Darkened Ground by Julie A. Dickson
Darkened Ground
The forest stood silently waiting for the first twinkle of light to peek through the trees, announcing the arrival of morning. The birds, still quite peaceful, had just begun their good morning songs of gaiety, fluttering about, fixing their nests, and looking for their breakfast of fat beetles. The small woodland animals were waking up, scampering around the forest floor.
A small abandoned campfire smoldered, the remains of a site from the night before. A brisk wind picked up, catching sparks and sending them airborne to a nearby thicket. Oxygen from the breeze fanned the sparks into flame. Crackling sounds broke into the quiet of morning as the ground cover caught fire, and soon the wandering fingers of flame crawled outward, quickly consuming leaves and grass.
In the distance could be heard other sounds. The birds and squirrels watched from trees and made nervous sounds in alert. The forest was suddenly alive with movement. The inhabitants gradually became of danger approaching, something that didn’t belong in their forest home. An acrid scent permeated the morning air and birds started flying around their nests, uncertain whether to stay with the un-hatched eggs or to fly away to safety. Fearful sounds gained volume as fluttering and scampering added to the sounds of the spreading fire, crackling as it consumed everything in its path.
As the danger approached, some rodents burrowed more deeply into the ground, while others ran to the edge of the forest, into the unfamiliar fields beyond. A chipmunk sat up on haunches to look around. Smoke was now visible and many animals were running from the woods, squirrels and rabbits ran alongside one another without regard for anything but their instinct to flee.
Suddenly a thunderous loud noise was heard, the roaring flames and crackling terrifying the woodland creatures. Young ones being herded along, some followed their protective mothers, not understanding what this danger was all about. A sudden burst of flame shot up, engulfing a nearby tree right next to a mother fox and her young, rousted from their den. One by one the trees began to burn.
The pounding and galloping of many hooves could be heard as the larger animals joined the small in their attempt to escape. Eyes wild, they ran into each other, dodging the burning trees. Above the crackling fire could be heard, the distinct and terrified cry of a lost fawn, calling helplessly to its mother until the cries slowly died away.
Hours later, the fire was burning itself out. The smoking remnants of trees, burnt brush and darkened earth were all that remained of the once lush foliage. Many who did not survive lay out in the open with charred remains smoldering. Those who had hidden were dead in their final, burnt-out burrows and tree hollows. Some survivors had been blinded or were overcome with smoke which scorched their eyes and their fragile lungs. Birds fluttered around nervously, having lost nests and young; they had suddenly lost all purpose. The sounds were much different than before the blaze, when happy morning songs had permeated the air; now they were replaced by strange twitters from the birds, and low cries from the woodland creatures.
Those animals displaced from homes in trees, shrubs and burrows by the fires stood around nervously, searching for hiding places in the field outside the forest. Shared disaster bringing the woodland creatures closer together than nature intended, they slowly walked away from their ruined forest in confusion. Their disorientation would bring them too close to the things of man.
© Julie A. Dickson
So powerful and sad, Julie!
ReplyDeleteHurts my heart.😔
ReplyDelete