Marmalade Sunset

Chapter 7

Glenn borrowed a hatchet from one of the locals and marched into the thick forest in the afternoon. He felt consumed by the thought that this copy was still somewhere in the forest and it would be better if he found the root of the problem before it got worse.

Glenn brought a bottle of water, a flashlight and the hatchet. The coastal redwood trees surrounding the edge of the town blocked much of the sunlight from reaching the damp earth below and the smaller oak trees absorbed the rest.

There was a loosely marked path for walking to a nearby stream but after years of inactivity and the lack of light, the markings had grown faint from age and the effects of nature. Deep valleys were caked in the tree deposits and the ground held a distinct spongy feel as he planted his feet. Glenn dug his hatchet into different trees while making his way down the path. Looking back, he noted the difference in light when he stepped in and reminded himself of the markings he'd made with the hatchet. It was a clear path back out but he knew it was only time before the path became treacherous.

As he walked further down the now hidden path, he came to recognize he was in the heart of a deep valley. Opposing mounds of dirt and burrows covered his sides while sharp roots poked out like bristles on a ruined brush.

He crossed over the train tracks leading from the train station. For some reason the trains were cut off from the town and the tracks reflected the years of neglect. It hadn't been that long since he arrived as a child so it must've been recent. He remembered a team of hardened individuals would wait to unload the trains coming from inland. Once the cargo was emptied, they'd unload fresh coals and food from the pier to be sent back.

Glenn made his way over a fallen oak tree and continued walking without doubts stopping him.

Intermittent calls from animals echoed throughout the forest as if a message lay buried in the ambience. Glenn remembered the worried look on Al's face as she thought of bugs.

If she was with him right now, he knew there would be no way he was making it out unscathed.

That thought made him crack up a bit.

Glenn eventually stopped by an open clearing and observed a fat chipmunk scarfing the acorns scattered across the forest floor. It was the first animal he's seen besides the common birds around the coast. There wasn't anything noteworthy about the small animal but at the least, it was a nice change of pace. He recalled the games his group would play to catch these little forest critters.

He watched the chipmunk disappear into the trees before he resumed his walk. It wouldn't be long until he came across the boulder field.

The blade of the hatchet was dull so he spent much of his efforts trying to get the blade to dig deeper into the increasingly dense tree trunks. As he ventured further in, the trees became gruelling beasts and a smell completely separated from the ocean soaked into everything around him.

He continued his leisurely pace until he felt the presence of something moving quickly in the area.

Glenn's eyes darted around the forest grounds and landed on a large bull mule deer watching him closely a fair distance away.

Its head was fixed in his direction, refusing to release its eye contact. The antlers it carried proudly were held high in the air.

What this deer sensed in him was something Glenn tried to imagine. He wasn't looking to hurt anything and he figured the metallic shine of the hatchet was causing some commotion.

Glenn dropped the hatched in response and stood his ground, not moving a muscle. After a while, the deer relented its stare and continued on with its business, slipping behind a ditch.