The whispering woods by Arjun Sujit

Right from childhood Aisha had always had the curiosity of a child. Since she was a young girl, she would always move around the dense forests near her village searching for mysteries in it. Yearning for knowledge, as she became older, her need to go to Whispering Woods was unquestionable.

Whispering Woods had a reputation of having a very dense forest and very little movement was made except for wind that would be whispering between each tree. As the locals told different stories about the people and creatures from the past and the treasures, that one could ever find at the bottom of the sea, with the help of magic and charms. Aisha was very much excited at the thought of solving these mysteries.

The day was the first of October during which, with her father’s old compass and a valuable leatherbound journal, Aisha began her greatest adventure. The villagers looked at her with respect and fear in their eyes for they knew the consequences they can get in the forest area. However, Aisha was not that type of woman: this is why her desire, and, consequently, the story of her discovery cannot be stopped.

And as she step further into the thicket, the noises of the village did not reach her ears and all she heard where the unstable sound of the leaves and occasional calls of crating in the distance. Gradually the temperature came down, hardly could the sunlight find its way through the foliage above. This caused Aisha to feel a little joy as well as a little nervousness. She realized that she was going into the unknown; it was something that she did not look forward to.

Finally after several hours of walking Aisha found a small clear stream of water to drink. The water which was clear reflected unto the sunlight and she therefore bent down to take some water. Similarly, she spotted a peculiar arrangement of the stones on the stream bottom. They crouched all in a circle and that kind of formation was something she had never come across before. Puzzled by that, she reached to her pockets, and taking out the journal, she decided to draw the pattern there, ensuring she wrote the coordinates where it was found.

Onward she went and deep into the forest, Aisha sensed that the forest is leading her somewhere. The girl followed it and arrived at a small glade that was well-concealed. In the center there ensconced in a shelter the great oak with its robust air and resistant body. The tree could have been from the old age and looked so wise, which Aisha had a strange feel for.

So when she arrived to the tree, she heard a metallic glint at the foot of the tree. Getting to the root of the trees, found a tiny wooden chest which was skillfully made. She had butterflies in her stomach when she opened it and inside it were some old, brittle papers that were yellowing. The fancy script all bore evidence of a lost civilization once residing there in the Whispering Woods; these people were naturalists; they genuinely lived in harmony with nature.

The papers explained ceremonies and dances, telling about interaction between the people and forest spirits. Aisha opened her eyes wide in response, noting that she had just struck gold in forgotten knowledge. The location of several historical landmarks depicted in the woods were noted in the last paper which was shown as a map.

Aisha was not content with this discovery and the next few days she followed the map. At each site she visited, the things she learned about the ancient people their art, their gods plus their mode of living were disclosed. She felt very much at home with these people because they valued ‘the force’ and the acquisition of knowledge.

And thus one evening just as the sun was setting Aisha got to the last dot on the map. It was caved and closed by vines so that it could hardly be seen by anyone passing by the area. She was able to make it into the room after pulling herself through the undergrowth; with only the help of her torch, shadows due to the flickering light glazed the walls. Carvings lined up the walls of the cave and created pictures of people’s occupations, mythical ceremonials, and other regular incidents.

Finally, in the very center of the cave she saw that there was a stone on which men had worshipping. On top of it was a well-made amulet and engraved on it symbols that were in the papers the girl received. In one sweep she picked up the dress and she felt a jolt of power going through her veins. The feel of the amulet was very appealing to her as though it was made for her.

Aisha then proceeded to go back to the village after having acquired the amulet. The woman reported to the villagers who sat as if spellbound listening to the findings of a priest, prophet. It is the Whispering Woods that was once a forbidden and mysterious area; that changed and was turned into quite an enlightened area of the town. The villagers started to enter the forest with a brand new mindset in accordance to what Aisha had discovered.

Culturally, socially and mentally, Aisha plus the villagers were changed by the discovery process that took place in the movie. The knowledge she discovered was so similar to the one of the ancients and brought them into the realization of how in tune with the ways of nature they should be and how the process of finding knowledge should be done with an open mind and heart. Meanwhile Aisha was fully aware that her story was far from over yet. The Whispering Woods had more mysteries to tell and she was eager to find them one hush at a time.