Forest of Destiny

Leif yawned, stretched, and got out of bed. He pulled on a pair of trousers and tossed a shirt over his head and yanked it down over his torso. He searched for a pair of socks, finding them wadded up in his boots. Fully dressed, he ran downstairs where he was greeted by his mother. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she said, embracing him at the foot of the stairs. She gave him a kiss and backed away as they heard his father call to him. 

“Leif,”called the man of the house once more. 

The young man straightened up and smoothed his hair as his father entered the hallway. The man looked sternly at his offspring. 

“Leif,” he said once more. 

“Yes, sir?”

“Today you will learn you destiny. Be attentive. Be vigilant. Do not share the details of your destiny with just anyone. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now come to me.”

The young man obeyed and received an embrace from his father. Not loving and soft like his mothers, but firm and supportive. 

Leif turned to leave. 

“Wait,” called his mother. She returned to the entryway with a backpack. The two smiled at their secret. 

Leif swung the bag to his back and exited the house.

“Be careful,” his mother called out. 

Leif turned back and waved to her, then continued down the path away from his small home. The morning was middle-aged, the sun already high, requiring Leif to squint to defeat the glare. As he walked he kicked at a pebble until he reached a fork in the road. He had the option to take the path that led through town. He knew he would most certainly see fat Kasper, who never minded his own business. Leif wondered if he really wanted to deal with the bully’s commentary. He even worried that Kasper would try to come along with him. 

With that troublesome scenario fully developed in his mind, Leif opted for the longer route that bypassed the town. This road led him to a meadow fully bloomed with summer flowers. Depending on what he learned today, Leif considered picking some for his mother on his return journey home. He found another rock in the road to kick at. This one a little bigger than the pebble he had left where the road had forked. Leif kicked at it for a some time, until his toe complained that the opposing force of the rock was too great; Leif abandoned this rock too at the side of the road as he continued his journey. As he walked, Leif wiped the sweat from his face to avoid the stinging sensation in his eyes. With the sun making things so hot, Leif wondered what the boys who performed this ritual in the winter did. The legend dictated that on a boys twelfth birthday, he had to hike to the ancient forest and swim in the great pool of water that was located there. As the generations passed, very few boys held on to this ritual, or at least took it seriously. And out of his friend group, he had known no one born in the colder months who had taken the journey. Leif did recall that his grandfather was born around Yule. Had he been alive, Leif would have asked him what was done if the pool was frozen over. 

By this point in his journey, Leif felt tired and hungry. The path had begun a steeper upward climb in ever rockier terrain. Finding a large boulder on which to sit, Leif took off his backpack and prepared lunch. In his bag he found some bread, two apples, cheese, and sausage. Excluding the apples, Leif fashioned a portion of these ingredients into a sandwich and ate. After savoring the first bite, Leif devoured the remaining ration he had set aside for his lunch, and then put his canteen to his lips to quench his thirst. 

“Ah,” he sighed and rose to his feet. 

Leif continued on, seeing the forest in the distance. He climbed the boulders that now interfered with his path, using what strength he could muster from his arms and legs. He appreciated now, the labor his father forced him to do around the house. His mind then drifted to what would be revealed to him today. He hoped it was something great that he could proudly share with his father. He hoped to learn that he would become a great leader, rich and powerful. He could buy his mother pretty things that would make her smile. A sheepish grin crept over Leif’s face at the thought of giving his mother something to smile about. He knew the hard life she lived was not what she had hoped for when she had married his dad. 

In the outskirts of the forest, Leif crept, feeling like an intruder. Sounds of animals could be heard in the distance. He looked forward to spotting the various birds, foxes, and wolverines who called the forest their home. He even hoped to spot a lynx, if he was lucky enough, but his father told him he was too noisy of a walker to ever see the reclusive creature. 

As he moved deeper into the woods, Leif felt more uneasy. The ancient trees that now blocked the warmth of the sun, groaned and creaked as their geriatric limbs swayed overhead. He also spotted more and more of things he did not like, like spiders, whose silky webs latched on to his face and arms, making him nervous that the creatures themselves had gotten onto him too. He stopped to swat himself, when he heard what sounded like a voice. Obeying the advice from his father, Leif listened, assuming this was the first clue to learning his destiny. He strained his ear, but could not make out what he assumed were words. They sounded like words from a long forgotten tongue only known in these woods. Leif became distressed. What if his destiny was revealed to him in this strange tongue? How could he interpret it? He looked all around him to see where the voice had come from, but his senses were doused by the wind that tossed his hair and made the trees groan louder. Without a clear path for where he should go, Leif continued straight, dodging more spiders and hopping over fallen trees. The path seemed correct as straight ahead of him seemed to glow from a concentration of sun. He figured that would be the location of the pool he needed to swim in. He quickened his pace, nearly tripping over a root. He was practically running when he stopped himself. 

The floor of the woods gave way to a ledge, beneath which was a turquoise body of water. Leif grinned, but could not see an obvious path to the bottom. He tried one course to his left, but worried he could lose his footing and crash to the bottom and possibly his death. He climbed back up and tried a second path, but it was too mossy. He scoured the far side of the ledge and found it steeper and rockier. 

