A Walk to Remember

“A Walk to Remember”

It was a day much like any other when Ernie’s parents allowed him to go for a walk in the woods with Robert, an older friend of theirs. The sun was shining and the autumn leaves whispered to each other when the wind gently blew across them. It was about the middle of the afternoon when Robert and Ernie arrived at the edge of the woods. Robert had driven them well outside of town, taking over an hour to arrive at the forest. This being Ernie’s first experience out in the woods, he quickly opened the door and ran toward the trees when Robert parked the car. As Ernie ran ahead Robert double checked that the car was locked and took a look around where he had parked. After all, a person could not be too careful.

Making sure he had a canteen and flashlight, Robert moved toward the trees and waiting boy. Ernie was waiting bouncing up and down on his toes when Robert finally caught up with him just inside the tree line. Smiling down on him, Robert put his hand on Ernie’s shoulder and gently gave it a squeeze. A day like this didn’t come nearly often enough. The two then started deeper into the forest. They had quite a hike planned, circling widely out through the different growths of trees.

Being only eight to Robert’s fifty-eight Ernie had much more energy and was racing on ahead only to come back with a question or a new discovery which Robert was always thrilled with. Robert pointed out the different trees by their leaves and nuts. He told of the different birds that were calling in the dwindling afternoon light. Having gone a couple of miles they paused at the edge of a brook they had come across.

The fallen leaves swirled and danced as the were pushed along by the current. Robert took out his knife and swiftly carved the rough shape of a boat out of a piece of wood. With a stem and a leaf he made the mast and sail then gave the makeshift craft to Ernie. While sailing the boat Ernie caught sight of something even better. The brook was teeming with small shiny minnows. Ernie was fascinated with watching the small fish swim at the edge of the stream. As he lay belly down in the grass, peering into the water, he watched them go about their lives with a dedicated fervor.

Robert sat on a log and leaned up against a tree as he watched Ernie repeatedly try to catch the quick fish. Ernie would hold his hand above the water and then thrust it down as quickly as he could into the brook making a splash. Every time he thrust his hand into the water his crossed legs would fly up toward his back perhaps giving his hand that bit more speed needed to catch those fish. Eventually though, as only an eight year old can, Ernie’s attention span wore off and it was back to walking for Robert’s old bones. Just as well really, they had quite a few more miles to go before they reached the halfway point on their hike.

They walked for another forty-five minutes or so, getting closer to the turning point, with Robert pointing out more birds by their calls from the trees. He told a story of how humans used to be able to understand and talk to animals before they moved into the cities. He told of how the animals used to tell of when bad weather was coming, or spring was about to arrive. The world of animals, he explained to the wide eyed sandy haired boy, was not something that everyone could understand.

Then the two heard a peculiar noise coming from just ahead. Robert and Ernie slowly and quietly crept up toward the noise. Robert had to move them to the side a bit to make sure that the two of them were downwind from what ever was making the noise. Suddenly they saw the noisemakers. It was a squirrel chasing a chipmunk. After watching the two go after each other for a short time Robert knelt down on one knee just behind the boy and whispered into his ear telling about how the squirrel was upset because the chipmunk had obviously found and taken some of his stashed acorns. They watched a little longer as the squirrel would pursue the chipmunk through the brush and around rocks just to turn and run when the chipmunk turned on him.

Then, the cycle would continue for a time before starting around again. After ten minutes of watching these antics, Ernie whispered back to Robert about how the animals were friends playing and not fighting. A couple minutes later even Robert was starting to agree with him. Then, the wind shifted taking their scent to the animals. Both the chipmunk and the squirrel froze and tested the new air before taking off in different directions toward safety.

Both Robert and Ernie were disappointed that the entertainment was over so soon. Robert stood back up and brushed off his knees. Putting a companionable arm around the young shoulders of Ernie, took the lead and gently strolled along following the path through the forest. The sky was just starting to change color as the sun sunk slowly into the west. The colors in the sky echoed the colors that filled the trees. Robert and Ernie walked together through the trees listening to their feet crunch through the already fallen leaves. Both watched as the light slowly faded from beneath the leaves, leaving a shadowy grey environment where the movement between the trees seemed to be more than the two humans that had come to that forest. Upon hearing the eerie call of the great horned owl, Ernie huddled in closer into Robert’s side and said, “Boy, these woods sure are scary.”

Robert turned his slightly wrinkled face down to the wide eyed boy. He smiled gently and replied, “What are you complaining about, I’m the one that has to leave here alone.”