Nearby forest, safe haven

The nearby forest is my favourite place upon the earth. It feels as if I were alone in the world: only me, the forest, and its inhabitants. The chirping of birds, the lapping of water, the rustling of the leaves in a tree. Though it feels like everything in the forest only despises and perhaps even fears my presence. A great tit is cautiously bouncing on the lawn towards the tree I am leaning on. It pecks at the ground and turns its head towards me. I must not make a single move, for I fear the bird might fly away. I stand still when the tit bounces away.

With pets, I’ve learned that going down to their level proves that I’m with peaceful intentions. Nevertheless, when I encountered a deer in the forest, I forgot that prey animals don’t find it the same way. I saw the autumn foliage behind the trees and quietly approached from another angle. The beautiful cloven-hoofed animal stared at me through a branch. When I cautiously crouched down, it ran away. Deer are real common in the near-by forest. On the other hand, it feels like the chirping of birds has decreased over the years as more and more land for housing has been cleared next to the forest. I wish I’ll never have to part with my forest.