The Tower 8

The road wound back into the trees and it wasn’t long before the bridge disappeared.  The forest remained quiet as I traveled increasing the nerves in the pit of my stomach.  I looked up trying to track the sun, but my view was completely obstructed by the tall trees.  It seemed darker here in the forest, but I wasn’t completely sure.

One thing was certain, I wasn’t about to spend the night on the ground in a fairy tale forest from my own, obviously overactive, imagination.  I really didn’t think I had any control over the circumstances, but if by some chance I did then I prayed some sort of shelter would appear before I was forced to crouch in a ball beneath a tree.

I walked on annoyed and yet curious.  The trees were enormous, towering hundreds of feet above me.  They reminded me of the Red Wood Forest in California, yet they were different somehow.  I moved closer to one and examined the trunk.  It had the appearance of bark, but the color was off somehow.  I reached out to touch it and pulled my hand back in surprise.  Instead of a rough texture it was smooth, like silk.

I touched it again running my hand up and down the surface.  It was hard as granite, but silky soft to the touch.  The surface wouldn’t give at all.  I moved to a branch and examined the fir needles.  They looked prickly, but they moved against my fingers like heather.

With a sigh I went to another similar tree and found the textures to be the same.  Perplexed I tried a different tree.  This on looked more like a beech tree.  Its bark was rock hard like the fir trees, but it felt more like velvet than silk.  The leaves also had a velvety feel to them though they were more solid than the fir needles.

I tried to pull a leaf from the tree, but it wouldn’t budge.  My brows knit together in determination as I pulled again.  It remained firmly attached.  I scanned the ground looking for any dropped leaves and found none.  This forest was definitely unique.  I left the trees my attention completely taken from the road.

I examined the bushes and flowers finding the exact same circumstances as the trees.  Everything was rock solid and unmovable, but still incredibly soft to the touch.  I figured I could run into a tree and though it would hurt my blow would be softened by the textures.

Shaking my head I finally continued on.  I couldn’t see any noticeable change in the light around me and I hoped that would remain the case until I left the forest or found a place to sleep.

to be continued...