Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2022 finalist Madeline Cleveland. Madeline finished 6th grade this past school year and wrote a story called “LIVING FOREST.” Madeline has remarked that one of the things she enjoys most is that “through my story, I can experience the world as another creature.” Enjoy!
LIVING FOREST
By Madeline Cleveland
The morning is chilly and crisp. The scent of pine hangs in the air. Listen: birds call, leaves shift in the wind. Walk silently through the undergrowth, treading with large paws. Stop. In the air, taste: wood, flowers, rain. Follow a well-worn trail. Who has been here? Deer, cat, fox? Light splashes onto the forest floor in dappled rays, illuminating thick fur the color of earth. Here, on top of this hill, ferns flourish, the space beneath their fronds is cool and dusky. A flick of movement. Mouse. Tense, prepare to spring, pounce. Mouse.
Cross a fallen log. A spray of small white flowers. The sweet aroma of warm moss and fallen leaves rises. Short, rounded ears prick. All is quiet, but for grass swaying in the wind. Move on, through dandelions and white clover, the verdure rustling. Carefully navigate a patch of nettle. A dragonfly clips through the air, and a jay comes to roost on the branch of a tall oak tree.
Mayapples bloom in moist soil. Listen: water trickles over stones. Pause. One more look: grasshoppers chirp, toads shuffle amongst the leaves. Safe. Lean down, lap the clean water. A large mossy boulder sits at the edge of the stream. Leap up with sturdy legs and enjoy the sun’s warmth.
Fading light shines through a glade of conifers that shelter a large clearing. A pale-yellow butterfly flits between the trunks. A stand of briars makes a safe place to rest at the end of the day. A long low silhouette against a darkening sky watches the sun set, as the earth emits the day’s warmth. The last vivid rays reflect in wide eyes, then disappear. The hills are veiled in darkness. Sleep.
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