Friday, May 29, 2009

A Day In The Forest

It was a dark and rainy day, and I was walking around the forest in my favorite nature park. The rain didn't really get in here under the trees, so it was a good place to be. The rain freshened up the air and gave the forest a quiet dampness. I was happily taking in all of my surroundings when I saw something up ahead.

It was a little boy and his dad walking in my direction on the path. As soon as the boy saw me he ran ahead of his dad yelling to get my attention. "Excuse me! Excuse me!", he yelled urgently. He must have been only about five or six years old.

When he got up close to me he begged, "Can you tell us how to get out of here! My dad doesn't know where we are! I think we're lost!" He seemed really scared and not at all confident in his dad's ability to navigate these trails without some outside help.

As this was all happening his dad calmly caught up to him, and we greeted each other. He didn't seem all that lost to me. We were both amused by the little boy's anxiety. We both knew he would find out soon enough that his dad could get him where they needed to go.

As they were getting ready to go on their way, the dad stopped again and asked me, "Oh, can you tell me, is there a lake in here somewhere?" I told him it was up on the right, and all he had to do was keep going straight until he saw a path that was moving in that direction. After a little talk of fishing and talk of the rest of the park, they were on their way. And so was I.

I resumed my enjoyment of nature, and my picture taking, through the rest of the park on this dark but peaceful day. I saw nothing particularly unusual but I still had a good time. Just as I was leaving the forest I heard the little boy's voice yelling behind me again, "Wait! Wait! Wait!"

I turned around and there he was in the distance running towards me again. The trail curved around so the end was obscured by trees, and his dad was nowhere in sight. I waved and then stopped for him. When he caught up to me, I asked him what was wrong.

"We're lost! Can you get us outta here!" I asked him where his dad was, and he said he was still back there. I smiled to myself, knowing it was still the same as before. I told him he should go back to his dad before he began to worry about him. But he was having none of that, so I started walking with him back into the forest.

It was right then that his dad called out his name. I told the little boy to yell back to let his dad know where he was, so he yelled, "I'm right here!" After a few more seconds we found his dad and I turned around to leave. The little boy stopped me still insisting they were lost, and begging me not to leave them.

He said, "Can you help us find the parking lot? My dad doesn't know where it is. He's lost and we've never been here before. Will you show us how to get outta here?" I said to him that I was sure his dad was smart enough to find the parking lot, and then I pointed in the right direction to show him they weren't lost at all.

It didn't convince him one bit, so I walked with them out of the park. The man told me he just recently discovered the place, and asked me a few more things about it. We talked about the park, the trails, and nature in general the rest of the way to our cars. The little boy was happy to be back in the familiar surroundings of civilization, and we all went happily our own way.

18 comments:

  1. Ratty and theres me thinking his Dad had been eaten by a crocodile in the lake (as in Lake Placid). Nice story.

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  2. Ha! That little boy was just scared to be in the woods I think..Ha! Or maybe his dad was too embarrassed to tell you he was lost. By the way Ratty, that moth of mine was a Polyphemus.

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  3. A very nice story, and I am glad the boy found comfort in you to guide them out of the forest.

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  4. It was really a very different day in the forest.
    I do not know whether the boy is actually Mr. Nutz in disguise.

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  5. I think the dad may have been not sure either, and didn't want to admit it to you. Boy those trees sure are a pretty bright spring green!

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  6. It sounds a if the boy was frightened to be in the woods. I'm glad you were able to help both of them. Now for me, I'd love to get lost in the woods :)

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  7. Hey! That path looks like my cycle path to work, but it's just behind my house.. Plus another difference is, we have an artificial river along the path as well... where huge ships pass by..well, just imagine typical Netherlands. ^^

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  8. I like the last photo more, not because it was taken better than the rest but because it is both nature and sun combined. This means that there is fresh air, a little warmth and a bit of brightness. I feel cold looking at the completely covered and shadowy area.

    Oh, I replied to your opinion here. Don't forget that the series is not complete yet and that would mean not so good things might come up... ^^

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  9. Beautiful photographs! We are so lucky to have such beautiful scenery open to us - your park is beautiful, and I hope you have a great weekend :)

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  10. I love getting lost in the woods! I bet I would have been too proud to tell you I was lost too.

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  11. Dad maybe didn't know where they were, but I don't think they were "lost". I think the little guy was freaked because Dad couldn't tell him where they were. Dad was in for the adventure, Junior was freaked out by the unknown. Cute story!

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  12. oh, i love the pictures, especially the first and the 3rd picture, the leaves are in their crisp bright and fresh green color, so lovely. i can get lost there and would love the peacefulness. i think maybe the boy was scared and did not trust his dad, good you walked with them and made the boy more at peace and happier.

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  13. Howdee..Just found your blog today..Very nice..I love your layout.
    The story is very cute! What a silly..worried little boy.
    Glad you could get them out safely.

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  14. i love your pictures and your adventures.

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  15. Thankful Paul - Hi, how are you.
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    Mike - I was thinking very similar thoughts when I heard him yelling for me. I also thought about writing something like that, but I had to remind myself to stick to the facts.
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    Ginnymo - Yeah, I think you're right. I also wondering if the dad was having a little fun with the boy.

    Glad to know you found out what it was. I was having trouble with it too, and with my new butterfly.
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    Icy BC - He was kind of a cute little kid, and I felt kind of bad for him, but it was also amusing.
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    Rainfield - I never thought of that. He might have been Mr. Nutz. He was a very small boy, maybe not much bigger than a squirrel. Now I'm beginning to wonder... :)
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    The Retired One - The dad did seem full of questions after the boy was done talking. I liked those trees that day too. I was glad I could work those pictures in.
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    Poetic Shutterbug - I suspect it was the boy's first time away from civilization. I was happy to talk to them. I get lost in the woods all the time. It's fun finding my way out.
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    When I Wander - Your cycle path sounds wonderful. I like to go down to the Detroit River and see the ships too. I'm lucky to have a lot of natural places like this around me too.
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    Some Travels - I like those sunny pictures too. This was an unusually gloomy day though. Most of the time even this forest is nice and bright.

    I saw your reply. I fully expect some things that are a little negative. All places have their good and bad aspects.
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    Meghann - Thank you. Yes, we are very lucky to have them. I'm especially lucky to have so many around me. You have a great weekend too.
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    Mr. New Dilemma - The woods are a great place. It is sometimes hard to ask someone else for directions, but if you ask the right person it can make your day.
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    Lin - I think you're very very close to what was happening with them. They were both there for the first time, and the little boy had probably never been in any woods before.
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    Betchai - I love those pictures because it was such a dark day. It made it even more peaceful for some reason. The leaves almost seem to glow right now. I felt kind of bad for the dad, because his son didn't trust him. I still wonder why he trusted me so much.
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    dAwN - Howdee dAwN, I like that greeting. It's the same thing my favorite little character Alice of Wonderland here likes to use. Yeah, he was silly, and kind of cute too. It was very fun helping them.
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    PJ - Thanks, today's adventure was especially fun for me. I don't usually get that much amusement from humans.

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  16. You have a wonderful blog here. I like the mood of your prose and your stories are very interesting. Great photography too!

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  17. MKReider - Thank you very much. I love compliments like that.

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