A Different Path

A Different Path

 By: Hareem Akhtar

“Bye, mom! And yes, I will be back before dinner.” I rolled my eyes as I swished out the front door. I stopped right at the entrance of the bright yet dark woods and took a deep breath, ready for another walk that would freshen me up for the day. Only this time, I would take another route. I always end up getting scared to steer off the trail, but today I gathered up the courage to finally explore the woods rather than take a walk on the path weaving in and out of the forest. As I stepped onto the dusty trail leading deeper into the forest, I took a good look at the bright green leaves hanging off the mysterious trees. What a place. Other people always think that living in the woods is scary and dangerous. But I consider myself lucky because I get to take everyday walks and get to see the beautiful qualities of nature. And today, I might even find some mysteries that I never knew about! As I get deeper into the forest using the trail, I consider where to go off track here and there.  

But then, I suddenly stop. Why am I stopping? It’s like someone’s telling me to stop, except I don’t hear anything. I fight the urge to keep going. That was weird. Was that my sixth-sense or something? Suddenly, I catch a glimmer from the corner of my eye. I quickly turn around but don’t see anything. 

“Must be a droplet of water on a leaf or something,” I say to myself out loud. “Okay. I have to do it now.” 

I don’t waste any time, and steer off the trail which was about to curve back outside if I went a little further. Should I turn left, or go deeper into the forest? Deeper. That way I can finally get over my fear. I feel a tug on my back. 

“Huh?”

Wide-eyed, I turn around slowly and look everywhere. 

“What in the world was-”

I gaze over to a bush standing right in front of me. How is that there? I just walked past that place! How is there a bush there? I try recalling my memory to see if I went around any bushes.

“No, I didn’t,” I say confidently. I take in the details of the bush. Very odd, the green was way brighter than all the leaves and other bushes to my right and left. I walk close enough to see a small red berry, perfectly plump, and bright red. Almost so bright it’s hard to look at. It’s placed exactly in the middle of the bush. Not a raspberry, or a strawberry. What kind of berry could it be? Only one way to find out. I hesitate as I pluck it off. Is this a good idea? What if it’s poisonous? Poisonous berries are red most of the time. But even if it is, I know the way back home. Right? I flail my body each way until I see the faraway trail to my left. My body shakes within that moment of panic. If I’m this scared when the trail is right next to me, how scared will I be when I go deeper into the woods, the trail nowhere to be seen? 

“Gather yourself, Mia.” My parents always tell me I need to stay confident and not let my worries define me. Okay. Time to eat the berry. I stare it at one more time, it’s glimmering red outside holding in the berry. It looks exactly like a blueberry, just red. Looks clean to me. I pop it into my mouth, and when I bite down on the berry, a burst of flavor occupies my mouth. Sweet. Like honey. Delectable. So divine, I had never experienced anything near as delicious as what was in my mouth right now. My tongue gets coated in a delicious sweet and sour taste, and my mouth waters, longing for more.

“Mmmmm.” I could feel my body wanting more. Excitement warmed me up. I feel energetic. But, there’s no more of the odd yet succulent berries. 

“That was amazing,” I tell myself as I stare at the bush. I just wish there was more. 

I sigh and keep on walking, turning around every few seconds as if waiting for another berry to pop out. Even though what I had experienced was just- amazing, I still have this weird sense telling me something is wrong.

Out of nowhere, I hear something rustle behind me. 

“Huh?” I look behind me again. Nothing. I keep on walking. As I walk, I feel that something’s really off. I don’t know, I just have this… voice telling me that I shouldn’t go any farther. I stop. Suddenly, my vision turns white for the tiniest second. 

“Whoa. What was tha-” my whole body starts tingling. Pins and needles. EVERYWHERE. My legs, my arms, my face. Then, my vision blurs. I can barely see anything. I start to get extremely dizzy.

“What- what is ha- happening?” I stumble with my words. My voice goes high for a second, then down.

“The berry. That’s why!” I try to get up to walk home, except I don’t know where the trail is. I HAVE to find it. As I get up, my body wavers a bit, but I regain my balance. My blurry vision disappears, and I feel normal. But what was that? It’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. Usually, it takes a while for the poison to affect my body. Deep in thought, I forget that I need to find the trail.

