Child Of The Forset

The forest is part of me

My heart belongs to her

I am one with its creatures of every sort

When I feel the most wonderful warmth of joy the flowers bloom brightly and the trees lighten up

The animals will run and play while my happiness runs with them 

When I feel the lowest of sadness the flowers will bow low and the trees will block the sunlight 

The animals will mourn for me as I feel this

When I’m scared or afraid I am protected by the forest 

Animals will watch guard attentively as the plants' cave in to shield me from any danger there may be

It’s very rare for my darker emotions to shine so the forest will flourish almost every day, and I live with no fear

I quite enjoy the forest and her company 

It may seem very lonely but I have never felt more surrounded by others

The forest is welcoming 

I have heard of others like me, and some different from me

The animals describe others like me as small children with wild hair of various colours and skin as blue as the sky or as green as the grass

Their eyes shine brighter than the sun as little sun-kissed stars rest on their cheeks

The animals say their only covered by a single dress styled to their habitat or forest 

They are children like me

Children of the forest 

But the animals as described others similar but different 

Humans are what these creatures are called

From what I’ve heard, they are monsters and are driving children of the forest to their deaths 

These horror stories of children’s forests being cut or burned down by humans are terrifying 

Only because once a child’s forest is torn down the child dies with the pain they felt from the torture of cutting the forest down

I don’t want them to come here

So I have told the animals to gain strength to protect our home 

I have a safe place hidden by the trees and if these humans attack for my life we will be prepared 

Or so I thought 

The day came when they attacked my forest 

I was simply playing with the rabbit family when a ripping, tearing pain shot through me

I screamed in vain loudly, scaring the animals, as I clutched my chest while tears slipped past my eyes

I felt the first blow of a single tree being cut down

It stung 

It burned

Its pain hurt differently from any other pain I’ve felt before 

The forest knew what was about to come and told me to run

I ran past the animals, the beautiful flowers, and everything I’ve loved and lived for as I rushed to the safe place covered by the trees 

I slid in as the animals rushed toward the humans and attacked

My breaths were heavy as I felt the animals' pain from being thrown cut and even killed by them

I tried to silence my screams of agony from each blow of flowers getting stepped on or trees being cut down while animals risked their lives for my sake but each strike was more painful than the last

The birds told me they cut half the forest down and most animals died or left about half an hour after their arrival 

Once they left me I felt sick

So sick I started to feel my breath lag behind

My body was working overtime to simply keep me alive 

I could tell if me coughing up blood was anything to go by

I was dying 

I knew this

And I couldn’t do anything 

All I could do was watch as they tore down my home

Hours later I felt weak

I was pale and my breathing became struggling 

All I could do was watch the sky as I leaned against the final tree 

At least the sky still had his beauty 

I smiled at the thought before men came up to me

“Hey kid, what’d are you doin’ here? This is a restricted area.”

One man, supposedly the head of this killing operation, called to me in a gruff voice

“The sky still smiles for me. Heh…”

I responded, still staring at the sky

“Wha- Listen, kid, let's just get you back home.”

“You cut down every last tree… killed every last animal… squashed every last flower…”

I coughed weakly as a trail of blood fell from my mouth 

“My home no longer stands…”

I looked back down at them 

“Please… I am in far too much pain… my body can no longer stay and is waiting for release… All I ask is for you to cut this final tree so I can be ridden of this suffering… I beg you…”

“She’s hurt.”

Another man pointed to me, concern gracing his features 

“Oh shit. We should take her to the hospital, that’s probably why she’s saying such outlandish things.”

The captain snapped and called out another to come over and pick me off from the ground

I heard the other men whisper as I was picked up

“She’s probably mentally ill”

“Ah poor thing, probably abandoned by her parents”

“Look at all the blood on her”

Cut the tree

Kill the forest 

Kill a home

Kill a child

“Please…”

I watched as a man picked a rusted silver axe 

Picked it up like it wasn’t anything 

He slammed the axe into the tree over and over 

The men stood still as I screamed in vain louder than before 

The men tried to tell him to stop but the captain told him otherwise

This was my last lifeline 

Eventually, he swung one last time before it creaked and fell to the floor with a thud 

My body went cold

The pain went away

My heart stopped

My body went limp

I was dropped to the floor by the man holding me exclaiming that I was a spawn of Satan 

They left the empty forest without a second thought 

Leaving my dead body on the once beautiful land

They never came back 

Never built what they wanted in my home

All that was left was my body lying within the once beautiful forest connected to a free-spirited child