What Is Lost

It all began with a dare. It was a hot summer day. I practically dragged myself from the school bus back to my house, convinced I’d die of heatstroke.

         I had never been fond of nature. As a kid, I didn’t enjoy the sweat sticking to my skin, the mosquitoes, or the bugs flying around me. Going outside for recess was my least favorite part of the school day. I would much rather be sitting in cold classrooms with the AC blasting.

         When my sister, whom I called Mèimei, and I arrived home, we poured ourselves a tall glass of water, tossed our backpacks on the couch, and sprinted towards the trampoline in our backyard. It was right by the woods that spread for acres and acres with no end in sight. We unzipped the trampoline, squeezing our bodies through the opening. I sighed in satisfaction as I started jumping. Air blew past my face, blowing over my legs and arms, cooling me down. I didn’t notice the smirk growing on Mèimei’s face. “Truth or dare,” she said, flashing a bright smile. I rolled my eyes, “Mèimei, I’m too old for this. Plus, you know it’s my least favorite game,” I said. “Okay, but still,” she said, “Just play with me for once. Ever since you started 5th grade, you’ve been ignoring me.” Mèimei pleaded, eyes wide, “Remember when you built that fort for me? Or turned your room into a haunted house? I want to do that again.” That was true. I hadn’t noticed how busy I had gotten, no longer playing with Mèimei like we did when we were younger. I looked at her, still jumping, and said, “Okay fine. But I get to ask you afterwards, too. And you can’t run away.” “Okay, okay,” Mèimei laughed, “Pinky swear.” I linked my pinky finger with hers. “Truth or dare,” Mèimei asked again.

         I opened my mouth to say “truth,” but closed it at the last second. Wait, she’s definitely going to ask about my crushes, I thought, catching myself and choosing “dare” instead. “Nooo, I thought you were going to pick ‘truth,’” Mèimei said, disappointment crossing her face, “I even picked all the embarrassing questions to ask you. Now I have to make up a dare.” We were both silent for a moment, listening to our bouncing on the trampoline, before our eyes both turned to look at the same thing.

         The woods. The mysterious woods that spanned far beyond what our eyes could see. A place we’d never ventured. I gulped, “No way. You can’t do that to me.” Mèimei burst out laughing, “I’m going to. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” “Oh my gosh, why did I ever agree to this?” I said. Mèimei laughed again, finding it funny. I stopped bouncing, walking over to unzip the trampoline. A dare was a dare. I stepped out, bare feet touching the scratchy grass, walking toward the edge of the woods. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to do it,” Mèimei said, still on the trampoline. Wordlessly, I walked into the woods, the fear of the outdoors still thick in my stomach. I climbed over the branches of fallen trees and hopped over rocks in my way, venturing deeper and deeper into the woods. I didn’t notice my breath getting quicker and quicker until I had to stop, catching my breath. I paused. I was treating Mèimei’s dare like something to be accomplished, but these woods? It wasn’t something to be conquered.

         I turned, looking around, taking in my surroundings. The woods are beautiful. I spun slowly, my head tilting back to stare at the clear sky. I stood in a clearing where dirt gave way to sand softened by a little stream of water, flowing past rocks and stones. I reached out to steady myself, touching the rusty bark of a tree, feeling delight as I saw caterpillars of all colors climbing up the tree. Birds flapped their wings, weaving through the trees, chirping a lovely song. It wasn’t just me anymore, I was in a kingdom that was alive. This clearing was like the heart of the forest. A place where animals and little creatures came to drink water and play with their friends. If I listened closely enough, I could hear the woods’ heartbeat. A gust of wind blew past, and I could feel the serenity of this place. It was like I was listening in on a secret. It was so different from the times when I thought I knew nature. What I had witnessed was nature being disturbed by the people who didn’t respect it.

         Every afternoon, I returned to the clearing in the woods, sometimes bringing Mèimei to witness the nature I was so captivated by. I would spend hours there, reading my favorite books or just taking in the beauty surrounding me.

         After 9th grade, my family moved away from the small town where I had grown up, leaving me wondering what would become of the woods I loved so deeply.

         Years later, on a trip to another city, we passed by our old house. My parents called the new owners, who said we could visit. As soon as we arrived, Mèimei and I jumped out of the car, running toward the woods. We ran by the side of the house, down the slope before— It was gone. It was all gone. Construction workers had come, bringing new housing plans, and taking with them the woods. The place that meant so much to me was gone. “What happened?” I said exasperated, peering up at Mèimei, as she took in the destruction. The once-thriving woods filled with life had been stripped down to tree stumps and bare dirt. Not a single animal or sign of life was in sight. Mèimei looked at me, tears glistening in her eyes, “They didn’t think about the trees.”