A Walk in the Woods

by Ashley Timmins

The girl looked around at her surroundings. It was a pretty dark place, but that might just be because it was night outside. The dirt trail wound its way under her feet and into the woods. The silence engulfed her as she stood there, staring into the trees.

She was scared.

"Don't be!" she said to herself. "It's just the trees. Their making you a little freaked out. They said they'd send someone as soon as you're out of the woods." But still, she didn't move her feet. She just continued to stare into the trees.

"Get going!" she told herself and finally her feet moved. She started walking down the dirt path into the woods. The dead trees soon surrounded her and she became even more scared.

To quickly take her mind off things, she reached into her pocket and took out a small slip of paper. It was their instructions.

1) You'll find yourself on a dirt path leading into the woods. Follow that path.

2) Once you're in the woods, keep on the path. Don't stray or you'll get hurt.

3) As soon as you're out of the woods, we'll send someone to pick you up.

That was it. Three simple instructions. Three things she had to do. Her eyes flicked upward from the paper as she got even deeper into the trees. The dead leaves crackled under her shoes as she walked.

Suddenly a flash of violet caught her eye and she stopped. A small purple flower was planted there. In all the brown of the trees and the silence of the air, this one flower managed to be purple.

"I must have that flower!" The girl gasped, amazed by its beauty. The instructions slipped from her hand as she stepped from the path to pick the flower. Suddenly she saw another one. And another one. They were all around her. The girl laughed and looked down to sniff the flower.

The violet flower had turned red and heat was suddenly given off from it. The girl suddenly realized what she had done! She had stepped from the path! She had broken the rules! Desperately, she tried to run back to the pathway, but the now red flowers wrapped themselves around her legs and she fell to the ground.

"No!" The girl screamed. "No! I'm not a sinner! I did not mean to break the rules!" The flowers began to sink into the ground, pulling the helpless girl with them. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of those three instructions. She had broken the second instruction and now had to pay.

"God please forgive me of my sins!" The girl screamed as her feet disappeared under the ground. "I will follow you! Please give me another chance!"

Her feet were free. She could feel the vines and stems of the devil's flowers release her ankles and her feet were free. Quickly she wrenched her feet from the ground and ran back to the path.

Still running, she pelted through the woods, her feet never straying. Finally she was out. A young man was standing in front of a pair of golden clad gates. The girl ran up to him and could see he was dressed in all white.

"Alyssa?" He asked, checking his clip board. The girl nodded. "You're a little late. No trouble getting through the woods I hope?"

Alyssa looked back at the woods and shook her head. "No trouble at all."

"Good." The man said. "My name is Peter. Are you ready?"

Alyssa nodded and Peter stuck a large key into the gates and they slowly opened. Sounds of music and laughter could be heard inside of them as Alyssa slipped on a small white robe.

"Welcome." Peter smiled, took her hand and led her inside the gates of Heaven.


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