Exceprt from "Nature's Best"

(title is not finalized)

The sound of snow crunching alerted me that I suddenly wasn’t alone in this clearing, but I refused to turn my head and acknowledge their existence. I’d never seen another person out in this clearing in the three years I had lived in Idaho. It had always been only me, my thoughts, and the trees to keep me company. How had someone found this place? I was so lost in trying to find a solution that I was late in realizing the soft crunching had stopped right next to me.

“Good evening, miss.” the low tone in his voice slightly startled me--perhaps it was because I’d always come out here and never made a sound. Or maybe because I was still wondering how he even found this place. Nevertheless, he told me good evening.

“Evening.” I could hear his feet shift and the rustling of hands sliding into pockets, the feel of his eyes on me slightly unnerving. Why was he staring at me? Why is he so close? 

The proximity between us was beginning to make me uncomfortable and it annoyed me that he decided to stand this close to me. We were strangers layered in gear, there was no way he was getting heat from standing in that spot. The colors of the sunset were beginning to dull from their vibrant pinks and golds into the blues and purples of twilight.

I guess the sun got tired of showing off what it could do in its grand exit from our side of the world.

“Can I help you, sir?” I asked making sure to push irritation into my voice. A long moment went by and he let out a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry if i’m creepy, It’s just... I’ve never really seen anything like this before.”

“Seen what?” It was after this I finally decided to look at him. In the blue light of the sky his brown skin was darkened by the lack of real sunlight, but it didn’t take away from the soft angles of his face that represented manhood. His lips were curved in a smile reaching all the way up to his eyes. My strange companion was tall, about six-foot-three, and his dark green jacket didn’t do much to cover the broad frame of his shoulders.

“This,” he said with a sweeping of his arm to the clearing around us. “This world we’re in.”

I arched my eyebrow at him before looking around. I didn’t see anything special. It was the same clearing with the same snow that fell every year. The same snow that would melt in a few months and go back to being green and muddy and rampant with mosquitoes in July. It was hardly something special to be in awe about, in my opinion.

“Just, wow.” he breathed as he shifted his stance, his black and blue hat covered head tilting backwards as he deeply inhaled the crisp air that made my lungs normally freeze painfully. “Isn’t it amazing?”

The irritation I felt earlier at his short, cryptic answers was coming back full force and I narrowed my eyes at him as he brought his head down and smiled even larger than before. “Isn’t what amazing?”

“How beautiful this all is in the twilight...” Why was he so fascinated by this? It’s just snow! Natural occurrence by the water in the clouds freezing and all that shebang. It happened every year at least four times during the season. What was he seeing that I wasn’t?

“...Are you not from here or something?”

“Lived here my whole life.” he replied without turning away from the path ahead of us. “Still never ceases to be breath taking in its shapes and forms.”

“It’s just snow, sir,” I haughtily replied. “Happens all the time, every year.”

“You don’t understand,” he responded back, the softness in his tone causing me to look up and observe the love and respect for the scenery in his eyes.

“Don’t you feel that connection? That balance between you at the earth beneath your feet? Almost as if you could lay down in the snow and become one with everything, even if just for a little while?”

For a moment I looked around, but I felt nothing. No pull, no spark, no true satisfaction at the world living and moving around me. If I laid down, i’d just be cold and annoyed and gravity gave my feet connection to the ground. This was just another factor that added to my worthlessness, I guess.

“...No, I can’t say I do,” I finally replied, though my voice wasn’t as strong as I would’ve liked it to be. The man shook his head a little, that smile never leaving his lips, and he looked at me. The look transfixed me and almost felt like he was trying to peer into my soul. Cliche, a hundred percent, but what else can you call it when the intensity seeps into your bones?

I’d never had someone stare at me this way. I hated it.

“I’m sorry you don’t share the emotion.” he said with a hint of sadness. He then turned his head again towards the sky.

“Wow,” he exhaled. “The miracles that he spreads across his canvas for us to live in. God is such an artist.”

With that final statement, the crunching began again and he started to walk further down the path.

“Take care miss.” he called over his shoulder, that infuriating smile still plastered to his face as he looked behind at me. “I hope you make it home safe.”

His humming hit my ears and, oddly enough, angered me. I wanted to yell at him and demand more explanation, to tell me why he felt this “pull to the earth,” and why he was so fascinated over stupid snow after living here his whole life, but my words caught in my throat and I closed my mouth instead. Who was I to try and beat him down because I was too shallow to see what was in front of me?

At this point, Mr. Nature was gone from sight and I was here, alone with just my thoughts... and the trees... They were just trees; here before I was born and here long after I die... Why can’t I appreciate them like he did in that split moment?

I suddenly didn’t feel deserving to be out here in nature’s best. My head was aching from trying to figure out what was wrong with my approach to everything around me and the darkness of night was setting in. The walk back to my jeep was a quick one and I rested my head against the wheel as I gave the car a chance to heat up. My breaths were quick as my thoughts spun faster than I could keep up with and I began to breathe deeply into my gloves.

“It’s okay,” I told myself over and over again. “It’s just snow and he’s a weirdo. Not even that serious.” The car slid into gear smoother than it did on the way here and without looking back, I merged onto the highway and headed back towards the artificial lights.

I wonder if Mr. Nature has a flashlight out there.