Forest of Lessons

My older brothers dared me. They bet I could not or would not stay the whole night by the haunted creek alone. Boy, did I prove them wrong! It was a hot, humid July, the sun was just starting to set when my brothers and I snuck out the back door and made a beeline for the thick tree line at the edge of the yard.

It didn't take long for me to scout out a good place down by the creek. Kids at school said the creek was haunted. I saw no proof of that. Carefully, I stacked rocks into a circle and piled sticks for a fire. The fire would keep away the wild animals. Hopefully. As I sat there, I didn't feel alone. Life was all around me! Crickets and bullfrogs sang. The creek bubbled and trickled along. Occasionally, a fish would splash. An owl hooted. In the not-so-far distance, a coyote howled. My brothers thought I was scared and alone. The forest taught me life was all around me and in the forest, I was never really alone.