Taking off his backpack, Leif opted for the first path down. He swung his legs over the edge and nervously settled on a shelf of rock and continued a similar pattern until the ledge bore no more shelves and he was pressed against the rock. He looked down. The height was not dizzyingly high, but it was still too high to jump. His arms were getting tired and he was sweating. He thought about climbing back up, but then noticed a vine or some sort of root beside him. Mustering what remaining strength there was in his arms, he reached for the fibrous object, but it was just out of reach. The only option was to commit to this option and jump for this alternative path down. Leif looked back down and decided that the water below seemed deep enough were he to fall. With a deep breath, Leif leapt to the rope like object and caught onto it. At that moment he felt his lifeline give, and he pictured himself plummeting to the bottom. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and braced himself, but he did not fall as he had imagined. He let out an exhale, opened his eyes, and climbed the rest of the way down. 

With his feet on solid ground, Leif looked up and smiled. He had managed to overcome the obstacle and he felt his chest swell with pride. He could not imagine fat Kasper completing such a challenge. Leif then turned his attention to the pool of water beside him. He immediately stripped off his clothes and slipped into the water with a splash. It was deeper than he had thought and he plunged under, unable to find the bottom. He swam back to the surface and caught his breath and wondered if he could climb back up to the top and jump in. But as the thought occurred to him, Leif pictured his father’s stern face, reminding him that he was there to be attentive and vigilant. Leif shifted onto his back and floated. He closed his eyes and listened. The water lapped against his body until he was completely still. He was able to make out various bird sounds, though the species were all unknown to him. He could hear the wind again making trouble in the leaves of the woods. But what did any of this have to do with his destiny? 

Leif opened his eyes and stared at the blue sky overhead. He shifted off his back and plunged underwater again listening to the sound of bubbles as he disturbed the dark water. He rose back to the surface and wiped the water off his face and looked around. Stillness. He felt his stomach rumble and looked up at the climb he would have to make to get his food. He waited a little longer. Was there something else he had to do? His stomach growled some more. He looked around again. Maybe there was some sign he had to witness? He looked up, but still saw the cloudless sky. He looked at the rock wall behind him in hopes of some ancient rune that could be a possible sign. He looked to his left to his right and grew frantic. He did not want to return home with out anything to show for from his quest. Again, Leif heard the growl of his stomach and he acquiesced. He climbed out of the pool and reasoned with himself that he could always jump in from the top, or maybe he would gain a vision of his destiny from the top looking into the pool of water below. 

With the food at the top of the ledge as his chief motivator, Leif climbed using a modified path from the one he had descended on. When he reached the top he pulled himself onto his belly and rolled over. He found his backpack and grabbed an apple. He took at seat at the ledge with his legs dangling over the edge and contemplated the pool below. Still he saw nothing but the reflection of the sky above. When he finished the apple, he tossed the core and let out a heavy exhale. What had he really expected? Clearly it was all a myth and he was naive enough to believe it. He swung himself up to his feet. Nobody could learn their future in the woods. He shook his head and shrugged on his backpack. 

Retracing the path he had taken, Leif periodically stopped to finish the remaining rations in his bag. Only the waxy rind of the cheese now remained and he was out of water. The sun now shone out in front of him, making its descent in the west and the moon rose on his right. 

To save time, Leif took the road that led through town. Not surprisingly he saw fat Kasper sitting in his window. 

“Hey!” taunted Kasper, waving his pudgy fingers. “You went to the forest to see your destiny today, didn’t you?”

Leif tried to ignore him. 

“Did you see anything good?”

Leif said nothing and passed by the boys window. 

“It must be pretty bad, huh?” shouted the bully after him. “You could have come to me instead of wasting your time. I could have told you that you would amount to nothing!”

Leif did not respond to Kasper’s insults. He tried to ignore them as he kept walking, but the bully’s words echoed in his head. He was relieved to be out of town and alone on the road where he no longer had to show a stoic face that was a poor imitation of his father’s. He was relieved to see the the small wooden structure he called home. 

“I am so glad you're back,” his mother said as he entered. “How was it?”

Leif looked at his mother’s expectant smiling face and wanted to cry. What if he really was to amount to nothing? He turned away, unable to look his mother in the face. It pained him to think that he would do nothing to make her proud. 

“I’m going to go to bed,” he said. 

“But what about supper?”

“I’m not hungry,” he said, and climbed the stairs.

When he reached his bed, Leif flopped onto it, rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Recalling all the staring and listening he had done in this position and the nothingness it brought him, Leif, rolled to his side and faced the wall. He began to cry. His shoulders rising and falling. Before he could succumb to the feelings of despair, he heard the door to his room swing open with a bang. 

“Leif!” shouted his father. “Sit up and listen to me.”

The last thing he wanted to do was listen to what he knew would be stern words from his father, but he obeyed. He sat up and wiped the tears from his face before facing his father. 

His father looked at him with the same stern expression from the morning. 

“Leif, sometimes you are faced with disappointments in life. That does not mean you sulk and run up here like this. You must reflect. You must adapt. It is you who decides what kind of person you will be. It is you who must act. Do you understand?”

Leif nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now I will permit you to skip supper so long as you use this time for reflection and determination, but no sulking. Do you hear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good night, my son.”

Once his father had left, Leif returned to his former position, but in obedience to his father he did not cry. Rather than linger on the belief that the woods did not reveal his destiny today, he considered what he wanted to be.