THE FOREST

He stared at the wall for quite some time, it stared back at him, not that he was interested in how it looked, or that he saw anything surprising in the architectural work or anything. However, he was bored because his mother Caroline refused him to go to a nearby and very huge and scary forest, which he had been dreaming of since he was very young.

"Bob...Bob" Called his mother Caroline in a calm and sweet loving tone.

"Yes mom Coming," with a rather sharp voice he replied,

"Fast dear, breakfast is ready" she called in a sharp tone to make sure she was heard.

Bob rose up from his bed and rushed straight to the table. He knew he was starving.

"Stop it dear" began his mother seeing him stretching his hand to take up some cakes. He cast a stern look and withdrew his hand.

"Mom why? Am starving here" said Bob; he could hear his stomach making noise, the noise similar to the clouds about to give out rain. His mother shifted the food away from Bob's reach.

"Have you cleaned your face? In fact you are still in your pajamas please go and clean up and remove the pajamas now ok?" said Caroline, looking so surprised at his only son.

Bob could feel his stomach burning now. He took off fast to his room, quickly removed the pajamas and back to clean himself up.

When he took off to the bathroom, he tripped on a dog and hit himself hard on the floor in order not to injure the little dog.

"Bob are you ok?" wondered his mother Caroline while coming close to examine him.

Bob did not respond, he picked himself up, and instead turned to the little dog and said "Puca are you ok?"

Caroline just stood beside them shaking her head, she felt good to see her son risk his life for the dog. She knew how her son loved tamed animals. He stood up, cleaned himself up, went past his mother without a word, and sat down on the dining table. In addition, of cause he started ingesting the food.

However, Bob was eating savagely. The mother knew by the look on his face that he was worried and bored about something.

"Dear I know you are worried on the issue we talked about last night, how on this earth can it be possible for you a thirteen years old to go to that scary forest hah?" asked Caroline in a really confused tone. She did not like her only son and only child for that matter to be in a bad mood.

"Mom look" he began while suspending his cap of tee "Firstly am not scared of that forest, secondly am not young mom I can protect myself. Don't tell me that you have forgotten that you sent me to a kung-fu school, am equipped mom nobody can mess with me."

"I know dear, we are talking about the forest here where different animals live, not humans," said Caroline in a calm tone.

"Mom! Is just that am tired staying at home and playing the same games and of cause watching the same movies, I asked for Harry Potter and up until now you haven't bought them for me, all my friends are away in holidays enjoying and am here without a friend to talk to. This house of ours is so isolated that I can't see any house near us, we are close to these forests why not visiting them to keep us accompany , I just want to visit nature mom" pleaded Bob.

"What are you going to see son?" asked Caroline in her usual cool tone.

"Many things mom, Birds, Trees and the quiet springs" He replied.

"Ok I will let you go there on one condition" barked Caroline.

Bob jumped up with happiness and stopped to hear the condition.

"Condition, what condition mom?" with a surprised face Bob asked.

"Simple, just go with Puca" she demanded.

Bob was very happy this time, already it was his plan to go with Puca and it was like his dream come true. He hugged his mom so tight that Caroline started to choke.

"Dear that's okay, am not breathing," she confessed.

"Oh, sorry mom" he began "just that am very much pleased and I think I should go right away"

"Ok I will be waiting and do not come late Ok?" added Caroline.

"Not to worry mom I'll be back right in time." Proudly replied Bob.

Puca was really a very good dog, it looked big with a lot of fur and a large tail.

"This way Puca fast!" interjected Bob.

Puca with a happy face moved forward out from the house heading to the forest. Bob's house was located close to the forest. It was about seven miles away from the town.

Bob did not believe that he was really going to the forest that he had been dreaming of since he was nine and now it was his dream come true. Bob was a very unusual boy and most of all fearless. Many people were afraid of this forest but Bob had broken the ice.

