The Summer Forest (A Short Story)

            It was a scorching summer in the countryside where the sun bathed the lands with its stinging rays. There was a clear pond adjacent beside a gravel path in a thick forest that I usually jog home from school. I would sit down beside the small pond and stick my feet into the cold glistening water trying to cool myself down. Fishes would swim so close to the surface that I can almost touch them, but I don’t because they know it’s me. It was my pond and it belonged to me alone.

            This was a special place, a place of calmness and a way out of the hard stressful life. The leaves rustled as a gentle breeze blew from the clear skies. The shadow of the towering trees cascaded over me like a giant standing in front of the sunlight protecting me. It was my home, a second home, which was way better than the one I had in reality. No one knew of this place in this forest, not even my parents. Time and time, I would tell them that I took the paved roads home a few miles beside the forest or that I walked home with some friends. The truth is, I didn’t want to walk in the middle of the road alone and I didn’t have much friends.

            Life was not easy for me, especially when I wasn’t the smartest in the class or the most athletic in gym. I liked the forest, I found peace and tranquility that helped me cope with the reality I had. It was a shame that I had no one to share it with until I met her…

           

            She was dressed in tight jeans with a purple hoodie walking in front of me across the pond. As she walked, her brown hair fluttered freely in the air almost as if they were dancing by themselves. I glanced at her and rubbed my eyes making sure that I was not in a dream. She noticed me sitting by the pond and smiled as she walked closer.

           

            “Hi.” the girl spoke briefly and sweetly.

            “Hello.” I reply.

            “What’s your name?” the girl sat down beside me.

            “Charlie.” I reply.

            “Kaitlin, but you can call me Katie.” the girl introduced by sticking out her hand.

           

            “Nice to meet you.” I shook her hand.

            There was something I remembered about Katie when I shook her hand. Her hands were warm and soft complimenting my cold feet in the pond. And her smile, I remember the smile when she saw me. It was a smile of openness and happiness that I sought for.

            “What are you doing here?” I asked shyly barely able to look at her face.

            “Oh, this is my place. My hideout is over there.” Katie pointed down the pond into a thicket of bushes.

            “Can I see it?” I stared at the bushes and slowly got up.

            “Sure. So, Charlie what are you doing here?” Katie asked me back.

            “I walk home from school through here. I haven’t see you around, are you new?” I replied with a blush and then look at my feet.

            “No, I’m home schooled. Dad lets me leave the house now that I’ve grown up.” Katie answered and blushed back.

            Katie grabbed my hand and then tugged me to her hideout. In the thicket of green bushes, I saw an opening. She led me inside and I saw a cozy little room she had made. A woven blanket was on the ground and a small knapsack settled beside the entrance. The hideout had a low ceiling, but a small gap overhead allowed some sunlight to shine inside and illuminate the interiors.

            “Sorry, it’s a bit small in here.” Katie apologized and reached into her knapsack.

            “No, it’s alright.” I ducked my head to avoid a sharp twig.

            “Here, have a snack.” Katie produced a granola bar from her knapsack and handed it to me.

            In my mind, I was thinking who this girl was and why she was here. I never had a friend who was this nice let alone, a girlfriend. So I graciously accepted her offering of food and slowly began to have a conversation with her. We talked and talked until the sun went down and that we had to go our ways. As I was walking back on the final mile towards home, I stopped and thought if I should ask her to be my girlfriend. She was a nice girl who shared similar interests that I had. I smiled and told myself that I would have to ask her the next day.

            “Hey Katie…” I mumbled trying to find the courage in my words.

            “Yeah?” Katie turned her head and smiled as we walked down the gravel path.

            “I like you.” I said it quickly and then turned my head away as I die from shyness.

            “Aww, that’s sweet. I like you too.” Katie blushed and grabbed my hand.

            This was a moment that I would always remember and dream of if I had the chance. Until that day, I had no purpose and no reason behind life, but now I had found it. It was her, it was Katie.

