The man in the forest

This is the story of how my perception changed. How my understanding of what lay after this life changed. It starts with a forest.

Suddenly I came too and was walking through a dense forest filled with trees. Rain fell through the trees, I could smell the wonderful scent of a rainy day forest. Running my hand through my hair I found it soaking wet along with my clothes. My legs ached, and I wondered how long I had been walking. Where was I going? I didn’t have a clue and I didn’t know where I currently was either. 

A mysterious voice came from my right and I looked over to see an old man in long tattered robes with a beard that covered most of his face. I could see many years of life in his eyes, wrinkles around his eyes were deep with age. He noticed my confusion and repeated what he previously said. “Hi there, you seem lost.” His voice didn’t match his age, it sounded smooth and calming.

I responded with an attitude in my voice that I did not intend for “Well yes, I don’t regularly take long walks through a rainy forest in the middle of nowhere.” 

“I certainly hope so, this is not a very smart thing to do. The way you need to go is that way, not this way.” He seemed so calm and inviting. 

The man said pointing to a trail barely visible to the left of me. 

“That way? It just leads into the forest.” 

The man simply chuckled before turning around and walking the other way. I stood there for several minutes deciding what to do. I didn’t know what to do, was the old man trying to lead me into a trap? Or did he really know where I was supposed to go? At that moment I decided I trusted the man and trudged off along the small path. 

The forest was serene and beautiful. Moss and foliage alike covered nearly every surface. I continued walking through the woods taking in nature trying to find peace in it to combat the panic that remained since I did not know where I was or where I was going. I had put all of my trust in the old man. Thinking about it that probably wasn’t an intelligent decision. But I trusted him because he seemed so sure about where I needed to go, far more sure than I was. After walking for who knows how long I walked into a clearing within the forest. 

It was a sizeable meadow with flowers of all colors scattered throughout. In the middle was a cherry blossom that I was sure had no business being here in the forest. This tree while stunning did not belong in the forest among the pines and furs. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and vibrant, almost dreamy. I walked to it and stood under its branches for a few moments observing it. Despite the rain, the sun had come out. I decided to sit at the base of the tree and take it in. The sun, the rain, the cherry blossom, the rest of the forest. It was a heavenly sight. Laying there in the sun I began to feel woozy and eventually succumbed to my drowsiness. 

I was awoken feeling I falling. This should have been improbable but it was not. I opened my eyes to find the ground under me falling away down a hole as dark as the night sky. I tried to scramble away from the disintegrating ground but the ground swallowed me up whole. 

Panic ensued and my mouth went dry. I tried to figure out a way out of the situation but nothing came to mind. It was so dark I could not tell if I could grab onto the walls but I was falling fast enough I doubted I would be able to. I couldn’t make out any sort of bottom to the hole. I could hear and feel the air rushing past me so I knew I was still falling. However, it was so impossibly dark I might as well have my eyes closed. So I fell and continued to fall. For how long I had no idea. Eventually, there was the faintest bit of light and the light kept getting brighter and brighter. Until I landed in an enormous pile of hay. The wind was knocked out of me but other than that I was completely fine. 

Catching my breath I climbed out of the hay pile. I looked around and a couple of things caught my eye. Ahead of me, was a path that seemed to lead upwards for so long I could not see the end of it. Along the path, there were all sorts of pools some with waterfalls flowing into them. In each of the pools, there were people bathing in them. I began walking up the path and observed the people in the pools and noticed some of them seemed to be praying. I did not understand why but considering I had no idea where I was I wasn’t going to start judging or questioning. Outside of these things, there was simply nothing. It was a pale grey void stretching on forever and looking down it seemed to get darker the further down. Not seeing any other options I kept walking up the path. 

At some point, a man I didn’t know shoved his way past me almost making me fall off the path into the unknown. 

“Excuse me, watch where you’re going you almost made me fall into the…” my voice trailed off not knowing how to finish the sentence. 

“Well, it's not my fault. You shouldn’t be walking so slowly right in the middle of the path.” The man snapped back at me. 

“You could also be more polite even if you are in such a rush.” 

The man's face flared with anger. “You said I almost made you fall off?”

“Yes, yes you did and it appears to be a long fall I do not want to make.” 

“My apologies, I’ll finish the job this time,” He said as his arms shot out shoving fast enough I couldn’t catch myself. Once again I found myself falling. If only I had known the place I would find myself this time would be much worse. 

When I stopped falling and landed this time it was much more unpleasant than the pile of hay. I landed in snow but not the fluffy soft snow you may be familiar with. No, it was hard icy snow that felt as if it had been there for days. I felt as though all of my bones had broken because of my hard landing. The pain soon wore off but I was worried the pain might come back if my bones were in fact shattered from the fall. Curiosity got the best of me and I forced myself up. My body ached but nothing felt as though it was broken. 

Knowing I was fine I immediately noticed the harsh wind chill. There was not a sky to be seen but it felt like a cold winter's day. Flat plains covered with snow stretched on for miles, nothing inhabited them except trees barren of life. Every breath hurt, the air was so cold it stung my throat and lung. I had no choice except to start walking and hope I would find something. 

I walked for what felt like hours before I encountered other people. I confronted them to try and ask where we were or where I should go but they didn’t respond. I stopped them to ask again but when they met my gaze I recoiled. Their eyes were black and devoid of any warmth. Their skin was white and freezing cold to the touch and there was a faint smell of death on them. I moved out of their way and let them keep walking on. They simply trudged forward, wandering aimlessly across the frozen landscape. 

I saw a town in the distance and rushed towards it. When I got there I found an old town that almost appeared to be frozen solid. The people I found within the town were the same as the previous one I had seen. Some were frozen where they sat or stood. I looked around the town to see if I could find anything helpful but to no avail. 

I gave up and continued walking on for quite some time until I came upon a frozen lake. The ice looked thick enough I could walk on it. I picked up a chunk of ice and threw it on the lake to make sure. There wasn’t a single crack in the ice so I walked until I was in the center of the lake. Unsure of what to do I simply stood there thinking trying to figure out a way out of the situation. My whole body shook whether, from the cold or my fear, I did not know. It was obvious I was in the underworld. I had no idea how to get out. Suddenly I heard a loud pop followed by another and another. The ice was cracking. 

I’m not sure why but I jumped. I felt the ice break below my feet and then the freezing water made my entire body contract. Everything went dark I kept my body still assuming I would either freeze or sink to the bottom of the lake. After a few moments, I realized the cold was gone, I was no longer underwater. 

I opened my eyes and there I lay underneath the warm comforting blankets of my bed.