Lara

__Belonging creative writing task__

I just sat there. I’m unsure of how long, though. There was no need to hurry or to be anywhere in particular. So I just sat there. Not really hoping for the company of another, the company of the grand oak tree was enough. I sat there enclosed in the withered, bony arms of the decaying tree, each golden leaf departing slowly and gracefully from the nurturing embrace and drifting ever so majestically in the air before spinning and dancing down, down, ever so quietly down to its new home, back to the earth from which it sprung. Of the leaves that still clung desperately to the grey bark, they allowed the light to peep through the crevices, creating brilliant shapes and patterns. I traced the shapes with my fingers, occasionally pausing to try and think of what the certain shape reminded me of. The shapes only lasting a few moments before disappearing with the piercing wind. I often wondered where the shapes would go once they join this journey with the wind. Do they go on to hide in other trees and make their way down to the crunchy ground where someone else traces the beautiful contours of the shapes with their fingers? I sat there for a while, contemplating this very thought.

I enjoyed the presence of the wind every now and then, but you could feel the unease in the forest created by it. It was disruptive, powerful and brash; it was like an impatient child desperately seeking attention and ensuring that he was never forgotten, often creating more harm than good.

Hiding in the dense layers of crisp leaves were strange beings - insects. The ants were the most curious, of course. In unison they worked tirelessly. I wondered what it would be like, being an ant. So small and yet they seemed so unfazed by the enormous world that engulfed them. I admired the tiny ants.

The tree looked sad without its leaves – naked, bare and disorientated. It’s braches wilt to the floor, listless, languid, limp. My heart reached out to the tree – giving so much and yet slowly disappearing and vanishing into the darkness.

The blanket of darkness descended rapidly, as the warm blanket of light was thrust away violently and suddenly. Gone was the brilliance of the sunset, the colour, the wonderment, the awe for which I have for the sunset. The air is denser; I felt my body being lowered to the ground by the weight of the thick night mist. The night time is by no means a time of happiness and glee, it is serious. it is the frightening Things that lurk between and behind the deep purple shadows. Cold sweats and clammy palms. The beauty of nature had vanished and now what remained is mysterious and intriguing. It is unsettling and nerve racking and yet it is enthralling - the fear and excitement of the unknown.

//FROM MRS LOW: Well done Lara on clearly representing the ambivalent connection to the natural world. This is conveyed in your description through the contrast between the day and night-time surroundings. Be careful of maintaining a consistent tense - I made some changes to keep the description consistently in the past tense as you tended to shift to the present.//