Her eyes roamed the sky, and her attention was finally caught by a macaw swooping from one tree to the next. She watched the radiant form stretch its wings in anticipation of flying off to another destination in the forest. The colorful bird jumped and was once again soaring into the dusk.
A shadow crept up to her feet and she turned. She was not frightened, but curious. She felt safe in this environment. It was peaceful in a way she could not fathom. Such an environment could sustain all of her needs and wants. All except her passion. Her love.
As she tried to discern what creature had neared her, the shadow eventually disappeared into the clarity of a pool of moonlight. A monkey, his eyes filled with wonder, gazed at the girl. The girl's face softened remarkably, and the monkey began a slow and cautious approach towards her.
The girl reached out her hand in a friendly manner, and the monkey inspected it. After a few universal moments of uncertainty, the monkey placed his hand in the girl's. The girl wrapped her other hand around the monkey's and whispered softly to the monkey.
"I wish to live here with you and all the inhabitants of this forest. Will you accept me?"
The monkey lifted his eyes to hers and stared intently at her, now engrossed in his own thoughts. Finally, the answer that the monkey gave was to tug her arm, and lead her through the forest.
The monkey guided her through seemingly untouched areas of the forest. The journey took but a few minutes, yet the girl knew that the destination of this short passage was to determine her future.
The monkey continued to hold her hand as he led them both through a dark passage of growth, and embarked into moonlight once again.
The first thing that caught the girl's eye was a shimmering reflection of light on a watery surface. Widening her gaze, she realized it was a very large pool of water, a lake.
Continued in Part II
