I didn’t realize how long I had been out in the forest, I had been taking pictures and sketching in my journal. The scenery was so beautiful. It was foolish of me to turn my phone off, I missed a few calls and notifications, but I also missed the alarm that warned me to leave before dark. I was too lost in the beauty of the moment. I didn't think it would be a good idea to be in the forest at night, I had no idea what kind of nightmares would be wandering around the veil of night. I lost track of time. I looked up and noticed that the sun was low on the horizon, and I had hiked quite a distance from my car. Damn! I needed to get back to the road. I packed my equipment and made my way down the narrow path in the forest, I could feel the panic setting in as the light began to fade into darkness. Being a city girl, the idea of the forest at night was frightening, but there was no way I was going to make it out before dark. What was I thinking? I stumbled and fell a couple of times as I rushed along the path, I had to stop for a moment to center myself. “Calm down girl. Just breath. Everything will be fine.” And in a second nightfall took the landscape, I was alone in the dark. Terrified. I could hear the sounds of the forest around me but could see nothing. I took a deep breath and carefully made my way down the path, lecturing myself like a mother in my head. “What were you thinking?” Almost as quickly as the fall of night, the lights came on. Hundreds of lanterns set in the trees along the path, lighting the way for the night hiker. It was the most beautiful site I had ever seen. I stopped to snap the picture that I keep in a frame in my living room. A reminder that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.#TellingStories #StorytellerJourney #DailyStorytelling #CreativeChronicles #ShortStoryMagic #WritersOfInstagram #StorytellerVibes #NarrativeInspiration #StorytellerLife #InspireThroughStories #StorytimeEveryday #ThePowerOfStories #WritingCommunity #FictionalEscape #UnfoldingStories