           Over the next few days, we developed more feelings for each other as we had make-believe adventures in the forest. There was a time, where we went climbing the tall trees and watching the sun settle down. And there was a time I was the prince who had to rescue the princess from a tower. Gosh, the memories lasted for a lifetime. She made me happy and I made her happy. I was a happy person back then and nothing was going to stop me, but I was wrong. Sooner or later, the summer break was over for her and she had to remain back home while I had more intensive studying.

            One day, when we finally got a chance to see each other in the cold harsh winter when the pond was frozen with ice. I held her in my arms and cuddled inside her hideout and smiled.

            “I wish this moment could last forever.” I smiled and gaze dreamily into her eyes.

            “Me too.” Katie smiled warmly.

            I saw the opportunity as she looked into my eyes and I planted a kiss on her cold lips. It was divine and it was perfect. We continued to make out until we had to go before the temperature dropped below zero.

            The next following days before the New Year, I was informed that I was moving into the big city and going to start a new life. My heart was torn because I had to leave Katie in the countryside while I was off exploring the horizons. One night, I stormed off into the windy night with a letter that I had written for her. It was a promise to come back for her and take her with me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to tell her in time, so I placed the letter in her hideout where she usually sat and ran home with tears streaming down my face.

            It had been four long years since I left the countryside for the city life. Four years I held on to the promise I made for Katie that I would come back for her. When I drove my car to where the forest was, it was no more. The rich green forest that I remembered was now replaced with a residential area. My memories, my home, and my Katie were no more. I sighed and walked into the row of townhouses and to my surprise the pond was still there. The builders had turned it into a small park and a play area for children. I sat down on the bench to look at the children play as I held onto a bracelet that she made for me. The words of her name were worn off, but I could still make out the letters by touch. As I examined the bracelet and felt nostalgic, a person tapped me on the shoulder. I turn around and saw her.

            “Hey, it’s me.” Katie gave me the same smile on the day she first saw me.

Chapter 4- Gateway to Atlantis

            Utopia, our dreamland and our getaway from reality. What is it? Each and every one of us has an idealistic world. We all know real life is not that simple and carefree. Our minds want to go to a place that is. No matter how hard one tries, you can’t make the world perfect. Period.

            Many people find ways to create their own utopia. I have two ways of creating my utopia. One, I currently run a gaming clan. The other, I write stories. What does both of those have in common? They give me a sense of control for my life. You can call it a false hope. From the gaming utopia, I want to feel respected and cared about. It works. From the story writing, I want a sense of control in my life, my destiny, my fate, and my luck. It works. Still, once in a while reality pops by and slams you back to awake and alert status.

            If I could take the life currently written in my stories, I would. No second thought about it. With the current situation and my life I have, it is the better alternative. Perhaps when my life is better than the alternative, I would have achieved happiness and satisfaction for my life.

            Sometimes when I feel alone, I dream of a better place. A place where there are no troubles. A place where I find the One and spend so much precious time together. I find most love songs very touching for me. If I was a song writer and a good singer, I would dedicate a love song for the One. Or if it needs be and it means a lot to me, I would sing a popular love song no matter how bad of a singer I was. That’s my dream. Carefree and no judgment. Simple.

            I’m beginning to think that writing this memoir is another utopia for me because of the anonymity. The idea of spilling everything in my head with no repercussion makes me have a sense of freedom and control. Still, there will be a reality check and someone or something will bring over a cloud of negativity and rain it down on me.

            I find myself as an optimist. I used to always reassure myself with the problems and issues I had with my life. Day after day, those reality checks really do wear you down. It feels like your body armor could no longer take any more beatings and you start to lose your optimism. Maybe I used my share of good luck? Now it’s the time for the bad luck… When there’s a push, there will be a pull. Action reaction. Cause and effect ideology.

