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Follow Me: An Excerpt from Her Diary Sara Stoelton “Follow me,” he whispered. How did I know that I could trust him? I hardly knew him. He was new at school and I only agreed to hang out with him because he seemed lonely. Yet, everything about him was inviting. His smile: glistening white and an example of perfection. His body: strong, warm and gentle. His voice: silky smooth, saying all the right things that made me blush and gave me butterflies. It was all almost too much for me to resist. But there was a glint of danger and mischief in his sparkling blue stare that made me hesitate. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his face looking confused, as if he were expecting me to take his hand and follow him immediately and without question. Had he given me a reason to not trust him? Every moment that I had spent with him so far had been more than perfect, it had been magical. I looked past him and into the trees he was asking me to follow him into. It was broad daylight, but beyond the trees there seemed to be endless darkness. A feeling of uneasiness settled into my stomach. He must have noticed my unease because in a gentle voice he said, “Don’t be afraid.” Stepping forward, he took my hand in his, interlocking his fingers with mine. The uneasiness melted away the moment his hand touched mine. The feeling of warmth and security spread through me. Smiling his perfect smile, we walked into the forest. I had been mistaken about the endless darkness. The shadowy path we had been walking opened into a narrow and sunny meadow. The scenery around us could not be more illuminated. The deep colors of scarlet, orange, and gold surrounded me. A slight breeze blew my hair around my face and ruffled the colorful leaves that remained on the trees, and made the ones that had fallen dance around our ankles. Through the openings in the branches above I could still feel the warmth of the sun as it shined down on us. Every so often I could hear a bird’s light sing-song voice in the distance. “It’s beautiful,” I half whispered, not wanting to disturb our peaceful surroundings with my hushed tone. “I know,” he said looking down on me, his blue eyes complementing the butterfly wings batting around his head. As we walked through the meadow and deeper into the woods, nature took over. Soon the whistling tones of the bird surrounded Will and I, adding to the soft steps of other animals and the sound of water flowing. Ahead of us there was a small stream. Drinking from the water was a family of deer: a doe and two fawns. As we arrived at the stream, they continued drinking, undisturbed by our presence, undisturbed by human nature. We watched them in silence.
