Birch Haven

A girl finds comfort and peace in a Birch tree forest

Some saw the place as eerie. Bleak, ominous, foreboding. A sea of trees that seemed to never end; fading into a dark, depressing fog. They saw the site as an area to avoid; she found it to be a sanctuary. A serene place to simply soak in everything nature and silence could offer. The sky is colored a dismal shade of grey. The wind sweeps through the forest, making bare branches shiver in its relentless chill. Small specks of snow cascades onto dried stumps and into holes where woodland creatures reside. The trees were beautiful all year round, however the winter scenery added an element that no other season could reproduce. The greyish-white tint of the bark blended beautifully with a fresh blanket of snow, and at a distance they seem to merge together. The dark slashes throughout the trunk with papery bark peeling away beside each one, added unique character.

The ambience of the forest made some cringe. Although this was the case for most passersby, the reactions confused her. She could not find any negative quality in the woods. In her eyes, the forest was a gorgeous work of nature. It wasn’t spooky; it didn’t make her uneasy. It gave her peace. It gave her much needed solitude. A place of her own. Perhaps the fact that nobody else found the woods as enchanting as she did, made it even more favorable. Here, there were no rules, no guidelines, no restrictions. She was free to do what she wanted. And as she sat on a piece of one of the fallen white giants, she closed her eyes and forgot the world. No more thinking. Not one single thought. The only sound was the wind whipping the fur on her hood back and forth. The gloominess others seemed to feel was serenity to her. The isolation, comfort. The arguing, confusion, and sadness she had once known faded. No more tears, no more heartbreak. No one could hurt her here. No one else even existed when she was here. The frigid cold seemed to numb mind and body. While others sought comfort from friends, she looked to the barren trees. How could something that can’t converse give her so much consolation? Is it ironic that words could both hurt and heal, but things that couldn’t emote or vocalize offered her tranquility? Even with good intentions, words could find their way to destroy the esteem of oneself. And why would she trust the very thing that distressed her to piece her together again? What qualified them to patch her riddled heart? Nature didn’t need to have a voice, it could communicate it’s messages without saying a word.

The silence was more comforting to her. The solitude was more relaxing. This was her Eden, a place God made specifically for her. While the others looked at the dark woodland in disgust, thinking empty and sinister thoughts, she saw a safe haven. As she opened her eyes and gazed up at the snowflakes floating down on her smiling face she thought, “To each his own”.

Reviews

[Colton Patterson]

Truly, beautifully haunting descriptions, it almost reminds me of Poe, a seemingly hidden melancholy behind your words. I couldn't have asked for a more well-written prose. Exceptionally well done.


Cheers, Colton.