The Forest Felt Too Quiet
Mark followed the familiar trail toward High Meadow, moving through the bends he had walked hundreds of times before. The weather was mild, and nothing about the morning looked dangerous at first. But as he passed the three-mile marker, he slowed down. This part of the trail was usually full of movement: chipmunks crossing the rocks, birds calling from the branches, and deer feeding near the creek.
That morning, almost everything seemed still. Mark noticed only one squirrel chattering high in a pine tree. It was not enough to panic him, because wildlife patterns change all the time. A group of hikers could have passed through earlier and scared some animals away. Still, something about the silence stayed with him. He adjusted the straps on his pack and kept walking, hoping to reach High Meadow before the heat of the day settled in.
