The Forest

This is an allegory (extended metaphor) I wrote for a class. See if you can figure out what the metaphor is for. Hope you enjoy!

The Forest

The boy coerced his feet to move. Just keep moving, he thought, you can’t afford to stop. He continued walking along the dirt path, with only a few obstacles strewn before him. A large rock here, some overgrown brush there. Great black trees stretched their crooked fingers up into the expanses of the grey cloudy sky above. The boy could not see more than a few feet in any direction, due to a thick fog lingering in the air; however he could make out towering shadowy figures on either side of the path beyond the trees. They frightened him, so he made sure not to stray from the center of the path.

After walking on for a bit, the boy started to notice other people on the path with him. Due to the fog, most of them appeared as hazy images around him. He was able to pass some people, but others; he just could not seem to catch up to, even if he ran.

Eventually, after walking for what seemed like forever, the boy realized he wasn’t sure what he was doing. Why had he been walking this shrouded path for so long? He looked around for an answer. A glance at the trees on either side of the path revealed the word “success” carved into the thick bark, dark red sap dripping down the trunks. He could not remember what his purpose was"or if he had even had one.

Pondering this question as he walked, the boy noticed a woman standing still along the edge of the path. She was the first person the boy had seen to be standing still. She was also the only one he’d seen facing out towards the shadowy figures. Everyone else had just kept looking straight ahead as they walked. He approached her and asked, “Excuse me, Miss, what are you doing?”

At first, the woman did not realize he was speaking to her. The boy repeated the question, and then the woman gave him a surprised look before regaining her composure and said, “I’m searching,” with a smile on her face. Before the boy could ask what she was searching for, the woman stepped off the path, the shadowy figures wrapping their ghastly claws around her body as she disappeared into the darkness.

Fear knocked the boy backwards onto his butt. Suddenly, he felt cold and alone. He was afraid that the claws would take him too, but soon realized nothing was happening. Strangely, the woman had kept smiling, even as she stepped into darkness. The boy figured she was just crazy, and hurried back the center of the path to continue walking, though in the back of his mind, he wondered what mysteries lay beyond the shadowy figures.

 

Author's Note

I could have made this a lot longer if I wanted, but decided to keep it short. Give it a shot and tell me what you think, also tell me if it makes sense. Thanks! It's been a long time since I last submitted something.

Reviews

[halflives]

Wow, this is really good. It's wonderfully written, and I think it's brilliant!