Unending Path

         So she walked alone down the worn gravel path. Tree branches hung low overheard, and a veritable maze of twisting trunk, leaf, and vine blocked her in on either side. The path was just wide enough for her to maneuver without having to dodge or duck too many branches. It seemed the trees themselves made this path specifically for her.

         The path that she walked held no curves. She gazed forward at an endless stretch, filled with the same trees from side to side and overhead. A beautiful aspect of nature to some, she saw the trees as nothing more than prison bars, forcing her along the path.

         She stopped. In that moment she felt an immense weight upon her shoulders, pushing her toward the ground. She turned around to look down the road she had traveled. The trees on either side began to move inward, creating a barricade to which she could not go back.

         Taking a single step toward this thick wall of vegetation seemed almost impossible. She could feel the force of invisible hands trying to hold her in place. She mustered all of her strength and through crushing pain, reached her destination.

         The wall that she faced was lined with thick, twisted branches and vines. Along most of the vines were sharp thorns and barbs. The once lush colors of green and brown were now an ashy gray and rotten black.

         She turned back toward the path she was forced to walk and felt some of the pain lifted. She took a step back down the path, and with that single step the pain left her.

         A sigh escaped her lips, and she felt uplifted. She took a few more steps and stopped again. As she felt the pressure slowly lowering upon her again, she sighed once more and continued the unending path.