"The Log"
Summer. A time for laughter, play, and adventure. The cool water of the forest steam rushed over our feet as we trudged along our normal exploration trail. My two brothers walked in front of me, step for step in sync with one another, just as they had always been from the moment of their birth. We found our favorite spot, an enormous fallen log that we had deemed as "the log".
We sat, letting the hot sun warm our bodies and freezing stream chill our feet. Beside me both my brothers had their faces leaned toward the sky, the golden light of the summer sun illuminating their faces. The one closest to me, Erin, suddenly jerked his eyelids open, scanning the sky.
"Do you hear that?" His eyes continued to scan, moving from the sky to the treeline across the woodland stream.
My other brother rolled his eyes, leaning lazily back on the rough, slightly decayed surface of the log.
"You're imagining it." Sam said, though I observed him scan the sky when he thought no one as looking.
Then a few moments later we heard it. A rustling, faint at first but then growing louder as time passed. Sam pursed his lips together into a tight line. His amber eyes were alert and watching. Just as I was about to provide my two sense on the matter, an enormous white and gold owl soared out from the direction of the rustling. We stared our eyes in shock. In its large talons was a snake, one that Sam and Erin recognized immediately as something extremely poisonous. The owl landed on a tree limb slightly behind us. My brothers and I backed away slowly, keeping our steps slow and steady. As soon as we were clear, we bolted. Though as our footsteps pounded away, I couldn't help but think what would have happened if that owl hadn't caught that snake hidden in the brush, the same brush that we were sure to trek through to find the path home.
We sat, letting the hot sun warm our bodies and freezing stream chill our feet. Beside me both my brothers had their faces leaned toward the sky, the golden light of the summer sun illuminating their faces. The one closest to me, Erin, suddenly jerked his eyelids open, scanning the sky.
"Do you hear that?" His eyes continued to scan, moving from the sky to the treeline across the woodland stream.
My other brother rolled his eyes, leaning lazily back on the rough, slightly decayed surface of the log.
"You're imagining it." Sam said, though I observed him scan the sky when he thought no one as looking.
Then a few moments later we heard it. A rustling, faint at first but then growing louder as time passed. Sam pursed his lips together into a tight line. His amber eyes were alert and watching. Just as I was about to provide my two sense on the matter, an enormous white and gold owl soared out from the direction of the rustling. We stared our eyes in shock. In its large talons was a snake, one that Sam and Erin recognized immediately as something extremely poisonous. The owl landed on a tree limb slightly behind us. My brothers and I backed away slowly, keeping our steps slow and steady. As soon as we were clear, we bolted. Though as our footsteps pounded away, I couldn't help but think what would have happened if that owl hadn't caught that snake hidden in the brush, the same brush that we were sure to trek through to find the path home.
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