Where Mountains Blossom

Chapter 1

Waking up from my fall I found myself surrounded by forest and darkness. All of my limbs ached and my head was pounding. Getting up off of the ground was afoot within itself. But what made it worse was the lack of light and awareness of my current surroundings.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would be in a situation like this. It all happened so fast. One minute I was on a nice little hike through the forest preserve; the next I was trying to help someone up the cliff and was taken down with them. Remind me to never go hiking again.

As I kept looking around my eyes started to adjust to my surroundings. I was finally able to make out some grass and branches that had broken my fall. Using my hand I reached out for a tree and used that to help myself up. Luckily It felt like nothing was broken and only slightly bruised.

I was thankful that I had only fallen from a relatively small height. Probably only 10 to 15 feet at most. Now the next thing that I had to do was get some help. As it seemed my body was recovering from the shock.
Of course, today would be the day that I decided to keep my phone in the car and just "enjoy nature".

All I had on me was my car keys, chapstick, a lighter, and a knife.Currently from where I stood nothing looked familiar. The forest seemed bigger, wider even. Putting my hands out in front of me I used them to feel around the forest.

There were hardly any marked paths. Every step I took felt like the first.Taking slow and cautious steps I eased further into the forest; making sure to step over branches and big logs that were spread throughout the forest floor.

My heart was beating a mile a minute and every part of my body felt damp with sweat. Stress sweat: because it was anything but warm right now. A cool cutting wind made sure to emphasize that by blowing on my unprepared body.

As I was only wearing a white tank top that reached just over my stomach, a pair of khaki shorts that had all sorts of pockets and a pair of brown hiking shoes. The wind caused my body to tremble and goosebumps to appear all along my arms and legs.

I should have known to dress better when it comes to the weather in Washington, but how was I supposed to know that I would fall off a cliff? Continuing on my journey I could tell that the forest floor was damp with mist. I knew because the dirt was soft wherever I stepped and even though the air was cool there was a slight humidity that still hung in the air.

Darkness encased the forest. Maybe it was because everything was dark but I still should have been able to make out some landmarks. As I have been to this forest a couple of times.But let's not dwell on that anymore because the night air is becoming colder. I'll need to build a fire and find some food if I want to survive a day in this Forrest.

Recounting what my dad taught me when we used to go camping on the weekends as a family. Which I never imagined would come in handy, but God works in mysterious ways.
My dad was a Marine officer and he always taught me and my siblings how to be prepared for the unexpected.

And from his words, I always carried around my knife and lighter with me just in case I ever ran into a situation like this. Thankfully I knew how to start a fire from what he taught me. I also knew how to hunt, create shelter and make weapons to survive.

Walking deeper into the forest I found a clearing. The clearing was illuminated by the moon. Moving further into the clearing I was able to make out a lake with many different types of plants and trees surrounding it. Which was just what I needed.

Now that I've found the lake the first thing that I needed to do was start a fire. So I started to pick up small branches, leaves and dried-out grass. I also picked up some bigger branches to stabilize and keep the fire from going out.

First I laid down the smaller branches and then I added the dried-out grass. With one hand wrapped around the branches and grass to shield it from the wind; I put my other hand in my pocket and pulled out my lighter. I flicked it to create the spark to start the fire. Once the fire was started I gradually added bigger branches and the dried out leaves to the fire until it was to my liking.

The fire crackled and flickered with the wind but thankfully it never went out. After I had started the fire I went out looking for a longer branch to hunt with. Once I found one I then used my knife to make it into a spear. I needed the spear to try and catch some fish.

Walking around the lake I was able to find a spot where it was illuminated the most and I could see the fish, they were sleeping. Very quickly and carefully I raised my spear and launched it; hitting a medium-sized fish that looked to be a bass. All the other fish quickly dispersed out of the area.

Hurriedly retrieving my spear with the fish on the end carefully, so that I would only get slightly wet. I headed back towards my fire and I warmed myself back up. Then I took the fish off the spear, skinned it and cooked it.

As I knew it was important to replenish my strength so that my body could heal up. At any moment it felt like I was going to pass out. But all that was running through my mind was surviving the night.

The fish was bland due to a lack of seasoning and had a very distinct earthy flavor. Although the meat of the Fish was very tender and it didn't contain many bones so that was a plus. After finishing my meal and discarding it back into the water.

I went out to collect more wood and grass/ leaves.It was imperative if I was to stay here to build a shelter to house me for the night. I am so glad that I put my hair into a braid /medium twist meaning that I wouldn't have to worry about my hair for a while.

The only dilemma that I faced was the lack of a secure place to rest my jewelry. Never mind carrying them in my pocket since they were all meticulously handcrafted by me. In addition, all of my jewelry is made out of pure gold and silver. There was only one item in my entire jewelry collection that I didn't create.

It was a gorgeous silver and gold oval locket that my mom had given me. On the outside of the locket, my favorite flowers were carved on it. Which were magnolias, water lilies and sunflowers. Each flower was inlaid with enamel. And on the inside, it contained a picture of me, my sister, my brother, and my parents. The necklace was custom made for me. In this forest I couldn't bear to lose it, it was the only other thing I had left that was familiar to me.

Moving past that, I focused on the task at hand. Making a shelter. I had gathered enough sticks and leaves to make a small tent-like structure. Carefully and meticulously I arranged the sticks and the leaves the way that I wanted. Making sure everything went into the place I saw fit.

Drained from the events of the day I crawled slowly inside the tent and collapsed. Sleep overtook me in an instant, supplying me with a moment of escape. Everything seemed to still around me and all that was left was a sereneness and warmth that felt like it would last forever. However, as soon as the moment came it left bringing with it a rude awakening of a noise made outside my tent.