Trees

As we broke from the trees into the clearing the fog enshrouded us, obscuring our vision. We drew closer together, not wanting to be lost in the rapidly swirling fog. The condensation began dripping off our coats. The sound of our voices seemed to stop inches from our faces, while other mysterious sounds echoed ominously. This was where they said we would meet him, but all we found was a wall of mist. As we inched toward the center of the meadow, the massive trees on the other side began to emerge from the veil of fog. Suddenly, the earth began to tremble. It buckled and heaved underneath us as though it were trying to dislodge us from its surface. We clawed at each other, the long grasses around our knees, the ground itself, anything to keep our center. When it stopped, we all looked around, wide-eyed, searching the hidden world around us for any sign of what had happened. As I peered deeply into the fog at the trees nearest us, I couldn't help but feel that we had moved closer. Then it dawned on me: these were not trees.