Monochrome Forest

• Judy Nguyen, Grade 10, Canley Vale High School -
• Short Story
• 2020

Excellence Award in the 'The Inside Story 2020' competition

A lone figure sat on top of a tree branch, her legs dangled like a rag doll’s and her body still as stone. Dulcet notes of a solitary tune fluttered past her pale lips. The sound echoed throughout the forest, the melody dancing quietly on its own amongst the gentle breezes of wind. Everywhere she looked was painted with monochrome. Every time she wandered she would discover either no signs of life or signs of unmoving life. However, despite all that, the forest brought a curious sense of peace to her. There was a calming silence that would coax her in a comforting embrace.

Crack! The sound of a twig being broken lacerated through the soundless air.

Her eyes snapped towards the source of the foreign sound. A spectacle of hope glimmered in her crystalline eyes before it dwindled despondently as fast as it came. No living being besides herself ever lived for long upon entry. The forest was notorious for the disappearance of many individuals. Once someone entered, they never came back out. Rumours floated around and many speculated that a killer hid amongst the woods.

“Is someone up there?” a young and boyish voice called out. He held a lantern towards the sky and spotted the girl on the tree. Stillness hung over the air and the girl remained silent.

Mistaking her silence as animosity, the boy decided to take a more conciliatory approach. A friendly smile graced his lips and his gaze brightened with amiability, his green eyes seemed to reflect like emeralds amongst the lantern light. “Hello,” he said. “You seem lonely up there, do you want to be my friend?” The light of the lantern flickered, it’s brightness progressively deteriorating.

A friend? This was the first time she had been asked a question and it was one that gave her profound confusion. It was as if the cogs in her brain had been interrupted with a new and unidentified piece of machinery. However, she couldn’t help but respond with a timid yet excited nod. She promptly hopped down from the tree.

“I-I’d like to be friends!” The girl smiled and grabbed the boy's hand, eagerly leading him deeper into the forest. “You know, it’s been kind of lonely,” she explained. “Every day, all I do is sing to the trees and listen to the wind.”

The girl helped the boy navigate through the forest, keeping a vigilant eye out for stray rocks and twigs. “I think it’s because of the curse in the forest, but it doesn’t matter now.” A joyful giggle left her lips. "The forest is actually quite an adventurous place, but we have plenty of time. I’ll show you around.”

And so, delving deep into the monochrome forest was a lonely girl pulling along a boy with expired emerald eyes and a dull lantern. The girl's overwhelming longing for a companion rendered her oblivious to the light that was no longer burning and no longer reflecting signs of life.