9 The Man in the Forest

CHAPTER 9 The Man in the Forest Henry flinched, as if discovered in a crime. They had won after all! The fools who had stayed behind had beaten the enemy. He could hear cheering behind him. He turned away, amazed and angry. He felt that he had been wronged. He had fled, he told himself, because total defeat was coming. He had done a good thing by saving himself. Henry was a little piece of the army, and it was the duty of every little piece to rescue itself if it could. Later, the officers could fit the little pieces back

together to make a whole army again. His actions had been wise, Henry assured himself. Thoughts of his friends came to him. They had held strong and won. This thought made Henry grow bitter. It seemed that their foolishness had betrayed him. He thought he had done the smart thing by running, and now he felt a great anger at his friends who had not done the same. Henry knew that his friends would make fun of him when he returned to camp. He began to pity himself when he thought of how badly they would treat him. He left the field and went into a thick patch of woods. He wanted to get away from hearing the few shots that were still being fired. The ground was covered with vines and bushes, and the trees grew close together. Henry had to force his way through. The thorns from the bushes tore at his legs, and

the branches blocked the way. Henry couldn't make peace with the forest. He made so much noise that he was afraid other men would hear him. He went far into the forest, looking for a dark place where he could be alone. After a time, the sound of gunfire grew faint. The cannons boomed far in the distance. The sun blazed among the trees. The insects were making noises in a rhythm. They seemed to be grinding their teeth in unison. A woodpecker worked at the side of a tree, and a bird flew by. Far away was the rumble of death, but here Henry could only hear the sounds of nature. This landscape made him feel better. It was peaceful. A pinecone fell from a tree and landed near a squirrel, which quickly ran away. Henry saw that this was the law of nature. The squirrel had understood that there was danger and had taken to its legs right away.

Henry went farther into the deep forest. Finally he reached a place where the high, curved branches seemed to form a chapel. Pine needles made a gentle brown carpet and there was a soft light. Near the entrance he stopped, shocked at the sight before him. In front of Henry sat a dead man with his back against a tree. The man was dressed in a uniform that had once been blue, but was now faded to a sad shade of green. The eyes that were staring at Henry had changed to a dull color, like the side of a fish. The mouth was open. Its once red lips had changed to a terrible yellow. Little ants ran over the man's gray skin. One was carrying some sort of bundle along his upper lip. Henry gave a shriek as he saw the body. He couldn't move or turn his eyes away from the man. It was as if he had been turned to stone for a few moments. He stared into the

strange eyes. Slowly, Henry put one hand behind him and rested it against a tree. Leaning on this, he drew back step-by-step, his face still looking toward the man. He was scared that if he turned his back the body might jump up and chase after him. The branches pushed against Henry and threatened to knock him over. His feet caught in the vines. He imagined touching the body and shook terribly. At last he broke free of the branches and vines, and fled. He didn't watch where he was going. He just ran. In his imagination, Henry was being chased by the sight of the black ants crawling on the gray face. After a time, he paused and listened. He was out of breath from running. Henry imagined some strange voice would come from the dead man's throat and yell after him. Behind him, the trees around the body

moved in a soft wind. There was a sad silence.