Jimmy Han, RDF International School The forest ranger sat on top of a tree and observed the ever-expanding city. His brown, sparkling eyes narrowed as he watched the skyscrapers, dwarfing the tallest of the trees, flashing out blinding neon lights, as lasers and spotlights dimmed the stars overhead. His ears twitched at the sound of traffic piercing through the forest. His heart writhed as the birds and deer took off in fright. The forest ranger sighed deeply and leaned back on the trunk. His thoughts overflowed his senses as he recollected his memories. The forest used to be much grander that it is right now. The first rays of dawn would flow through the trees as deer grazed on grass while birds pulled him out of his sleep. He remembered walking through the seemingly endless forest, where everything was dyed with its shade of green. Bow in hand, he took what he needed, and gave back what the forest needs. He could feel his bond grow everyday with the forest. Then, the loggers came. First came the lumberjacks with their yellow helmets and axes; they did not do much except for marking a path with their axes. A few days later, they came back again with some more people with extra equipments. They scanned the area for a while before leaving. Then finally, they brought in the bulldozers. Tree after tree came down as the bulldozers systematically cleared out the area. The deer ran away in panic, birds fled their nests, and that part of the forest soon turned into a barren wasteland. Bit by bit, the loggers gobbled up the forest, the bulldozers the vanguard of the invasion. Behind them, skyscrapers emerged, roads were laid down, lights and lasers streaked through the sky, traffic horns blared, and barbed wire soon surrounded the forest. The forest ranger looked back at the city, at the edge of the forest behind the barbed wire, where two men were planting a sign. They hammered it into the earth, and picked up their tools and left. The forest ranger slipped down the tree, crept across the woods and to the edge of the forest. Then, leaning beyond the barbed wire, he read the sign. “Danger! Stay out!” read the sign in big, bold letters. The forest ranger snorted, then, grabbing the sign by its post, he pulled the entire thing out of the earth. Then, bringing it across the border, he faced the big bold letters toward the city and planted it down. Then, standing up, he looked at his work, instinctively ducking every time a truck blared by from the road next to where the sign had just been. He decided that this was more fitting. | 