His dad bought him that coat and he didn’t ever want to take it off. He was burning up anyway. He would try and slither out of the coat. He managed to unzip but he couldn’t pull his arms free. He just knew that he could get out if he could just get that coat off. So he pulled his elbows back and mustered up all of his strength….and nothing. Now he was stuck in his coat. He was stuck in his coat while stuck in a tree. No one would believe this.

 

He needed to take a rest. All that running and now straining to get out of the tree really took its toll on him. He relaxed his body but not his mind. He couldn’t help but think of the worst. Mom is never gonna find me. He finally started to settle down after a few minutes and began to drift off.

 

Mikee was a special boy. He was different from the kids at school. He was smaller and weaker and had “special classes for special kids.” That’s what his mom called it but, he knew it meant something. He just didn’t know what.

 

Drip, drip, drip. He opened his eyes and saw the rain falling down and the sun was gone. No longer could he see the trees or leaves, although he was afraid of them. He could hear the rain hitting them. He knew he slept but he didn’t get any rest.

 

He put his arms and feet out again and pulled as hard as he could…still nothing. Everything was wet now and should make it easier to squirm out. So he worked on pulling his arms out of his sleeves again. This time it was success. So he put his feet and arms out again and pulled with all of his might. “MMMMMM, MMMMM” he groaned. He thought that groan was as loud as his screaming. All of a sudden he was face down on the leaves that he feared so much. He looked back at the tree while swatting wet leaves from his body. And, there was his coat. Looked like it was waiting for him. He grabbed it and put it on with the hood over his head. The rain was pouring and he was getting cold.

 

“MOM, please find me,” he cried. He found his voice was renewed. Only this time he heard his name, “Mikee, IS THAT YOU?” her voice never sounded so good.

“It’s me Mom, find me.” He cried back.

“OK baby, just keep talking so I can find you. Stand still. Ok honey?”

“Ok mom,” he yelled as loud as he could. He found stopping on all those leaves to be bothersome. But, it had to do it. He stood in one spot and yelled for his mom. Over and over and over, he called her name. He couldn’t see so he felt around until he found a broken branch and he sat down on it. He couldn’t take those leaves like he thought he could. He sat down on the branch and waited for his mom. Calling her name just like she said.

 

After what seemed like a lifetime, he saw a light pointing at him. “There he is,” called a mans voice that he didn’t recognize.

“Oh my God, Mikee,” she was crying as hard as him. “Thank you Dear Father for keeping my baby safe.”

 

He didn’t try to hide his tears this time. He was twelve now and thought it unmanly to cry.

“Mom I’m so scared,” he cried as she wrapped him in her arms.

“I know baby, I was too.”

Being called baby was something else he didn’t care for but tonight, it was ok with him.

 

One of the police officers brought a blanket to wrap him up in. He was still wet but with his mom and that’s all he cared about. Um, except for one thing….he was too big for his mom to carry him so he asked one of the cops to carry him out so he didn’t have to be on the leaves anymore. He was never so happy.