THE FOREST PATH

Trying not to think about what happened this morning took more will power than I cared to admit. Up ahead lay a hill, not too steep but just enough that it would take a bit of energy and clear my head... or at least I hoped it would. The climb was only some what steep and my mind kept wandering back to earlier that day. "No! Don’t think about it." I chose to scream out loud praying that it would be more convincing that way. But as fate would have it, I just kept thinking about it.

This morning I had gotten up and planned to visit my parents when I got a call from my boyfriend saying he wanted to talk with me privately for a few minutes. Considering the fact that I hadn’t seen him in two weeks I readily agreed. When he got to my house I immediately wished I hadn’t.

As soon as I got off the phone I ran straight into the bedroom and put on my best fitting jeans, a great looking shirt and my sexiest pair of boots, hoping to drive him wild so I could see him more. Then I skipped to the bathroom, did my hair in the seductive little ringlets I knew he loved and touched up my make-up to perfection. As I was looking in the full length mirror at the end of the hallway admiring myself the doorbell rang. How was I supposed to know that my life would soon take a turn for the worst, or so it seemed at the time.

When I opened my door I couldn’t believe it. There stood my boyfriend and best friend wrapped in each others arms and kissing like there was no tomorrow. It took a good three minutes to process what was happening. After I figured it out they seemed to have just noticed that I was standing there. "Oh Ivy. hi, when did you answer the door." He acted as stunned as I felt. Then, I let my anger get the best of me. "What do you guys think your doing!!? I haven’t seen you for two weeks and suddenly your dating my best friend." I didn’t want to wait for a response but I was curious none the less. "Well actually were engaged." He grinned as if nothing in the world was possibly wrong. I couldn’t even think let alone move. When it seemed like they were finally sensing my disbelief I shouted "Well I hope you’re happy together, Its seems you deserve each other" and slammed the door. I sat on the couch staring at my hands for over an hour. No tears, no sounds, no nothing. I had to get out.

As I reached the top of the hill I forced my mind back to the present and turned to look down over the valley. I was shocked, I had walked a good ten miles in the last two hours. Looking to see what was on the top of the hill I spotted two paths, one led into a meadow filled with wild flowers and one led into a forest. Feeling daring and not really caring what happened to me I chose the second path and started into the forest. After wandering for a few minutes the pine trees started getting fewer and apple trees began mixing in with them. After a few more minutes of wandering the forest became a grove of apple trees with a few bushes around the trunk of each. As I reached up to get an apple off low hanging branch there was a faint noise. It sounds like... someone walking. "Who could that be?" I mumbled to myself. As I turned a corner I could see A cliff looming above the grove but the sound has stopped. "Must of been my imagination." I rolled my eyes at that "Hmpf, good thing no one’s around to hear. I’m talking to myself and you know what they say about people who talk to themselves." Inwardly I scolded myself for being such a moron. Off to the left there was a green apple tree and it looked so inviting I just had to walk over and get one, green are my favorite. When I turned around I noticed that there was an indentation in the side of the cliff and when straining I could make out a faint sound. It sounded like, I don’t know what. Cautiously creeping forward I was unaware that I had been holding my breath until I about fell over because of being a bit light headed. As I rounded the corner I smacked right into a horse... or a Pegasus... or something like that. "Umm... I’m sorry, I was just wondering what was over here, I honestly didn’t mean to hit you, I mean..." My nerves were shot so all I could do was sit down and start crying. "Sure" I thought "You cant even cry over losing a boyfriend and best friend but you walk into an animal and you loose it."

"Are you ok?" He asked and stared into my eyes. Startled I stopped crying and asked "You can talk?" Laughing he explained "Yes, I talk, you see I’m a serian. Recently I was abandoned by my bonded so I’ve been living in the forest." Feeling somewhat better I stood up and shakily asked "Why would anyone abandon you? I mean your so beautiful. By the way my names Poison Ivy, but I prefer to be called Ivy." I gave a weak smile and hope for the best. "Ivy it’s nice to meet you. My name’s Lothorien, But I go by Thor." He said with a smile and a nod. Letting out a breath of relief I started to make conversation. "So... Thor, how have you been so close to town and never be seen?" Laughing he asked "Are you serious? That’s at least twenty miles away. Plus I’m not in this forest all the time, usually I’m in the other one and that’s another couple of miles away." Stunned all I could do was stand there, finally I blurted "Another forest? What? Where??" He shook his head "I’ll show you if you want me too, I was just headed back that way anyway." "Sure, I’d love to see." Then I remembered I should probably tell my boyfriend that I was going to be gone and was just about to open my mouth when I remembered.

As we walked farther into the indentation when I noticed a cave on the far side. All of a sudden I panicked. What if he was just taking me into the cave so he could kill me, what if he was going to trap me, what if... Sensing my distress he told me "It’s ok I know what your probably thinking, I first went in there to get out of the rain but... oh well you’ll see." Once inside the cave I couldn’t see where I was going and squeaked "Thor??" I could hear him laughing and my heart beat double time. "Sorry I forgot, take a hold of my wing and I’ll guide you." I felt feathers brush against my hand and I gently took a hold of his wing. Then a thought occurred to me "Wait, if you have wings then why don’t you fly?" "Well if I were to fly then someone would probably see me and well I see how you reacted to me." he explained. That made sense. Ahead of us there was a light a light and within a few minutes we were on top of the cliff. "Oh, I get it" I said "its a passageway." "Exactly" he smiled and started down a slope on the other side. From this birds eye view I could see another forest full of tall, thick, trees with a few scattered flower trees between them.

After we had finished wandering and talking I looked up to the sky and saw that the sun was about to set. "Oh my gosh!!" I gasped and put my hand over my mouth "I’ve been gone all day." Thor smiled and told me about the first time he had come here. "My bonded brought me here and told me that she was going to pick a few green apples and store them in that indentation. Well.. before I knew it, it was almost dark. I ran back to the indentation but there were no apples to be found, after a week of looking for her I finally figured that she wasn’t coming back." He shook his head with regret and a tear slipped out of the corner of his eye. "Well how do you know she abandoned you? Maybe she just couldn’t find you?" My heart ached for him, how awful, to think that the person who was supposed to love you, care for you, and protect you had abandoned you. He looked up at me with tear filled eyes and continued. "Well... I walked back home by myself and the house was for sell. I knew where the spare key was so after about an hour of wiggling the key in the lock with my mouth I finally got the door open. When I went in everything was gone, the house was completely empty. Our neighbor told me that she had come home and immediately put the house up for sell, packed, and left. I decided I belonged here in the forest just about as much as belonged anywhere else. So I came back and I’ve been here for almost a year."

Standing there I had no idea what to say so I finally decided to tell him my story. After I had finished he looked up at me and said "Looks like were perfect pair, huh?" It was like we both got the same Idea at the same time. "Thor? Since neither of us really has a home anymore, how about if I be your bonded?" I held my breath for the second time that day but let it out when he smiled "I’d really like that."

I couldn’t remember being more content than I was that night as we walked off to find a place to bed down for the night.