Perplexed

Chapter One

The trees swayed gently in the breeze, towering above my head.

The wind rustled the leaves and whispered secrets and thoughts that engrossed me. My mind swirled with thoughts, as I wandered through the woods, trudging through damp dirt and sopping leaves.

The power of my own thoughts ripped through my mind, throwing opinions around like dice during a game of Yahtzee.

Curiosities about life built up in my head, only to rain down into my thoughts while I was alone in the woods. The power of wisdom bewildered me and the simplicities of life were always thrown around carelessly in my mind.

The forest surrounded me. It being one of the only places I could go to think, the essence had touched me. Whenever I left my house, I'd always end up there, it was a safe place, my safe place.

I wandered through these paths many times, and only the first couple of times when I made my way through, had the animals noticed. Since then, they became familiar with my presence.
The world today is very unfathomable to me, and the interest of earth's beautiful nature, below my feet, doesn't even satisfy my powerful thoughts. I'm lost in the maze of society, and without a map to guide me out of the chaos, I feel as though I am softly fading into the nourishing outcries.

I continued my small journey through the woods, the sounds of birds and crickets chirping riveted throughout my ears. A few steps ahead, a massive hill slowly approached, and before hesitation could set in, I started to climb. Above me, the clouds moved rapidly, and it began to get dark out with every quickening minute.

I reached the top of the hill, not losing track of my breath, as I moved down the small intricate path. My steps crunched the sticks and stones beneath me, and the sun was setting to end such a weary day.

I found the stump of a tree that had fallen over a few years ago in a storm, becoming one of my most favorite places to think throughout the past few months. The wind in the trees slowed as my thoughts were brought under control.

I sat on the stump and looked around swiftly, for what seemed like minutes, only to be around an hour and a half.

I rose slowly, stretched my limbs, and suddenly my phone fell out of my back pocket, vibrating with texts and calls from my mom, and other friends. I picked it up, dialing my moms number, waiting for an answer.

She then answered after the third ring.

"Hello?" I asked, staring blankly ahead, as I started to walk back down the path to my house.

"Where have you been?" She asked urgently, almost screaming into the phone.

"Thinking," I replied smiling, knowing she is about to give a talk about how leaving the house to 'think' isn't important.

I love my mom, but she doesn't like when I leave the house. I don't know if it's her 'overprotective tendencies' or her 'motherly instincts', but I hoped someday, I will come to love the fact that she generally cares about my well-being.

"Ava-," she trailed off sighing.

"What?" I fired back immediately.

"Will you just come home?" She asked, agitation appearing in her tone.

"Already on my way," I said, hanging up the phone.

I finally reached the end of the path, as I put my phone back into my pocket. My house was a few  minutes away from the giant obstacle of a hill, I had climbed earlier. I slowly and cautiously made my way back down it, being careful of sticks that may obscure my path.

Once I reached the bottom, I began to run through another path that led out to the dirt road I lived on. There were many paths in these woods, occurring from only my footsteps. My hair flew through the wind, as I took in the fresh spring air of the night. There were clouds still covering the sky, but when I looked up to take in the view, a drop fell onto my face.