  I went for a nice long walk in the forest today, alone, all by myself. Just me, the whispering trees, the warming sun caressing my skin and the soothing touch of the wind as it lazily played with my hair.
Having completely lost track of time, I found myself by a small brook and next I had tied up my long skirt and kicked off my boots. Yes, I am one of those people who have my very own sense of fashion, which means that I almost always wear army boots whether I'm in jeans or wearing one of my long flowing dresses, no matter the season or temperature. I sat down and relaxed, feeling the cool water surrounding my feet and let go, listening to the voice of Nature and the stories she told.
How long I was sitting there I know not, but a rustling sound got my attention and I caught a glimpse of a screaming red colour out of the corner of my eye. Keeping perfectly still, I observed the squirrel for quite some time as he slowly came closer to me, having obviously eyed the remains of my discarded apple. Becoming more bold, apparently deciding that I was no threat, he quickly came closer until he was so near I could have reached out and touched him. Daring for a moment to turn his back on me, he snatched the apple and moved away but only a few feet and began to eat, still watching me closely as if to see if I had more for him.
Wishing that I did, I watched him as he ate, seeing the fine details of this small creature, the way he held and turned the food in his small "hands", the strong red of his fur and the fine white of his throat and belly, he certainly was a beauty. Having finished and realised that I didn't have anymore for him, he looked at me once and disappeared up in the tree nest to him.
Finally able to move again, I quickly removed my now icy cold feet from the water and tried to get a little life back into my sleeping legs. As I was leaving, I turned once and looked up into the tree. There he was, sitting on his throne in the branches, his black eyes watching me. With a smile I turned and left, knowing that I had just had a wonderful encounter with one of nature's gentle spirits. 
