Essay - The Tree House - 01

Something rustled in the bushes below. Terna’s pulse quickened. From his vantage point in the tree house and by the moonlight, he could look down on the bushes and see movement, about 20 yards to the west of the tree house, on the ground. Although he could see the movement, his sight could not pierce the foilage to see what exactly was moving through it. Then, as abruptly as the movement began, it ceased, leaving silence and a slight breeze in the trees as the only occupiers of the night air. Terna relaxed again and rested his head on his travel pack.

The tree house had been constructed about 30 feet in the air, amidst the branches of a large oak tree. It was a mixture of sawn lumber, wooden shingles, small logs, rope nets and rope ladders. It was built years ago, when Terna was a young boy. His brothers and his father had done most of the work then. At the time, the built the tree house for fun and they built it smart too, making it so the growing tree wouldn’t tear it apart as it grew and moved over time. Expanding slip joints, floating floor panels and adjustable door frames that his father taught his brothers how to make. That gave him a good feeling as he thought of how long he might need to be here. Terna loosely figured he was 6 years old when they built the tree house. That was almost 8 years ago now. All that was before the solidiers came. His family had been gone for 2 years. Now the tree house had become a safe house for Terna and a few others that knew where it was.

The surrounding woods extended at least 2 miles in each direction and more than that to the north. Several fire roads criss crossed through it, left over from when the local authorities were concerned about the possibility of a fire rampaging through the woods. No one was worried about that now, there weren’t enough folks nearby to worry about that. Most had been taken away years ago, taken away somewhere to the east. Some said they were working for the soldiers in camps off to the east, while some said they were packed up on ships and taken away to where the soldiers had come from.

Rarely did Terna see any of the soldiers anymore. He was ok with that. He had watched them take his father and mother, put them into a large vehicle and drive off. He had sat in the barn loft, looking through the the gaps in the siding. Somehow they had missed him in their search of his parents farm. His brothers had then been away at the tree house. After they had gone, Terna ran the entire 2 miles to the treehouse without stopping. He told his brothers all that had happened. 3 months later, on a supply trip to the village for food and other items, his brothers had been caught and taken away. Sakat had marked an O in the dirt with his foot as they had agreed to do if anything happened. He found it the next day after they did not return from the supply trip. After that he was careful about where and when he went places and how he covered his tracks. He trained the others around him in the same way.

Rustling again from the bushes below. Terna tensed. He watched again for the source of the noise. The surrounding woods was filled with small animals, so there was no telling what it might be. He hoped it was a squirrel, but feared he might see a soldier emerge from the thicket below, meaning that his cover and hiding had finally been discovered.

The rustling was now 20 feet from the base of the tree. It sounded like someone taking careful steps. Whatever or whoever it was had to enter the clearing or continue through the perimeter of brush and branches. Terna quietly reached into his travel pack, feeling for the gun his brother had handed him the last time he had seen him. The rustling stopped. It seemed like an eternity. His heart raced, beads of sweet moistened his brow, his stomach was in his neck. What was down there?

A lone deer emerged into the clearing. Terna breathed a sigh of relief and placed his head back on the travel pack. 4am. Only 2 more hours until daylight and another day in hiding. How he wanted to see his parents again.