The Forest's Last Test
I walked because there was nothing else to do.
The boy had left at dawn. He had barely said goodbye—just mumbled that he needed to find his parents, then disappeared into the trees.
I watched him go, too tired to ask him to stay.
Maybe he would find them. Maybe he wouldn't.
I was alone now. Truly alone.
The forest stretched endlessly before me, dark and quiet. My feet ached, my stomach growled, and my head felt light from hunger. But I kept moving.
I didn't know exactly where I was going. I only knew there was a village beyond the forest—one I had heard my mother mention before. If I could reach it, maybe someone would help me.
Or maybe they would chase me away.
I had nothing. No name that mattered. No family. No home.
I was just a lost girl from nowhere.
---
The path was cruel.
Thorns tore at my feet. My legs felt heavy, like I was dragging stones with every step. I tripped over roots, stumbled over rocks, and once, I almost walked straight into a snake.
I gasped and jumped back, watching as it slithered away into the undergrowth.
My heart pounded. If I had stepped just a little closer...
I shook the thought away and kept walking.
Hours passed. The sun burned my skin, then the wind made me shiver. The forest was alive with noises—birds crying, insects buzzing, leaves rustling with unseen creatures.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't stop.
---
The trees thinned, and the air smelled different—like firewood and earth, like food cooking somewhere far away.
My heart leaped.
I pushed forward, stepping over the last of the roots, until I saw it—rooftops in the distance, smoke rising from cooking fires.
The village.
For a moment, I just stood there, taking it in.
I had made it.
But then another thought hit me.
Would they accept me?
Would they even care?
I swallowed hard and took a shaky step forward. I didn't know what awaited me in that village, but one thing was certain:
There was no turning back.