The Woods Are Lovely, Dark And Deep

profile
Jasfiq Rahman
May 19, 2019   •  121 views

It's my third time this week but I'm still smitten by the view. Nothing comes close to looking over the City of Lights from atop the Iron Lady's twinkling mantle. Everyone else is here too, laid bare in front of me: the Arc de Triomphe, Opéra Garnier, the Notre Dame and my personal favourite, the Louvre.

I feel her hands slide around me as she hugs me from behind.

"You're late." I turn around to face her. Her black hair sails through the wind, and I caress away the strands from her face.

"I'm sorry. Here, let me make it up to you." She plants a soft kiss on my lips. "Happy?"
"I am now," I grin. Then I turn around to face the city again, her hand in mine. "It's breathtaking isn't it?"

"It certainly is." She takes a lungful of the night's air. "Reminds me of the countless nights I spent sprawled on my lawn as a kid, stargazing. The stars, they would twinkle like a swarm of a billion fireflies." She tucks her hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering on the scar.

"Well that's certainly something I'd like to see," I say. "I never got such an opportunity in the city. Maybe we can visit your home someday?"

She turns her face towards me. "You think so?"
"Why not?"
"Thank you. I'd like that." The city lights pale in comparison to the smile she gives me. "I haven't visited in so long."

"Tell me more about your childhood," I say.
"Well... What do you want to know?"
I shrug.
She stares off into the Parisian skyline, deep in thought. "I was twelve at the time, and Leah nine. Every Sunday she and I would go out for a walk in the woods next to our home. She'd always want to go deeper. And since I was never the responsible older sister I was expected to be, she would always have her way.

"A narrow stream ran not far from our house. It acted as our trail of breadcrumbs when we went too far. The longer we took the more scoldings we got, but it was well worth it," she chuckles.

"The sunlight would fall through the dense canopy of leaves, illuminating the forest floor. The twigs crunched under our feet as we made our way across the winding forest. A faint smell of petrichor permeated through the air around us. The brook babbled and the cicadas chirped; the rustling of the wind mixed with the chirping of the birds flying overhead. Sometimes we'd spent hours besides the stream, just feeding the birds. We'd name some of them, and then get into arguments over who was who.

"During spring it was even more breathtaking. Roses and daisies peppered our way, and snow whites grew on the trees around us, among myriad other flowers we couldn't identify. In the air hung the aroma of them all, along with the fragrance of trees laden with fresh fruit. We'd spend hours throwing rocks at the trees, and even longer perfecting our aim, as we tried to get to the sweet flesh. I still remember it all as if it were yesterday.

"Sometimes we'd stumble across bushes laden with berries. We'd strip them bare till we had our fill, and then we'd allay our thirst with the stream's clear water. At other times we'd spot a squirrel questing for acorns and we'd sit and watch its adorable antics. The few times we happened upon a spider or a scorpion, we ran screaming till our legs hurt more than our throats.

"It was a frigid December Sunday. The forest was covered in snow, and the white flakes glittered in the sunlight like tiny diamonds. We didn't think we'd be out for long, given how cold it was. But then we came across a stunningly beautiful butterfly. Its wings were covered in shimmering scales of blue, which seemed to change shades as it flew, and their undersides were brown in colour. The colours flashed as it flapped its wings, making it look like it was appearing and disappearing. The contrast with the snow only added to its beauty, like a blue sapphire set in marble.

"It is a rare occasion when siblings reach a unanimous decision. This was one of them. We decided we'd catch the butterfly even if it's the last thing we'd do." She sighs a long sigh, her eyes peering into my soul. "Little did I know that it very well could've been."

I bring her hand up to my lips and leave a gentle kiss. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it anymore," I say.

"No it's alright. You've told me about your scar; it's about time I told you about mine.
"So on we went, thinking that we could just follow our footprints back home. We had been out for hours, and we were no closer to catching the butterfly. The gleam of the harsh sun rays reflecting off of the snow only made it tougher. But soon it begun setting, and fresh flakes gently rained down on us. The butterfly was out of our sights, and the snow made sure that so was the way back home.

