Stranger
 
I met a stranger today.
I had a strange sense that I knew her somehow.
Slowly she walked towards the edge of a forest,
To the beginning of a dirt path.
Captivated by the mysterious stranger, I walked behind her
As the path snaked deeper and deeper into the forest.
The forest was unfamiliar – cold and unfriendly.
Tangles of limbs hung menacingly from towering trees.
The underbrush so thick that even the sounds were heavy and muffled.
The path that began as smooth and level steadily became rockier,
Becoming so steep I crawled and slipped in some places.
But that stranger – I knew her. I had to keep going.
Gradually her pace quickened, until I was struggling to keep up.
I called to her to wait, but she didn’t seem to hear.
Finally she stopped walking, and I ran to catch up to her.
She embraced me like she was a long lost friend.
So familiar.
Then she stepped back, and I looked into her face.
She looked back at me with empty eyes that I no longer knew.
There was a coldness about her now.
She glanced around us,
And we both realized she had led me in too far.
She told me I could let her go, and find my way back on my own.
I wanted to stay – but this forest was overtaking me.
I wanted to let go, but I needed to know who she was.
Afraid of the answer, I asked “who are you?”
Quietly she answered, with a hollow voice.
Even the forest grew still, as if straining to hear.
“My name is grief. And this is the forest of what used to be,
And what never will be.
Only I can remain here. You must find your way back.
We will meet again, as we have before.
In places you won’t expect to see me.
You will try to follow me, but you do not belong here.
Go.
Until we meet again.”

 K