Lonely Heart The wind was gentle, breezing along my side. The dim moonlight shined as I look up into the sky. The glittering stars were bright, so dazzling in my eyes. The dusty road seemed to wind up forever into the moon. I peered over my surrounding, the greatness of the night sky continued until it met the distant mountains. Light from the stars twinkled around as I heard the beautiful sound of rushing water, so sweet to hear. Little rabbits thumped their way up the path to the stream. Flocks of birds twittered and sang in the silent air. Many times, I stopped and smelled a flower. Their delicious scents smelled liked the sweetness of strawberries. Finally, I bend down and touched one. Its delicate petals were so soft, like the touch of my mother. Once again, like I had heard so many times, I heard the voices of my mother and father in the chilly air. All of the sudden, I felt lonely. The sky darkened. The wind gathered its speed, and as I force myself against the wind. I looked around, The lighting flashed and the thunder roared. Rain poured over me like a waterfall and as I ran, I noticed a huge redwood tree with a hole in it. Quickly, I ducked under tree branches and fought my way into the tree.

Inside the tree was dark and damp, full of the smell of the dead leaves. Pinecones and needles littered the ground to make a floor. They were all very wet and cold. The walls were burnt black, from fires, and I could see traces of charcoal on them. I then took all wet needles and pinecones away and spread dry one. On the needles and pinecones, I put my blanket and mint leaves. The hole that I had climbed through was very small, so the rain did not come in. I built a fire in the hole, surrounding it with stones so the tree would not catch on fire. Then, I made a seat for myself out of pinecones and needles. I sat comfortably in a dry spot by the fire.

The tree hole was about five steps long and three steps wide. It was round and had rough shelves cut in the walls. I saw that one small corner was also dry and set my things there. As I sat down, I listened to the rain. Suddenly, the lightning flashed and the thunder explored. There were screams and screeches as animals struggled to find safe places. I ducked my head and heard my heart pound wildly. Again, I felt so lonely in the stormy world. As a branch above me broke, many little birds came out twittering madly. Soon, they all found safe places under tree leaves. I stayed in that little corner for what was like many suns and moons. But the rain had no mercy and continued to pour down on the world. My spirits dropped and felt depressed. I had not seen people or heard their voices and laughs for many days. As I sat there, I sobbed and pitied myself. Then, there was a mighty crash as a large branch fell off the tree. I noticed one single bird fell on the ground. She was a pretty blue jay with colorful wings. The bird had a broken leg. I could tell that it was hurt and had blood on its feathers. She looked very cold. So I reached out and gently lifted it off the ground. The bird was freezing and its eyes were closed. I took it inside the hole where it was warmer. First, I dried its feathers by the fire. Soon, the bird was warmer and had dried off from the rain. The feathers were soft and felt good between my fingers. Then, I washed its wound with hot water and treated it with herbs. Using some cotton plant and linen, I wrapped them both sides on the wound. The linen was on the outside and provided some softness. Then I tied it all up with string. As I did this, the bird slowly opened its eyes. I could tell that its eyes were the color of the sky. Soon, it was eyeing me nervously as it hopped around the hole making its "reep", "reep" sound. I spread out some seeds and it ate them quickly. I then let the little bird drink some fresh water out of my canteen. I felt very happy.

The fire was still cracking with joy and it was pretty warm in the hole. I cooked some roots and berries in hot water for gruel. It was very hot and tasted good on a cold day. The little bird often came up to me when I was eating and gave me a little nip. This bird would be my companion and friend for the rest of my stray. Outside, the rain began to lessen, and soon, it stopped raining all together. I decided to go outside for a bit of fresh air.

The moment I stepped outside, the sky became clear again, and the moon, which had emerged from clouds, was now hanging over the west side. Stars speckled in the sky like pebbles in the stream. The air smelled damp and fresh. The animals had sprung back to life. Their rustles in the dewy grass soon seemed distant and far away. I returned to the tree hole with the little bird at my heels. The wind blew across my face as I went to bed tonight. However, it was a calm breeze, a sign of good luck. The animals chirping and laughing, and the little bird slept by my side.