"The moon was new and the sky was empty. With darkness came fear, and with fear desperation. The forest which was our haven at day turned ominous with nightfall. The trees no longer felt friendly and instead became the source of our dread. We screamed for mumma till our voices broke and soon we couldn't even cry anymore. God only knows how long we walked. And in which direction. Our light parkas could hardly keep up with the cold winds of the night. Flakes of snow gently began covering us up; no longer did they appear beautiful. Shivering, we took shelter under a great oak tree. Rubbing our hands didn't help, not when we couldn't feel them anymore.

"We held each other as tightly as our arms allowed us, squeezing out every last inch of air in between. Our breathing grew ragged and every breath felt like breathing in glass dust. My vision began to falter, and the last sight I remembered before blacking out was a dark figure approaching us."

She then takes her eyes off the Louvre and looks at me. "Oh dear, you should look at yourself," she chuckles. "Don't worry; it gets better before it gets worse.

"When I woke up the next morning, there was something really heavy and hairy on top of me, to the point that I was barely able to breathe. I opened my eyes and was relieved to see Leah safe, sleeping in my arms. Above her head was the snout of a black bear, its eyes closed in sleep so deep one could've blown a trumpet right into its ears without avail. On its neck was a small patch of missing hair. I was shocked to the point of disbelief, but it didn't frighten me. I looked at it sleeping peacefully, its chest heaving and with its arms wrapped around us; and realized that without its warm embrace, we would've been on our way to the pearly gates at that moment.

"As I lay there failing to make heads or tails of the situation, I thought I heard the faint sound of people calling out far away. I hardly had the strength in me to respond. I just closed my eyes and waited, trying to conserve the little bits of energy I had left, if any. Before I knew it I fell asleep again.

"When I woke up next I saw my mother sitting next to me. She was wringing out the water out of a cloth, which she then placed on my forehead. I remember her telling me to go back to sleep and that she'd get me some warm chicken soup. She must've seen the worry on my face because the next thing she told me was that I wasn't in trouble, but that there'd be no more trekking in the woods, ever."

"Well... Wow. That's quite an adventure to have. I'm glad you came back home safe and sound." I entwine our fingers and wrap my free hand around her. "I'd personally like to thank that good Samaritan of a bear, for keeping my honey safe."

"You did not just make a bear pun," she sighs.
"I think I did," I grin. "Whatever happened to the bear?"

"Mumma told us that on spotting the crowd which was looking for us, the bear escaped into the forest. Later the forest rangers told us that she was a female bear whose cub was taken by a poacher. So she had come out of hibernation to search for him when she happened to chance upon us."

"Well," I say as I lean in a give her a long kiss. "Be what it may, I'm glad the bear was there that night."

"Me too. After that incident I fell in love with bears. I started reading up on them; I had 'Bears are the Best' posters all over my room and also a bunch of teddy bears. Till I was fifteen, I would save my allowance every month to buy a big jar of honey. I'd then pester mumma to take me to the rangers till she gave in. Then I'd ask them in the sweetest voice possible to deliver the honey to the bear. I now realize all of that must've gone to their stomachs."

"Pity," I say.
"I know, it was good honey too," she grins. "I also used to write a letter to accompany the honey. I'd address it to 'Missus Bear', and that's what I've always called my benefactor," she smiles to herself. "I even became a bear biologist later in life so that I could learn more about them and help their kind. I could never forget what that great beast had done for me."

"That's a beautiful tale," I smile and say.
"Yeah. But it isn't over yet."
"Go on."
"Eight years had passed since that cold night. It was the week before Christmas and I was visiting home. Leah and I had drifted apart over the years, but nevertheless I was looking forward to meeting my little sister.

"The day before Christmas eve was a Sunday. Leah and I got to talking and ended up deciding on going for a walk in the woods, for old time's sake. After spending quarter of an hour pacifying our concerned mother, which then ended with us faux promising we'd stay within sights of the house, we headed out.

