Many trees stood their ground in this forest, some tall and strong from years of faithful service overlooking the land. Others were more diminutive, not as far along in their journey. A crystal clear stream flowed along the trail. It sparkled from the dappled light filtering through leaves, but disappeared as the trail ascended. Everything was bright and green. Birds sang while butterflies flitted by; squirrels toted around nuts nearly as big as their heads, struggling, but never giving up; a deer was spotted rubbing his antlers against the base of a tree, its branches swaying in delight.

The hiker continued on along the ridge, higher and higher he went. He had not been on many trails before, and the elevation of this one proved to be a challenge. He enjoyed views of Tennessee mountains to his left and North Carolina mountains to his right, and so he just kept putting one foot in front of the other. This was a type of therapy for him. Right now he was really just running away. The relationship, family, and work problems that he figured was the same crap everybody had to deal with.

Looking ahead, a clearing was quickly coming into view and this was enough to motivate him to push just a little bit more. Reaching the peak, he didn’t notice an exposed tree root in his path. He was in awe of the natural expanse in front of him and his foot caught the root, lurching him forward. His heart beat frantically, but he managed to regain his balance near the cliff’s edge. Slowly he lowered himself down to the ground and his “problems” faded into the distance as he looked down at the incredible view; a view that he was glad he had not become a part of.

This is my contribution to: Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner: 2023: Week #01 I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the great prompt!

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