Brown ✔

Seven.

Somewhere in the forest. . .

He flipped his pancakes on the pan whilst whistling to himself. He was the only one living in this lone cabin.

Surviving on hunting down the wildlife. He wanted this life. An escape from all the buzz of his turbulent life. His parents couldn't care less about him seeing as he had chose this sort of life.

The only close members of his small family were his grandmother, who hated the spot light life and fast cars and Lily, his most trusted st. Bernard. She was his next confidant after his grandmother passed away.

After listening to the news on the local channel on the radio, he started preparing for the upcoming storm.

After inspecting his underground basement, he decided that if Lily and him wanted to survive this horrible storm, they would need more supplies so he ordered more than necessary but little did he know that there was indeed going to be a surprise guest. It was only a matter of time.

***

"So" I said while still entranced in the beauty of the ocean. Beautiful. The waves lapping against the shore were gentle like they were reassuring the land that they won't go anywhere. They was always something about the ocean that seemed to calm me.

I walked over to the water letting it kiss my toes like they could persuade me to go deeper and I did. I took two more steps into the water, wiggling my toes to get the soft sand in between my toes. I closed my eyes while tilting my head towards the rainbow colored sky where the sun was going to rest and giving room for the moon to take over the night shift.

"Kamara" Chris brought me back to where I was. I looked up at him. The wind played with his hair. Like little fingers going through his hair over and over again making me smile.

"It's getting late" I made no move to walk.

"Please Kamara, no matter how much I love the ocean, we have to go home".

" ok" I said after several beats.

"Thank you Chris" that seemed to catch him off guard.

"For what?" He asked with a frown

"For taking me to the beach today, I really needed this" I said quietly but I was sure he could hear me because it was so dark now that the only source of light were the street lamps coming through the window.

"No problem" he replied calmly while sparring me a quick glance "anything for you" he said seriously in a way that made me almost believe him but I couldn't because he was team captain and heavens knows how much of the female population he had gone through.

We drove in comfortable silence until we were at my house.

"Thank you once again Chris" I hesitated before standing on my tip toes and pulling his head down and placing a small kiss on his cheek. I could sense that he was blushing even if I couldn't see.

"Anytime Kamara" he said his voice low and deep.

I walked to my front door alone after convincing him that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of my mother's wrath.

***

"Be careful around the backyard"
Gyasi yelled at me. Yep, Gyasi my twenty one year old older brother was here for the holidays.

"Whatever" I yelled back obviously to frustrate him and it worked because he grunted in response.

We were spending the mid-term holidays at our holiday house which was located in the middle of a forest. Well mid the middle exactly but somewhere close to it. The backyard's fence had a gate. I was always curious add to what lay beyond the gate. My parents never locked the wooden fence because out also had a path that lead to somewhere else. I didn't know where but I was still curious.

I stared at the trees as I planned on ways to explore the bay place. I didn't want to do it now but maybe tomorrow morning would be a better choice.

"Chi!" Ama yelled from the back door "dinner time" .

I signed in disappointment that I couldn't explore today.

"I'll be back for you okay?" I said before going back inside. I felt like it responded.

"I'm not going anywhere". Might have just been my imagination but it felt like it had truly said those words to me.

***
I walked through the forest. The momentary crunching of dead leaves sounding beneath my feet with every step I took. I looked back at the house where I knew everyone was surely sleeping not knowing I had gone off to explore and maybe quench my thirst for nature. I continued walking further and further until I felt my legs get weak. I sat on the fallen truck of a tree as I drank from my water bottle. I looked up at the sky. I was sure that everyone back at the house had already woken up and probably wondered why I was still in bed. Gyasi calling Abena his girl which I always tease him about. Nilo and Ama probably arguing again as usual. Maybe I shouldn't have started this journey. It was a bad idea.
The birds sang filling the air with some sort of melody. Everything here was so pure and peaceful. I decided to continue my walk. My oversized white T shirt was now stained brown because I slept on the soil but I didn't care. My only concern now was to find a source of water and food because I was running out of the few energy bars I had put in the little back pack I carried.

"I need water" I said to the trees hoping they heard me, I continued walking. I spotted something. A bear. He wasn't paying any attention to me as I his behind a huge rock. I glanced at where he was looking at and spotted fishes jumping in a nearby waterfall. I closed my eyes saying a silent thank you to the forces in the forest.

I was going to wait until he finished hunting before I would go to the river.