Chapter 16: The Forest's Whisper
595 Words
The forest was unusually quiet that morning.
Not silent...
Just...
Listening.
Echo stood beside the stream with his eyes closed.
He remembered Dorothy's words.
"Don't control the sound..."
"Become part of it."
A deep breath escaped his lips.
The flowing water...
The rustling leaves...
The distant chirping of birds...
Little by little...
Each sound became clearer.
Not louder.
Just...
Clearer.
---
"Echo."
His concentration immediately broke.
He opened one eye.
"...Morning, Mira."
She smiled gently.
"You're practicing already?"
Echo scratched his cheek.
"I can't control my blessing yet."
"I figured..."
"...If I keep listening..."
"...Maybe one day it'll listen back."
Mira looked thoughtful.
"...That's a beautiful way of putting it."
Echo laughed awkwardly.
"I actually just said whatever came to mind."
---
Behind them...
A loud yawn echoed through the forest.
Kodie slowly walked over.
"...Morning."
Echo smiled.
"Did you sleep well?"
"...No."
Echo blinked.
"...Really?"
"I woke up."
"...That's the problem."
Mira couldn't hold back a small laugh.
---
After breakfast...
Dorothy gathered the three students.
"Today's lesson..."
"...Requires no baskets."
Echo tilted his head.
"No herbs?"
Dorothy shook hers.
"No magic."
"No training."
Kodie looked hopeful.
"...A holiday?"
"...No."
"...I tried."
Dorothy smiled.
"We're simply taking a walk."
---
The four wandered deeper into the forest than ever before.
Huge ancient trees stretched toward the sky.
Soft rays of sunlight slipped between their branches.
Everything felt...
Older.
Almost...
Sacred.
Echo lowered his voice.
"...This place feels different."
Dorothy nodded.
"It remembers."
Echo looked confused.
"...Remembers?"
She simply smiled.
"Listen."
---
Everyone became quiet.
The breeze passed gently through the leaves.
Water flowed peacefully nearby.
A distant woodpecker tapped against a tree.
Mira closed her notebook.
Even Kodie...
Stopped fidgeting.
For several minutes...
No one spoke.
Then...
Echo frowned.
"...Did you hear that?"
Mira looked around.
"Hear what?"
"...Someone..."
"...Was humming."
Silence.
Only the wind answered.
Dorothy looked at Echo.
"What did it sound like?"
Echo closed his eyes again.
"...Soft."
"...Almost like..."
"...A lullaby."
Dorothy's gentle smile deepened.
"I see."
---
The walk continued.
Not long afterward...
They reached a fallen tree blocking the narrow path.
Echo stepped forward.
"I'll move it."
He placed both hands against the trunk.
Without thinking...
He listened.
The wood creaked softly.
The roots shifted beneath the soil.
He instinctively pushed...
Not against the trunk...
But with its movement.
The heavy log slowly rolled aside.
Echo stared.
"...I..."
"...That felt easy."
Dorothy nodded.
"You didn't fight against it."
"You understood its rhythm."
Mira looked impressed.
"So that's how your blessing works..."
Echo smiled.
"...Maybe."
"...Or maybe I just got lucky."
Kodie shook his head.
"...Luck doesn't happen twice."
---
As the sun slowly began to set...
The group turned back toward the cottage.
Echo quietly walked behind everyone else.
His fingers brushed against the little pouch at his waist.
The gifts inside softly bumped together.
A strange feeling filled his heart.
Almost...
As if the tiny keepsakes themselves had their own voices.
He smiled.
"...Maybe..."
"...Everything has a sound."
Ahead of him...
Dorothy looked toward the fading sunlight.
Without turning around...
She quietly spoke.
"You're beginning to hear it."
Echo's eyes widened.
"...Ma'am..."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
Dorothy chuckled.
"I didn't."
She continued walking.
"I simply remembered thinking the same thing..."
"...Many years ago."
Echo stood still.
For the first time...
He wondered.
What kind of blessing...
...did Dorothy possess?
The evening breeze carried away the question.
Leaving only curiosity behind.
---
End of Chapter 16
«Every heart has a voice...
Every forest has a melody...
The hardest part is learning how to listen.»
- Writer