            They say the grass is greener on the other side. It’s true. I look at where I am and then imagine where I want to be. Indeed, the grass is greener. Sometimes I feel like there is a high barbed wire fence blocking me from entering the greener side. Sometimes you could smell it, taste it, and see it. Sad thing is, you can’t touch it and feel what it is like. Only my imagination can fill in the missing parts even though it is not fully accurate. People say you should face your problems and go through it. If not, around it. I find it impossible to go through the fence or around it as it seems endless in both directions. What can I do? I sit down dreaming what I could see myself doing on the other side and then look at where I am. Depressed and powerless.

Chapter 2- Facinating Creatures

 Girls, what can I say about them? Let’s make it into females in general. Over the months after my nineteenth birthday, I’ve come to the realization of understanding of how females play a role in the male’s life. I don’t want to be stereotypical, so I am just going to speak from my own opinion and perception. From my point of view, I’ll just be saying girls because it’s easier for me to say than female due to my age.

            From my own experience, I find that girls are the most interesting and fascinating living things on this planet. How a girl can complete and give a guy his desires is truly profound. Personally for me, my desires are to be cared and to feel like I matter in this world. Other people have other desires wanted from girls, but I am not one of them. I respect girls and appreciate their nurturing personality. A girl can make the fiercest of lions turn into a friendly sheep. Why is that? I believe it is our nature to need someone there to give us a second opinion, a second look, and a gentler way for the guys.

            From my story, I can tell how much I cherish hanging around people who care about me and who I care back. You see, between a guy and a girl, there is no competition. Rather, it’s simply the collaboration, unity, and understanding of each other. Take a minute to think about that. If everyone was like that, our lives would be harmonious and carefree. Reality? It is not that simple as it seems.

            So, what do I want in a girl? It’s quite simple. Someone who understands me, respects the way I am, and shows that they care about me. The girl from my post-secondary that helped me asked what I looked for in a girl. At first, it sounded like a hard thing to ask for, but when I told her my response. Isn’t that what everyone wants? That moment, the puzzles started to fit together. Everyone had the same standards. If so, why am I still single? Hence, I go and reflect at myself and start to tear up.

            Flashback to a day at work at my new job. There was a female coworker roughly in her mid thirties. We talked about girls and families. Eventually I asked if she had a family. She said if she doesn’t have a baby in four or five years, she won’t consider a kid as she would be too old. I asked her if she met the One and she talked about a time when she was in her twenties where she had an interest in a guy at work. Eventually she found out that the guy was in a relationship and all bets were off. I felt sad for her, but also worried for myself as well. Am I going to be like her as well? Am I going to be alone? With the streak of bad luck, is it even possible for me?

            Continuing on, I believe it would be beneficial if you had a sibling of the opposite gender. Same ideology applies as well. I only have a little brother who is a few years older than me. Because of his gender, he is not as caring and supportive as I would want from a sibling. He just simply does not care about me. Why I am saying that is because I had and experience once. Back when I just got over my crisis, I went back to visit my relatives. A cousin of mine, female, was currently in a relationship. One day we watched a movie with my cousins about a true love story in pursuing the girl of your dreams. From what I saw in the movie, the guy did not get the girl and had his regrets. After thinking about it, I became very emotional. Not sure to pretend to be strong and hide from reality. Should I talk about it? Who should I talk to?

            One night while I was sleeping over at my cousin’s house, I rested on the bed thinking if I should ask my cousin and talk about my issues. It took some courage, but the result was astonishing. We talked about the movie, how she met her boyfriend, and retold my crisis that occurred to me with the girl. We chatted for an hour and she listened. Then she gave me some advice and told me not to worry. This was the first time I had a supportive and caring relative. Someone who I could trust. Someone who I can rely.

            It is in my interpretation that girls are generally more supportive and caring. Although I did not receive a lot of love from my parents, I had built the craving for it. Because of the need, one who can provide the needs for me can win my loyalty and my love indefinitely just like the girl from post-secondary. However, she is in a relationship and it does not seem feasible. Sometimes I look up at the stars and wonder. Am I the only person feeling like this? Or am I in the wrong place at the wrong time? I try to not lose hope…