Author #3
Dawn is that ever longed for light from the east, that so many people far from civilization long for with each passing moment of the waning night. The first hint of growing light in the sky, the dimming of the brilliant stars above, that first grip upon the far eastern hills by a presence not known as night. For any man alone deep in the wilderness trying to get through an uneasy night, hope springs up inside him when he looks about and realizes the first glow from the east, ever slowly and insurmountably pouring over the crests of the eastern hills.
Dusk is the waning of the light upon the world, and light is what brings a natural comfort to the uneasy soul. So as fades the light from the land, so too grows the darker things, which give brood to the recesses of the mind, and instills a great wonderment of the unknown, and at what may lay out there in wait amongst the growing shadows. And as Dusk completes it's task upon the world, it leaves in it's place full and absolute night, where even the most comfortable and experienced of travelers will slightly hold their breath at what the uncertain nature of darkness might bring upon the world in the coming hours.
When the darkness takes the land, the fear buried deep in mens' souls becomes emboldened to leap forth from its lurking places, and the shadows at last complete their conquest upon the visible world. The imagination arises as well at this hour, giving fear its direct pathway into a man's mind, to inhabit his thoughts, and play upon his situation, making things seem much more urgent and dire than they need necessarily be. The sinister side of imagination readily cloaks itself in the complete envelopment of night.
But whereas dusk brings a brooding uneasiness upon one's soul, dawn's light brings the promise that the shadows and dark fears of the mind shall soon be driven forth. The forest is soon revealed to be exactly the way it was before the sun had set. There is no mischief about, no mystery, and without the shadows to inhabit the land, the wild machinations of the human mind also flee to their resting places for as long as the light holds dominance over the land.
***
And so it was, after three long days, and three even longer nights, that the first rays of sunlight from the fourth day began to creep into the eastern sky. The night had been chill, more chill than the previous two, and the promise of warmth from the sun was a very welcomed idea. He sat huddled against the tree, arms wrapped firmly around himself, trying to ward off the shivering chill. His knees were pulled close to his chest as well for warmth, and one small blanket there was to help insulate him from the coldness of the night.
But for all the promise of warmth that the sun might bring in the coming hours, his mind had struggled mightily through the darkness of the night as well. It had been a third straight night of being stranded deep in the woods, alone, without proper supply or companionship. This third night had surely been the worst of the lot thus far. Not only was it the coldest of the three, but the wind had whipped up in a curious way, almost as if it had a mind of its own, and was intent on spooking him every time he would close his eyes to sleep.
Here or there, one branch would rub against another in a way it had not done all night, or a branch might fall with a loud thud upon the forest floor. The mysteriously cruel wind had also played tricks upon his very tired mind, for it sounded at times as if animals were milling about in the shadows; or even worse gave hints of people's happy voices from afar. After the fear of being alone in the woods at night, the worst thing that plays upon a man's mind is the loneliness he has of being separated from human kinship.
But now the light of day was slowly coming. Imperceptible in it's progress, nevertheless the cyclical struggle between day and night played it's normal path on this morning, and each time he glanced up to the east he could see just a shade more light. When there was finally enough light having flooded over the eastern hills into the valley where he sat, only then did the shadows dissipate enough about him for his mind to be at rest. And only then as morning took the land, and he felt some comfort in it, was his very tired mind finally able to fall asleep again.
He slept in this huddled fashion for some time, leaning back against the large tree trunk, and when he next awoke, the sun was several hours above the horizon, shining it's direct light down upon him. It was full day now, and he shook off the remaining slumber upon him and welcomed the morning. The warmth of the sun falling directly upon him was wonderful, and cast aside the deep chill that had inhabited him during the night.
With the blindfold of the night now gone, he gazed upon the wonderful scene about him. Beautiful woods, untouched by the axes and designs of man, were displayed before him for as far as he could see. The chill nights of early October were draining the sap from the trees, and the leaves by now no longer held their deep green hues. Here and there slight touches by Nature's brush had dotted trees with off colors, none too bright or brilliant or pure in tone; but mixed with the fading green of the leaves about gave rise to the notion that autumn was indeed upon the land.
His stomach was empty, and crying for something to fill it; and while he had more food, he knew he had to make it last for as long as possible. He quickly tried to put the hunger out of his head and think about his situation. It was now his fourth day in this condition. His scrapes and bruises had healed a bit more with each passing day, but he was still in no shape to set out on a long journey in his search of civilization. He reckoned that a day or two more of this lying about was the best thing for him before setting out.
His mind pondered suddenly about his family and friends. Back in his quiet hometown, on this fourth day of his unexpected absence concerned family members and friends had become considerably distressed about his whereabouts. There at the police station, they were no doubt busy filing a missing person's report. And while he hated that anyone should become distressed over his absence, the idea also brought hope with it that it may cause a search and rescue operation of some sort.
Having made his plans to wait another day or two until he was well enough to travel out of these deep woods, he took to lying about, calmly observing the woods about him as Autumn slowly stole over them. Quietly passing the time in this fashion he would take short naps, and in as peaceful a mood as a person in his dire position might be, shortly after awaking he would again fall into another short nap. And thus he would nap here and there throughout the afternoon. It was a good way for making up the lost hours of sleep that the chill and misery of last night had robbed from him. Content with the warmth that the rays of sun had cast upon him, these afternoon naps helped passed the day rather quickly. When he finally awoke from his last short nap, he realized his dear friend the sun had become intent on heading for the western hills.
He sat there on the forest floor, pondering the coming of evening. Even now as the sun approached the western hills, it's rays of warmth had begun to fail, and with clouds beginning to move in from the west, it was soon obscured even further. The temperature began to plummet, and the eery winds of the previous night seemed intent on returning to haunt him throughout the dark hours to come.
The land had by now grown dim, and with it a sure chill began to inch across his bones. There was certainly a hint of rain in the air, which would make his night even more miserable. He reached for the blanket, and pulled it over himself again, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself for maximum warmth. This, the fourth night, was to be the longest and most unpleasant of all for him. As the shadows grew, so did the darkness of his imagination. He closed his eyes to ward off these evil spirits from his mind, and tried desperately to think of warm places far away; of home, of fire, of a good warm meal.
Similar to the previous night, when the wind seemed to create the illusion of distant voices, a familiar voice seemed to call out, very faint at first, though much more real. It seemed to advance and grow louder, until he was aroused from his imaginary world. In the growing gloom he could see his father in the distance approaching, calling out his name. It was in fact dinner time, and he was being ordered to come home immediately.
And with the summoning of his father's calls, the young and playful boy Thomas was aroused from his little game of Survivor. With evening coming on, he realized that just like his imagined stranded character, he was in fact quite chilled by now, the temperature having plummeted, and the shadows of night were causing his young imaginary mind to come up with no limit of dark and sinister shapes in the shadows as night approached.
His father was by now standing right before him, "My goodness Thomas, you've been out in these woods a good long time, I was beginning to think you'd gone missing on us."
When receiving the answer of what was for dinner, after a day of playing in the woods little Thomas's by now empty stomach was more than eager to rush back to a nice hot beef stew with some apple pie for dessert, and there was even the promise of some hot chocolate by the fire side to thaw out his chilled bones. The woods, he agreed, as he set off for the lights of the cabin with his father, were fun for playing Survivor by day, but at night he'd much prefer the warm and comfortable confines of their home, punctuated at the end of a day with a very warm blanket and a soft bed. The struggles of the stranded survivor would return to this very patch of woods tomorrow, but first there was warm beef stew, apple pie and a good warm bed to occupy his mind.