"The forest hadn't changed much over the years, but such great beings rarely do. The sun glared down on us like it had so many years ago. We sat under a snow laden tree and munched on some of the cookies mumma had baked that morning. I was half expecting a twinkling blue butterfly to come flying along, but none did, and just as well. The trek so long had been uneventful, and I hoped for it to remain that way.

"The sun was right above our heads when we chanced upon some pawprints on the snow, which lead into the denser part of the woods. They revealed to me that they belonged to a bear, as any bear biologist worth her salt would tell you. The tracks were still fresh, and Leah wanted to see where it lead. We were about as far from our house as we could rationally afford to be, and further into the overgrowth would drastically increase our chances of getting lost.

"Maybe she was too young to remember that wintry night. Or maybe she was made of sterner stuff than me and chose to forget. But I was having none of it. We soon found ourselves in an argument which ended up with me storming off while she went after the pawprints.

"I was maybe halfway back home. Till then my anger had slowly been replaced by worry, and I decided to go back looking for her. I followed the fresh set of human prints along the bear's. To call the path winding would be an understatement, yet Leah's sake I persisted. The prints were starting to get messier and tougher to follow.

"The sun was slowly starting to dip his toes into the horizon. Leah noticed me before I spotted her, and before I could call out she unfurled a single finger over her lips: be quiet. She was standing as still as a portrait behind a large birch. With the footfalls of a hunting cat I went to the spot where she was.

" 'Look,' she told me, and pointed to a patch of trees at a distance. Discovering a black bear in these woods was hardly a surprise for me, but what really caught me off guard was the small patch of missing fur on her neck."

She looks at me and I wipe away the single tear flooding her eye. "It was Missus Bear," she says.
"I wanted to do nothing other than to run up to her and hug her, consequences be damned. And so I did.

"Leah called out as she saw me run, but I was too ecstatic to bother. Alerted by her shout, Missus Bear turned towards us. Whether she recognized me or whether she saw me as prey I would never know, but she started coming towards me. Navigating through the trees with the finesse of a monkey on steroids, I made my way to the beast who had changed my life.

"I had almost reached her too. But then I heard a loud bang. A piercing pain pierced the back of my ear, and I fell over. Leah's screams were the last thing I remembered."

I wipe another tear away now. I pull the hair away from her ears and reveal to myself her scar she bears. I turn her head and leave a gentle kiss on it. Then I kiss her under the moonlit sky for what seems an eternity. I pull away, and she continues.

"Afterwards I found out Leah was never pointing towards Missus Bear, but instead at the person hidden behind the trees at a distance from us. He was the same poacher who had stolen her cub so many years ago. Leah remembered me mentioning that Missus Bear had a patch of missing fur, and was trying to come up with a way to foil the poacher's agenda.

"On reading about my story in an old newspaper, he had decided that he'd steal a cub again and also get the mother this time. A bear prematurely out of hibernation was hardly a challenge. What proved challenging however, was finding a clear shot through the woods. All day he had trailed her in search of one. And he found it too, but then I barged in. A few seconds earlier and the bullet would've missed me completely. But I wasn't sad. I was happy really, that I could pay back in kind the debt I had borne for so long.

"I haven't returned home since. It has been three years since I saw them last."
"Well then let's make a trip to your home then," I say. "I'd like to talk to this sister of yours."
"I'd like that too. It's been so long. But I'm afraid we won't be able to."
"Why's that dearest?"
"Cause my sister, she doesn't believe in souls."

1



  1

Recommended

thumbnail

Adult - Erotic Story

Aaj Ki Khaish Adhoori Hi
Aaj Ki Khaish Adhoori Hi
51 views
thumbnail

It Is December

Aditi Vora
Aditi Vora
14 views
thumbnail

A Few Words*

Aditya Nair
Aditya Nair
16 views
thumbnail

The Cry

Shayeri Rakshit
Shayeri Rakshit
16 views
thumbnail

7

Praveen Shankar
Praveen Shankar
634 views
thumbnail

Poem - Food

Praveen Shankar
Praveen Shankar
662 views