But as I look around, it’s nowhere to be found. I can feel my blood draining from my head and suddenly my whole body goes numb. But this time, it’s from fear.

My eyes go wide as I take in the situation. I don’t know where the trail is, and I’ve been poisoned by a berry. A rush of thoughts overcrowds my head as I contemplate what to do. Should I try to find my way back to the trail? No, I might go deeper inside the forest. Should I try to call for help? No way, no one would hear me. I’m deep in thought when I hear scurrying behind me. 

I go pale as I turn around. 

“What was that?” I squint and look for any movement. I hear scurrying in the bush to my right. I see the dry leaves rustle and suddenly, a minuscule creature pops out. I crouch down onto the semi-dry forest floor and peer at it. It’s a white rabbit! I look at it closely. Its fur is pearly-white, except for the belly which is tinted with brown because of the forest floor brimming with mud, dirt, and leaves.

“Hey, little guy! You're cute.” I say as its ears twitch at the sound of my voice.

I’m just about to pet its shiny soft fur when I hear…

“Hello there, strange human.”

My hand freezes in mid-air. My eyes go wide in shock. I stare at the rabbit, waiting for it to run away because of the voice. But it stays exactly where it is. Why isn’t it running away? Should it be startled? Unless… Unless… It is the one talking. I feel my hand start to shake and I pull it back.

“What the- Was that- Was that you?” I ask with a tremendous amount of fear in my voice.

“Well yes, who else could it be? Humans are silly.”

But nope. I’m not mistaken. The rabbit’s mouth moves exactly in-sync with the words I hear.

“How are you talking- like- how can I hear you?” I stutter because of the state of shock I’m in. 

“My goodness! You can hear me?” I thought I was talking to myself!” The rabbit’s mouth is small yet moves at such a fast pace.

“Ye- yeah, I can hear you,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Calm down Mia. You’re imagining things.” I think to myself. 

I pinch myself. Hard. 

“Ouch!” I open my eyes, thinking I’ll be in my bed, my neck cradled by my soft pillow. But nope, I’m still standing on the forest floor, with a confused-faced rabbit staring at me. This is real. I’m talking to a rabbit in a forest. How did this happen? But before I can think about the possibilities, I hear a thump. Then another one. There’s a series of them, each one getting louder and louder until I feel the presence of something big behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck tingle. I dread turning around. My feet slowly turn around, and I come face to face with a bear. Well, a bear’s stomach. I try screaming but nothing comes out of my mouth. I’m still. I can’t move. 

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, human.” A deep growl emits from above me. The bear crouches low enough for me to make eye contact with him. The bear’s eyes are dark and seem to be intrigued by my presence. I gulp. I have no other choice but to ask a stupid question which will be answered shortly. 

“Are you- are you going to eat me?” I ask, in the tiniest voice. 

“Haha. No, human. I will explain why you can understand what I’m saying.”

The laugh sends a shiver down my spine. 

“But- but how would you know? You’re um… a bear.” I say, still unable to move. 

“Oh, we creatures have been living here for all of our lives. We know the secrets and mysteries that lie deeper within this mystical network of intricacies.”

Even though I’m still in a state of shock, I calm down a little. “Wow. He seems pretty calm and I like his choice of words. They seem very wise. Also, If he wanted to eat me, he would’ve by now.” I think to myself. 

“Well, my legs hurt, let’s sit on the floor.” The bear says.

I cringe as I sit on the hard dry leaves-covered ground. H

“What are you waiting for? Tell me why I can understand and speak to animals.” I say, non-patiently. 

“Okay. So it all started 100 years ago. A person who lived in this very forest created a magical seed that no one, no matter how hard they try, could create. He planted it, and it took a year to grow. The next year, the person curiously tried to eat it, just to see what would happen. As soon as he digested the mysterious plant, he realized he could speak to all the woodland creatures! All of the animals were stunned as well because never had they been able to talk to humans. We can understand you, but can’t talk. The reason why not many people believe it is because this berry summons itself once every year, meaning there’s a very small chance of someone finding the right bush. One out of three-hundred and sixty-five days, to be exact. The seed regrows after it’s picked off every year. Today was the one day in the year the berry appeared, and you happened to come along and eat it. It was very unlikely, but now you can communicate with us. It’s very exciting for us creatures, especially because it’s been a century since we’ve been able to communicate with a human.”

