The leaves and branches stung my face with each breath I took. I could barely keep my eyes open in fear a stray branch would stab me through my eye. I was jumping and tripping over shrubs, the plants had grown so thick my feet barely touched the ground. Instead my legs would get caught in the briers which would cause me to stop and detangle myself. No matter how many times I got stuck I never seemed to lose my momentum as I kept pushing forward. Tripping by now was almost as natural as taking a step. But through it all I never fell.
With the tripping and the leaves slapping my face I often ran into trees. Not the big obvious trees, the small saplings that seemed like they weren’t there until you slammed into one. When I would think there was a clear opening, I would leap in its direction only to find a solid tree that would not move. I always ended up pushing against it and propelling myself sideways, away from the tree and into one right beside it.
Running through the forest seemed like a good idea originally. When fall came I never seemed to want to sit in one place for very long. I would look across from my house and see the orange and gold forest shining. I knew what hiking in the woods was like, it was a constant jigsaw puzzle weaving through trees, shrubs and streams. The activity kept me entertained and I was always upset to find the beautiful end in an abrupt road or housing complex. Hiking seemed like a timeless activity, no matter where you were there were always woods or wilderness calling to be explored.  Now, there barely seemed to be any endless woods or any endless forests left.
It was cool and crisp outside and the sharp burst of wind made my legs and face sting. I was sure by now Mother Nature had completely peeled my skin off with her evil thorns and briers as her demon errand boys. Streams and creek banks now added to my many obstacles. I felt like I was running in a seemingly straight line but the same creeks would jump in front of me over and over again. My feet would sink in the mud and make my shoes and socks damp.  I climbed up ledges to get across creeks or found large enough rocks to put me feet on if the water was too wide to jump.
I thought the forest would be darker, with the leaves shielding me from the sun. Instead there seemed to be a yellow glow that was brighter than the outside world. The forest floor was like a kingdom of its own filled with dark dead colors. The green thorns mixed with mud and dead leaves was a reminder of how things may be pretty now but it always ends, decays, and changes color.
Moss was starting to make my job of getting across the streams more difficult. The green algae along with the lingering dead leaves made me slip shin deep into the very thing I was trying to avoid. Now with the cold, the scratches, and the bruises I wanted to leave. My skin was burning with an insistent fury and my damp clothes stung me with bitter fierceness. I just wanted to leave, go home and look at the outside of the forest again.
Now that I had run as deep into the mystery I could, I saw it was a trap. It was a horrible trap that made you go through a swift excitement and slowly the injuries piled and piled up before the pain was unmistakable. Even though from the outside I longed for an endless forest full of beauty that would never end, I just wanted to find the road, the house or the civilization that would end it. Knowing I had to go back through the thorns and the streams made it seem impossible to leave. Even if it could be beautiful on the inside it was hurting me and I just wanted to stop running and trying to find something new and go back to where I was and the beautiful moments I had before I was scared.