It was a warm day in the middle of spring. In this time of the year, the forest was usually lush with green and filled with furry mammals that would scurry about. The rivers would bring newly melted snow from the mountaintops and into the valley, where my village was located. It could have been such a nice day, such a wonderful day, such a beautiful day.
I was running away, with my back turned against my village, my home that now will be forever lost by the devouring flames. I could still feel the fire licking at my clothes. The fear, the pain… It motivated me to push my weak body and my frightened mind to move faster. I dove into the forest and dashed through the trees that once have been my playground. I had to get away from my village before they came back.
I never understood how this all came about. First there was an argument between my village and these strangers with strange clothes about land. We gave them our food and other goods, thinking it would persuade them to leave us alone. But it didn’t work. The strangers were always wanting more, always wanting something we had. They kept pushing us away for the soil that my ancestors grew up in for many generations. And when we refused to bend to their will, they took the only thing we had left: our village and our lives.
Except me. I got away. Mother told me to go play outside the village, and so I did. I fiddled around the trees and threw stones into the river. I sang with the birds and croaked with the frogs. I laughed and danced until I smelled smoke in the air. My birds and frogs sensed it too and disappeared. Curious, I made my way to the village, only to see it covered in shades of bright orange and red. Terrified, I hurried to my home, searching for Mother. But I didn’t find her; instead, I found one of those strangers in their strange clothing. I gasped with terror and immediately ran away, out of the village and into the shadows of the trees.
I don’t know how far or how long I ran. Eventually I could no longer smell the smoke, and birds surrounded the area once more. But I did not stop until I could not run any longer. I fell to my knees in exhaustion and crawled to a tree, where I could lean on it for support. A small creek flowed on my left, and a small cave to my right. Suddenly, tears poured down my face as if I just realized what was happening. Mother, Father, even my wonderful friends… They were all gone. I had no one left in this world that I loved and cared about. I was alone.
Finally, I pushed back my tears and decided to find courage. I could not weep and ponder in self-pity forever; I will need to forget my past and start a new future. I would need to find a new village that would accept me. Or I would care for myself in this forest. I needed to survive this and live. I needed to become stronger and smarter. I needed to start looking after myself. That way, I could eventually avenge the death of my village.
But that must come later. First, I needed to rest. The day of fire and running left me fatigued and overwhelmed. My revenge and new life could start tomorrow. And so as the sun sank at the bottom of the horizon, I slowly made my way to the cozy cave. I curled my frail body into a great ball and slowly fell asleep. And this was where I would rest peacefully for eternity.