I emerged from the forest into my own back yard. My home was abandoned and broken and my family was gone. My arbor and gardens were over grown and had been for years…yet I had not aged a day. In fact I had only been away for……..well…..
I suppose it will be necessary to tell the whole story if I expect you or anyone else to understand what happened to me over the 13 days….years…. since I went into the woods to collect an arm full of kindling.
My wife, Adeena, and my children Sollen my daughter and Pilgrim my son and of course I…being Lance Forla….were spending our 7th Christmas together at the Cottage which I had inherited from my uncle.
As point I should mention I was entering my 37th year on this grand old planet…born on boxing- day.
It looked like it was going to be a green…brownish Christmas since there had not been a major snow fall yet…but as I ventured out to get some kindling the clouds opened up and began depositing their beautiful white cargo. In minutes the green brown colours were transformed into the grand perspective of winter.
I passed through the arbor into the woods and followed the trail as it wound through the maples to the clearing in the birch stand….where there was always a cache of fallen…well dried branches ….perfect for kindling. I leaned down to collect a few small pieces and as I stood straight again I swooned and a blink of my eyes later my gaze was set upon a village….
