Genevieve
was a wild child.
Her
elbows and knees were covered in scratches, scars, scabs and bruises.
She had
long brown hair which was always full of tangles, brambles, sticks, and
sometimes even bugs
(much to
her mother’s dismay).
Genevieve
liked to climb trees
And jump
in mud puddles
And wrestle
boys.
And she
was ALWAYS in trouble.
One day,
after being sent to the principal’s office, yet again, her mother tried to
punish her
By keeping
her indoors.
But Genevieve
escaped!
She
climbed out of the window, and ran.
She ran,
and ran, yelling at the top of her lungs all the while.
She ran
until her chest ached, and her eyes watered.
She
scared all of the squirrels,
And rabbits,
And birds,
Even the
bees off of the flowers.
She ran
straight into the Watcher’s Woods…
And she
stopped.
The
forest was cool and dim.
The
trees towered high above her head.
Genevieve
became very quiet.
It was
only then that she realized that she had run out of her house
Without first
putting her shoes on.
“All the
better to walk through the woods,” Genevieve thought, “especially for a wild
child like me.”
She
looked ahead of her, and saw a long winding path into the forest.
A breeze
blew towards her, and on it she smelled
Wildflowers, honey and water.
The
breezed tugged at her feet, and the trees waved their branches at her:
“join
us, join us…”
They
seemed to say.
She
began to walk.
She saw
many strange plants and insects.
She
heard many different bird songs.
She squished
her toes in cool, soft mud.
And
almost caught a slimy toad.
Genevieve
walked and walked until she found a meadow with a small, clear pool in the
center.
When she
approached the pool she saw a large boulder
Smack dab in the center.
She swam out to it, climbed its massive face, and
crowed jubilantly once she reached the top.
Genevieve sat and smiled.
She felt happy, wild and free.
She looked towards the sky, and saw that the sun was
beginning to set.
“I best be getting home,” she said aloud, “my mother
will be worried sick, and I forgot to feed Kilroy.”
She began to climb down, and fell in with a splash.
“Ouch!” she cried, to no one in particular, “Now you
didn’t have to do that!” she scowled at the boulder.
She half swam, half crawled out onto dry land, and
shook like a dog.
Genevieve began to follow the path back, and soon
was scratched head to toe by branches.
“OW, OW, OW!” she exclaimed, surveying the damage, “Those
weren’t there before!”
She continued along the path, frowning and shivering
from the chill, when she tripped over a root,
And was sent tumbling head over heels.
“That wasn’t there before either!” she cried
exasperatedly, “I’m filthy and I didn’t even try! What’s the big idea?” she
cried to the sky.
She trudged to a small boulder overlooking a
babbling brook, and sat down with a loud THUMP.
A gentle breeze picked up, and became a wind.
“Whissssssss…”
Genevieve sat straight up.
Spine tingling,
Heart pounding,
Ears pricked.
“Weeeeeeeeee waaaanttt youuuu Genevieveee…weeeeee
neeeeeed youuuuuu…”
She heard in a long, strained whisper.
Genevieve shot straight up from the boulder, the
forest was deathly silent.
The wind whispered again:
“Weeeee neeeed a waaaaatcher Genevieveee…our old
waaaatcher leffft ussssssss…”
“What do you mean?” she asked, eyeing the brook
suspiciously.
The wind picked up once more, and said:
“ A waaaatcher to loooove usss and protecttt usss…one
whooo finds peeeace in usss, from the smallessst ant, to the tallessssttt tree…”
“ I do love you forest,” Genevieve replied.
“…one to stayyy with usss and waaaatch outtt for
ussss, toooo keeeeep out the baaaad, alowww entryyy of the goooood, a waaaatcher
of the wooooood…”
Genevieve
put a hand on her hip, and seemed to think for awhile.
“Is that
why you pushed me off that rock?”
“yesssss…”
“and
scratched me with all those branches?”
“yessssssss…”
“and
tripped me with that root?!
“yessss…”
“Well,
you see, I really like it here, but that’s no way to treat a person, especially
if you really like them.”
The
woods stood still.
“But…”
she said.
They
waited expectantly for her answer:
“BUT I
REALLY FORGOT TO FEED KILROY!” she yelled.
And ran.
And ran.
She ran
all the way out of the wood, but when she reached the edge, she stopped, and
yelled:
“I’LL BE
BACK! SOMEONE NEEDS TO WATCH YOU SMELLY OLD WOODS!”
And an
old man sitting on a park bench jumped, startled by her appearance and bizarre retort.
“Why,
good evening young lady,” he remarked, “aren’t you out late?”
“Good
evening,” she replied, and off she ran.
