It's Like a Maze!

Tuesday, November 17, 12:30 p.m. - Walking into the woods has a different feel this afternoon.  Some of the trees and vines seem to hang or bend in a different way.  Through the branches the sky is a dusty blue.  A chill rolls through the air, but I feel comfortable - not too cold.  I walk over a couple trees that have fallen across the path.  They throw me off guard, and I have to slow down and pause for a moment.  I feel like I'm lost, like I am in a new part of the woods.  I look around.  The continuous cycle of dying leaves might be one of the main reasons that the woods are always changing.  Or even the broken trees that cause for mini obstacles along the trail.  Either way, I continue to walk with Manny.

After another few minutes, I realize that we've past our usual spot.  I can't remember getting lost for any of my blogs.  I guess I'm really not lost, but I find it interesting how I got turned around.  I could have just not been paying attention, or my mind might have been in a different place.  Manny sure as hell doesn't mind.  He's enjoying everything on the woodland floor, sniffing and licking all around.  He is about twenty yards ahead of me when I turn to go back.  I hear his pause in the leaves, and then he takes off to catch up to me heading towards our weekly spot.

When I was much younger, possibly the summer heading into fifth or sixth grade, my friends and I thought we knew the woods better than anyone.  We would all meet at someone's house, and then we would cut through some yards and head into the woods.  We found a shortcut through the woods that would lead us right to the community pool.  One day, along the way we found a giant bush, or even a bunch of bushes tangled together, of berries.  Black berries and raspberries.  We'd show up at the pool with juice stains on our lips and teeth.  Our fingers would be stained black and red.  The berries lasted for a long time, and we made sure to keep their location a secret.  Only our small group would be able to enjoy the sweet fruits.  After a while they were gone.

As the summer went on we tried to search for more berries but were unsuccessful.  My friend, Chris, and I decided one day to go on a hunt deep into the woods for some berries.  We started at all of our usual spots.  Nothing by the pool.  The baseball field that was past the pond and tucked into a corner of the woods was berry-less.  We scaled the edges of the creek and a few open spaces at the edge of the woods.  Once our reliable areas let us down, we headed off the trails and into the thickness of the woods.  When you're in the woods, time seems to sift by.  You get caught up in everything around you; you become dazed almost.  We searched and searched until we realized that the sun was going down.  The only rule that our parents had was that we needed to be home by dark, at least to check in or get something to eat.  We turned and started to head back to where we thought we had come from.  In the dark, the woods seemed to transform.  Things seemed different, like we were in a giant maze where the walls had moved changing the paths.  We were scared and hungry.  Before we gave up on the ground and started crying, we made our way to a break in the woods where we could see rooftops.  We hustled to the edge of the woods only to find ourselves at the opposite end of our neighborhood.  We took the long way home by sidewalks and streets.