The spirit of the forest 1
The spirit of the forest
Victor Stoyanov
English211
Gus Worth
Observational essay
October 24th, 2007
The spirit of the forest 2
The woods surrounding the peaceful village of Pravez are a very strange place. A
place where you do not want to get lost, especially if you are alone. You can never know what
lies around the next bend. It is only when you take a moment and smell the fresh air, hear the
birds sing, and the branches of the trees shiver you can really feel the true atmosphere of the
woods and the heartbeat of the living creatures in it. The forest is not a place that should be
feared, on the contrary, it should be embraced.
As I walk along the small off road path, winding through an area of silver
birches, I could hear the sweet song of the wind, shaking the branches of the trees. The sun
beams, making their way through the thin tree crowns, hit my face like a blessing from God as
I enter serenity. It is autumn and the leaves cover the ground like a soft Persian carpet. As I
slowly sit down I am able to glance a small river struggling to make its way. Not a single
cloud in the sky. A thought that I am dead and there is a magnificent afterlife flashes through
my mind. I let myself lie on the ground for a moment, knowing that I am going to get my
clothes dirty. My mp3 player is playing calming reggae music as I feel such peace that I have
never felt before. When I turn my head to the right I see a couple of Parus majors scattering
for food as if they are dancing. Their sweet tango is accompanied by the beautiful tweeting of
a bird unknown to me. Unwillingly I stand up for I have work to do.
As I approach the small river I notice a drastic change in the wilderness. From
the silver birches paradise, I was just into, I find myself in a scene of a low budget horror
movie. The crowns of the trees are thick now and the comforting sunlight is gone and it is
The spirit of the forest 3
replaced by the cold shadows of “the dark side”. A chill runs through my body. The emollient
sound of the birds is muted by the cruel barking of dogs from a nearby woodcuter’s shack. At
least the sound of the river gets stronger and stronger as I get closer. When I finally reach it
all sounds disappear as I am hypnotized by the sound of this divine source of life. A sudden
urge to see where the river is coming from takes over me and I know find my self jumping
from rock to rock in pursuit the unknown. Some rocks form a natural bridge over the river,
which leads to another barely visible path. My curiosity lures me across where I find that the
path splits into two separate ways. I know I should probably get back right about now but still
the horror movie scenario reveals as I find myself walking along the right track. There is no
longer any sign of peace only the cold arms of the woods surrounding me. A glance of light,
like in the end of a tunnel, becomes visible and I start pacing faster along the road.
As I reach the end of the tunnel I stand amazed. I have accidently stumbled
across a view unlike any other. I am able the see the whole Pravez valley in it’s full pride and
beauty. The new dorm of the university campus does not fit in the rest of the view. The
construction of a big building is easy to see. People the size of ants stroll along the narrow
infrastructure. It is almost as if the woods wanted to share this amazing secret, cleverly
disguised by the unwelcoming atmosphere this part of the forest sets, with me.
I take a mental picture and turn around to begin the long journey that lies ahead
of me. Everything is the same except the feeling. It is still dark and unwelcoming but I feel
pretty confident. Even the barking of the dogs now seems friendly. Back at the silver birch
part of the forest I could feel the sun setting behind me as I continue to pace towards my dorm
room. Again I am able to glance the two Parus majors, which seem to be having some sort of
conversation. When they take off I put my headphones back on and the sweet reggae sound
widened the smile on my face even more. As I walk out of the woods I could see the
The spirit of the forest 4
expression of the people who see me. It seems they are amazed that someone could actually
go for a walk in the forest. Their ignorance insults me a bit but it is not able to wipe the smile
of my face and the heavenly feeling which conquered my soul.
This trip proved once more the saying that you should not judge a book by it
covers. The woods may be cold and severe on the outside, when in fact they are keepers of
peace and inner beauty waiting to be spotted and appreciated. Once you become a part of the
perfect harmony that surrounds you when you are there, you can actually feel the forest’s
heart beat synchronizing with your own.