Just Another Oak(Kendra Dawn) Maria’s feet dangled awkwardly off the tree she was resting on, as she attempted to gain her balance. All around Maria the forest danced with life. She could smell the comforting scent it held and hear the almost silent movement of it’s creatures as they went about their lives, unaware of the clumsy teenage girl watching them. Maria inhaled another deep breath, drawing strength from the forest and it’s beings. Everything was perfect here, and Maria knew it. If only Maria could stay out here forever, just her and the forest. But Maria knew that soon it would be time for her to go, her father would be ready to take her to the airport.

Once there, she would meet with the rest of her family. Then, Maria would be drowning in more tears and congratulations than she could handle. When that ended Maria would get on the plane, alone, and be off to her dream come true, only it didn’t feel like a dream anymore. Now that the day was here Maria was finding herself becoming more and more reluctant to leave. Don’t get her wrong, Maria knew how amazing the opportunity of the school was, and she was thankful, it’s just… Maria was scared. There was just so much that could go wrong. There was just so much more risk to this dream and Maria wasn’t so sure if she could handle it.

First off, Maria would miss her family and Jake, the dog. Maria couldn’t count how many times she had been near tears, when Jake would lick her face and then, magically, she would feel better. What would Maria do now if she was near tears, with Jake over a thousand miles away? Who would lick away her pain?

Second, what would Maria do once at the school? Would Maria have friends? What if everyone hated her? Or worse, what if they decided Maria didn’t deserve their special school and sent her home? Could she handle that kind of disappointment? Maria feared that she wouldn’t be able to.

But most of all, Maria would miss her forest. This was the one place in the entire world, aside from the stage, where Maria felt like she belonged. The one place she could go and be truly herself. In the forest she wasn’t weird, or dorky, or any other of those harsh names her current peers like to call her. Here, lost in these woods, Maria was simple Maria. Could Maria give that up?

Maria looked around her, searching without thinking for the answer, when she found it. There before Maria stood a magnificent oak tree. It’s leaves as green as green can be, and trunk as strong as God. It towered above Maria as if to say, I am here. Maria then wondered about how long a tree must be. You see, a tree can go through Mother nature’s worst, and yet once the damage is done it still remains. A tree can be broke, yes, but unless dragged with force, it will always remain.

Maria stared at the tree and at the others around her, even at the one she was resting on right then, and knew. Maria knew that no matter where life would take her, no matter what mother nature threw her way, her forest would remain. No matter what happened to her, Maria would always be able to be Maria.

With that Maria lowered herself from her perching place and turned towards home, but before Maria left she walked to the oak and rested her hand on it’s hard trunk. The surface below her fingers was strong with years, and again Maria breathed in the forest’s power. After a few seconds, Maria parted from the tree with a silent ‘Thank You.’ She knew that that would not be the last time she would do so, and that knowledge couldn’t help but make Maria smile.

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