The Ponds

It feels as if the woods are endless, no matter which way you turn all you can see are trees. Then finally the sky in the gaps between the densely crowded trunks seems to lighten and you step out from the underbrush to find yourself standing at the edge of a small, glassy pond. Pools of clear water that go up to your knees at their deepest, stretch out before you as far as the eye can see. You contemplate the water and it feels as if it is doing the same back. Life thrives in these pools. Lush, emerald moss coats every surface and forms thin strips of dry land that serve as walkways and connect the pools to each other. Trees take root on these mounds and high overhead, a leafy canopy lets in bright spotlights of sun. Further back, there is a spot where the trees have formed a circle. Sunlight cascades down in a single, steady beam into the center of the gathering and this is where it seems to shine the brightest.