"Now listen to me Puca," said Bob scathingly "we are about to enter there!" He pointed his great finger towards the forest. They were there now, slowly and alert they walked into the forest.

"Don't do any silly thing, and don't chase anything you got that?" Bob told Puca.

Puca stood still, his eyes right in Bob's eyes, and he knew that the dog understood him.

They walked in slowly and all in all they were there, right inside the thick scary forest. A dream forest he calls it.

They come across a big tree that had very wide branches. Therefore, Bob told Puca to rest a bit. As they rested, Puca saw something moving behind a shrub, the dog went close to the shrub sniffing and overall then he was carried away by it.

To Bob's surprise Puca was nowhere to be seen.

"Puca ... Puca ... Puca" He called, called and called but to no avail. To other hand, Puca was busy sneaking to catch the animal and suddenly he stumped a rotten stick that produced a snapping sound that made the creature to know that it was being followed so it disappeared for good. Puca tried to bark but the creature was nowhere to be seen. Puca looked back and was surprised that he was somewhere new. He tried to sniff the way he had used but he could not he was lost.

Bob was so out of breath, he was about to swoon now. He did not even know which way was the right way to take. He looked up, he barely saw the clouds, the big branches of the trees, and their broad leaves obstructed him. The forest was very thick and he did not know which way to take in search for his dog Puca. He started to think why his mother was refusing at first place.

"What will I say to my mom now?" this was the question ringing in his head.

Bob searched and searched until it was getting dark. As he walked around the forest in search for his dog Puca, his two eyes converged right on the ground some thirty centimeters away. He saw a place that was so unusual to him; it was covered with grass and tree-leaves but on top was something that looked like good oval stones. The moment he drew nearer and took one of them, He was surprised to see that what he was holding was not a stone that he thought but rather a big egg. He took another one and looked at it critically.

"What kind of an animal or a bird can lay these kinds of eggs moreover on the ground like here?" He thought to himself.

No sooner than later he saw a very scaring big bird, the bird that in his life it was the first time to see. The bird was almost his size. It had long carved claws, a big and sharp beak.

Bob just stood motionless, his mouth ajar in awe struck. Was this big bird going to kill him because he was holding its precious egg?

When the bird drew nearer that is when he became conscious and decided to run. The bird got attention of him and started to chase him, he was afraid because the speed at which he was running was very flabbergasting.

Puca sat down thinking; he had nothing to do rather than to sit down because he was tired. He walk up now, he heard the noise of the flapping wings.

"WOLF ... Wolf," he barked looking so terrified and of cause trembling. When he rushed sniffing to the source of the noise, he saw Bob running. Proudly he rushed to his rescue.

Bob suddenly hit the big protruding root and fell hard on the ground.

"WOLF ... WOLF ... WOLF" burked Puca while looking at the angry big bird. The big Bird stopped chasing him and returned to where its eggs were.

"Thanks Puca," began Bob. "But where were you hah?"

Puca was busy licking Bob's hands. Bob did not know why the bird had chased him this far.

"Stop it Puca, what is it?" He asked.

Puca did not stop licking his hands, so when he looked in the hands he saw the big bird's egg; it was right in his hands. He did not know that he had the huge egg in his hands.

"Oh, I think that is why the bird was chasing me" He reckoned.

There was another bang from the forest. Bob now looked startled. "Puca lets go it's getting late," he said whilst watchfully putting the egg down beside a hedge plant.

"Puca now let's go," he commanded.

Puca was busy looking at the egg. He even sat down to look after it. Bob knew that Puca did not want the egg to stay at the back

Bob came back and took the egg into his bag. "Ok I think now it is fine with you so let's go fast come on"

Puca rushed after him and looking so depressed. They set off to their destination.

When they reached home, the door was open so they slowly crept in, went to their room hide the egg, and came out.

"Mum" he began.

"Oh dear you are back?" she asked.

"You did not know? We came in some hours ago" With a clever look, he lied.

