Silence

It was one of those places, charming and stupendous, a place that one would delight in visiting for a relaxing vacation. It lay far away from the noises and lights of the cities. Large trees grew all over the land, spaced out in a way that allowed for room to move and build simple houses. Numerous flowers dominated the grasses, blossoming by day and releasing their heavenly scent. Scurries of squirrels lived on Hickory, Beech, Maple, and Oak trees, running around the forest. Flights of butterflies paraded around the air, their beautiful wings creating dazzling shows in the sky. Birds of all colors, sizes, and shapes, flew freely in the sky, performing impressive stunts.

Yet here lay the most peculiar quality of this forest, it made no sound. The birds didn't sing and the wind didn't rustle the leaves of the trees. The squirrels made no sound in their playful games of tag and the butterflies flew silently, no murmur of air as they rushed away. It was perhaps for that reason, then, that no humans inhabited the area. In fact, quite few people were even aware of its existence. Perhaps, if more people knew about its wonders, more would care to visit, alas, this was not the case.

And so, when a weary camper, lost and hungry, happened upon this small forest, of course he was utterly delighted. Looking around in wonderment, he thought to himself, 'Why this must belong to some talented gardener.' For despite the other qualities of the forest, the one that stood out the most to him in his present state was the abundance of flowers and fruits of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Why, the simple enormity of it all was just astounding.

And when he bent down to pick some fruits which he assumed were apples, he beheld the greatest wonder of the forest, it made no sound. 'Astonishing!' the man thought. After a little more testing, he well understood that the forest made no sound at all, although the reason why he could not even begin to comprehend. And it was perhaps for that reason that he assumed that he would still be able to talk, despite being in the forest. However, when he attempted to speak, he was bewildered when his mouth moved, but no sound came out. He felt as if his very voice was being pulled out of him.

This observation quickly led to the traveler coming to the conclusion that something or someone was stealing all the sound from the forest. And as insanely odd that may have seemed, he decided to look for whatever was the cause of this peculiar occurrence. And all day he looked, all thought of food or drink forgotten. By night, a strange expression claimed his face, his eyes were glazed over, his mouth agape. He was focused on only one thing, restoring sound to the forest. And so he continued, living in the forest, searching, day after day.

What happened to him that day, what possesd him to take such a drastic decision, no one knows, and possibly will never know. For all that is known about him, he could still be searching today, searching for what will never be found. And all one can do now is mourn the loss of the lost camper, lost from his life, and lost from time, forever.