The Forest

THE GINGER BOY 

 

It's madness in the Umber Woods. A noise, a terribly loud noise, scares a young fawn. It's mother lays on the earth, blood running from its mouth, a smokey hole in its head. The fawn jumps around and around its mama trying to make her get up, but she doesn't move. There is a rustle in the leaves. Animals the fawn has never seen walk toward her. She runs on her thin wobbly legs as fast as she can, turns to see if her mama is coming. No, she is being tied to two poles and is being taken away. The poor orphan fawn lies down where his mama was and cries.

 

The earth begins to shake. A ferocious mean sound comes from a huge black bear. It looks at the frightened fawn and moves closer and closer to him. Its jaws open showing huge pointed teeth. They snap at the fawn who runs like the wind and disappears into the trees. The disappointed bear stops suddenly as a giant elk walks slowly towards the bear's bulk, antlers down ready for battle. The bear is ready too, stands on its hind legs and looks as tall as the sky to the elk. Each one runs, runs with all the speed they can muster.  They go in different directions.

 

The Lord of the Forest sees what is happening and wants the anger to stop. He sends down a few snowflakes, increases them until the forest is white. The black bear has found his cave and begins to fall asleep. Before his long winter nap begins he sees the elk that almost got him and promises himself that the elk will be his in the spring. For now the elks brother rests in his belly and its fat will keep him dead to the world until spring comes.

 

A cow bell rings. A white and brown cow, surely having strayed from its heard, is emaciated. Someone adept could play Yankee doodle on its rib  cage. On its back, holding tight to jagged reins, is a little something not see in these parts before. Its mouths sounds barely heard , twitter They are almost like birds' voices, high, repeated again and again. The small brown thing seems to be wearing ginger skin that matches the swirls and blots on the cow's back. She must be the mother. The Ginger Boy sits tight, lets the cow go where it desires. It walks in a circle, then a bigger one, lies down on its side for the Ginger Boy to suckle on its overflowing teats. Little black curls pop out on the Ginger Boy's head. His belly is full and he is happy. His broad cherry smile lights up its face. As he and the cow start to walk towards a white fence deeper in Umber Woods, the lonely fawn finds them.

 

They become a family, are given a warm home in the big red barn where they will be warm and safe until spring.