I haven’t realized but my eyes are almost bulging out of my head. The story was so intriguing! But what if the bear is just making this all up? I mutter under my breath, contemplating whether to believe the story or not. My eyebrows furrow together, I don’t know if I’m just hallucinating all of this, or if it’s a dream, or… or…

“Uh, hello? Human, I’m talking to you.”

I blink and bring myself back to the real world. I hesitate before saying, 

“But... But… I don’t know whether to believe you or not.” I hesitate as the words climb out of my mouth.

The bear’s face scrunches up as if he’s deep in thought. 

“Well, that’s up to you then. I’m just saying it because us animals were so excited to finally have a human talk to us. After all, your species is very intriguing. But we won’t force you. It’s your choice.” The bear puts his hands up to show that it’s completely my choice.

An envelope of silence covers me as I think. Should I stay, or should I leave? This is really weird, but it’s also very interesting. I would love to know more about it. I open my mouth, then close it. I think some more. 

“You know what? I’m going to stay. I want to learn more about you animals.  After all, the berry’s effects only last one day, right? If I go home, I’ll have to wait another year.” I say.

“Yes, it does last for one day.” The bear replies.

“Then let’s not waste time! I want to meet all of the animals,” I state. The bear and I stand up and he brings me to a clearing in the forest. He lets out a loud bellow and I hear rustling all around me right away. A bunch of animals pop out, forming a circle right around the bear and me. Animals of all shapes, sizes, and colors surrounded me. I was so fascinated! 

“Hi! I can’t wait to meet all of you!” They all stared at me, and I looked at them, hoping for some response.

“They all are a bit… err… scared. They haven’t talked to a human in a century, like I said. So go slow and don’t be too loud.” The bear comes close and says.

I take what he says into consideration.

“Hi there. I know that this is weird, but I have eaten the magical berry, and now I can communicate to all of you. So don’t be scared, I mean absolutely no harm,” I say in the most comforting way possible. I see all the animals mutter quietly, they seem to be discussing whether I’m out to get them or just a normal person they’re fascinated by. Just then, a fox steps forward, smiling, and says,

“Thank you for making us comfortable. We were just nervous, that’s all. Now that we’re okay, we would like to have a get-to-know-you session, or a small party so we can get to know you.”

“That’s great!” I say enthusiastically, and nod my head so they can be reassured.

The bear brings me around the circle of the animals, and I meet all of them. From deer and moose to hedgehogs and raccoons, I get to meet and greet all of them. “They’re all unique in their own way,” I think. They all have their own differences, like humans. I feel a surge of happiness just from the connection. We’re so alike, yet so different. 

After the meet-and-greet session, I sit on a log with many animals around me, and they ask what human life is like.

“So you get to walk on two feet?” A raccoon says.

“Yep.”

I answer many questions when I notice the sky is becoming dark, and the sun is setting.

“Hey, guys! Want to watch the sunset?” I ask the animals.

A chorus of voices replies with an enthusiastic “Yes!” All the animals seem to be really comfortable around me. 

As we sit on a hill and watch the bright orange and yellow sun slowly go down, all the animals producing “Oohs” and “Aahs”. As a sharp warm glow shields my eyes, I realize that once in a while it’s good to change direction. If I hadn’t steered off the trail, I would never find that magical berry. If I hadn’t eaten the berry, I wouldn't have had this power. I suddenly realize that the day’s almost over, which means so is my power of talking to these animals. I take one last look at the sun before it disappears below, taking its warm light with it. I smile. I look to my right and left and see all the animals talking. I take a moment to understand all the conversations. A walk in the woods. That’s what led me here. I wonder. Maybe, just maybe, next year I’ll end up steering off the trail and see a bush. Not any bush. A bush with a red berry. I take in the last of the buzzing and conversations before saying goodbye to the animals, brushing off the dirt on my clothes, and walking back home with the bear. When I get home, I thank the bear. I take one last look at “a mystical network of intricacies.” I close my eyes and let all the sounds around me disappear. I think of all the memories I made. I still don’t know if I’m in a dream. Or am I in a different dimension? Was I just imagining things this whole time? There is one thing I do know for sure. A different path isn’t so bad after all.