"That is good for you dear" she responded.

"So I will be in my room ok" Continued Bob.

"Dear don't, come first and help me cook" his mom requested.

"Mom I am not in the mood of doing anything now sorry ok? I have to be in my room." He confessed.

"Ok dear I understand," she continued, "I will call you when the food is done ok?"

"Thanks mom" Bob said.

Bob didn't want to do anything because he had allot in mind: the big bird chasing him, the dog getting lost and most of all that he had a bird egg right in his room, so he wanted to attend to it..

He was in his room now examining the bird egg and holding filmy against his chic. The egg produced good warmth and Bob knew that eventually he would definitely have a little bird and him definitely the mother though he is a Boy.

"Bob, Bob, Bob!" Caroline called.

Bob did not believe how fast the food was prepared and he did not know that he had spent a couple of time thinking about the precious egg.

"Coming Mom" he replied.

"What made you busy dear?" asked Caroline.

"Errm, I was examining the e ..." he stopped, and thought for a moment he reversed, he did not want to tell his mom about the egg.

With a more puzzled face, she asked "Honey, Examining what?"

"OH! Nothing important mom just examining the wall" lied Bob.

"Ok go and get water as you can see there is no any here ok?"

"Right away mom" he rushed fast to get the water.

"Have I ever told you something about you when you were very young?" asked Caroline.

"What are you saying mom, I can't get you" Bob said.

"Ok, bring the water first I will tell you" Caroline Said.

"Here you are, so what were you saying?" he asked.

"Oh" she continued, "I was asking if I had told you about your childhood behavior and how you ..."

"Mom just stop, I don't want to be reminded of my past manners ok now pray" snapped Bob.

"Ok remember it's you praying today," she reminded.

"Ok, Dear God thank you for this wonderful day, bless this food and bless the one who went and took a jar of water in the name of Jesus I Pray Amen"

"Amen" she continued, "You know what Bob?"

"Erm, what mom let's just eat." He avoided his mother's gaze.

"Why can you say God should bless only the one who had taken the jar of water ha?" asked Caroline.

In respond, he said, "Mom you are so fanny, so what could I have said ha?"

"You could have said that err, you know like ... bless the one who has prepared this delicious food" she responded.

"Delicious?" he wondered.

"Yea or is it not ha?" She asked.

"I don't like lying mom, how could I have said that it's delicious without testing it?" Bob explained.

"Ok you win, let's eat. But I remember when it was your birth day, only five years old and vey young indeed at that time I really baked you a sweet cake that I never imagined that it was I who had baked it."

"Really, tell me more about it mom" said Bob.

"Oh dear, you ate it like maybe it was your last time to stay on this earth" joked Caroline.

"Mama so don't laugh that means it was really tasty" added Bob.

"Yea I also remember telling you that you couldn't steal or kill and of cause not to cheat, and I forced you to go to school at that time you hated school very much" she said.

"Mom don't lie ok tell me the truth how could I have hated school ha?" Bob asked.

"You can't remember, It was with what I told you that's when you changed and liked it very much" she responded.

"What kind of things did you say to coax me to go to school mom?" Bob asked.

"Erm, I told you that without school you would become a fool and end up in jail" she replied.

"Oh Mom thank you very much for that, feel it in your heart that am grateful Ok?" said Bob.

"It was a mothers care dear, you are my very number one gift so it was my duty to straighten you before it was too late and still is my duty, ok time is up remove these plates and make sure you give Puca his water ok?" she explained.

"OK Mom, don't worry I will do just that and right away." Bob said.

After cleaning the table, Bob went to his room and locked the door. He was confused now. He wanted to know what the bird would look-like when it is out from its huge egg. Most of all he was worried of what the bird would eat when the egg hatches.

"I know what to do now," he thought to himself. "Tomorrow first thing in the morning I will go and find out what the big bird eats."

The night looked too long because of his plan, and then at last he slept.