For My 5th Grade Class of 2023-2024

You Can't Run Forever

You Can't Run Forever

By, Ms. Moon

Clara came to an abrupt stop and looked behind her. As she was catching her breath, she pushed her tangled brown hair behind her ears. Her chocolate brown eyes darted around, trying to look beyond the darkness hidden behind the giant trees surrounding her. The moonlight just about reached the snow under her bare feet, so no matter how much she tried to focus her eyes, she couldn't really see anything.

"The dark forest is dangerous."

"Don't go looking for things that are meant to be left alone."

"I think you should stay in our town for the night. It'll be safer."

The town folks' advice rang in her ears as she tried to calm herself down. With only thin pajamas on, Clara clung tighter to the brown, tattered wool blanket around her body. As if to tease her, a bitter wind blew right through the cloth.

"S-some advice th-that was," she muttered between the chattering of her teeth. "M-maybe I l-lost them."

Just to make sure, she held her breath, listening for voices, watching for shadows of the strangers. A few seconds passed by with nothing to clue her in. That was until she heard a faint voice coming from behind her.

"There are footsteps going in this direction!" Someone yelled from a distance. "I think the visitor went this way!"

Clara's body shuddered. She didn't know whether it was from the cold or in fear of the strangers discovering where she was, but she didn't care. The only thing on her mind at this point was to run. She didn't want to risk being caught in hiding again.

Wolves howled in the distance, owls hooted from above, and the screeching of some other animals swallowed the silence of the night. The only thing louder than everything else was the sound of her own beating heart.

Clara's warm breath condensed in the air each time she breathed out. Her breaths got shorter as her legs did their best to carry her as far and fast as they could. The pitter patter of her footsteps promised a quiet getaway, but the footprints in the snow betrayed her silence.

"Faster, faster." She whispered to her feet. "Please, just a bit faster."

The biting winds blew, nipping her face, and stinging her frozen feet. As she kept running, the cold touches from the branches left red marks on her cheeks as she ran into them. The fallen trees reached out, trying to grab onto her blanket for warmth, tugging on her for help. Little by little, the pitiful blanket Clara had around her was being torn into pieces, until she only had just enough to cover her shoulders.

Tears welled up around Clara's eyes as fatigue's claws ripped into her. Her feet slowed down, as her lungs started refusing to take in any more of the icy air. Her heart thumped frighteningly loud, threatening to burst out of her chest. The winter air started to take over, paralyzing and trapping her in its cold arms.

"Please," she whispered, tears rolled down her face, freezing before they touched the ground. "Please, Jesus, save me from this place."

As she said her prayer, Clara's foot got caught on some hidden ice, making her lose her balance. She fell, but there was no pain because of the fluffy snow. She sighed in relief and as she looked up, her eyes widened in wonder.

Billions of stars were sprinkled against the black sky. The moon seemed to shine brighter, the light reflecting off the snow made it glow. Even so, the moon did not outshine the stars. Rather, they all worked in harmony, bringing out the beauty one could only see in darkness.

"Wow." Clara's breath floated up, creating a small cloud above. She stared at the wonders of God's creation, taking everything in.

The distant howling of the wolves, the hooting from snow owls, and scurrying of snow foxes comforted her in strange ways - it was like she wasn't alone anymore. Warmth filled her body as she started closing her eyes with a smile.

Clara expected darkness to swallow her whole, but rather, a warm light surrounded her and wrapped her up like a soft blanket. A few seconds passed when sunlight touched her eyes, forcing her to wake up.

***

"Clara, are you awake yet? It's time for school."