The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

Pride Goes Before the Find

Roci was faster than all her female classmates. She could do more sit-ups and push-ups. Real push-ups. Not the sissified kind than anyone in her class or the class ahead of hers. She was more flexible than all but one classmate. Rachel could stretch farther.

"That's because she has been doing gymnastics for so long. Oh, and her legs are so much shorter than mine," Roci would be sure to tell anyone who pointed out to her that she was not the most flexible in the class.

"It doesn't matter anyway. I still got presidential scores on ALL my tests. Rachel didn't." She said the word 'ALL' with emphasis and usually loud enough that all the other kids in the noisy cafeteria of their small school could hear her. When the kids noticed it was Roci who said 'ALL' they immediately understood she was talking about herself again and quickly ignored her. Roci had a reputation at school for being pretty good at talking about herself, too.

Roci could run do the shuttle run faster, too. But what she was most proud of was that she could run the mile faster than most of the boys in her class also.

Roci tried not be arrogant when talking about her grades and physical accomplishments. What she should have done, or not done, was talk about them at all. Oftentimes, the harder we try to convince others that we aren't doing something, the more likely it is that are actually doing that very thing.

What Roci didn't realize was that most of her classmates were 'blossoming' and that she was actually behind in physical development. Some of her classmates had come upon a clumsiness that comes with growing up. Especially Aimi who was having a terrible time with growing pains. Roci had yet to experience growing pains and had no sympathy for anyone who was. It's hard to empathize with others unless we share similar experiences. While Roci was running fast some of her female classmates were dealing with headaches and other peculiar ailments.

"Smarts. Strength. Endurance. I got all of them," Roci said trying hard to perhaps mostly convince herself as she looked up and suddenly noticed that Ota was nowhere to be seen.

"Ota?! Where are you?" Roci said with a huff that reminded her she was out of breath.

Roci realized she had lost Ota.

"Ota?!?!" Roci said more loudly than before. "Where are you?"

A hard realization hit Roci. She was having a hard time keeping up with a butterfly.

"Ota!" Roci cried out so loud her voice echoed in the night air.

"Roci!!!" an answer from the darkness returned.

"Ota?? Is that you" Roci asked with bewilderment. 'You can talk? Where are you? Ota?!"

Ota appeared from behind a stump.

"Ota. Did you say something?"

Ota landed on a tiny tree limb that reached out towards Roci to within about six inches of her left ear. Roci turned towards Ota to find that they were so close to one another that they could see each other's reflections in one another's eyes.

Roci spoke very softly, not bothering to look around to determine if she was being watched. "Ota. Did you speak?" She also didn't want to speak so loudly that her breath blew away.

Ota flew up ahead to the next tree limb and waited.

Roci stood motionless, shook her head, then took a few steps in Ota's direction.

"I've never not known what to do. I've never not known what my next steps should be," she mumbled audibly. "I think it might be a good thing to allow myself to be a follower sometimes. Especially when I know I have such an effective leader as you, Ota."

Ota and Roci trudged along with Ota leading the way. Quite a few of Ota's friends had joined in the trek but Roci didn't seem to notice. Roci focused on her breathing in order to keep up with her leader. However, while Roci was struggling with the climb up the hill, Ota had enough leeway to make the climb and find some friends to join them.

Ota and Roci trudged along with Ota leading the way. A few of Ota's friends had joined in the trek but Roci didn't seem to notice. Roci focused on her breathing in order to keep up with her leader.

"It must have been wishful thinking on my part that I heard someone call out my name, much less a butterfly. Yeesh!" Roci said trying to convince herself that she wasn't crazy.

As these words were coming out of her mouth, she reached the top of the hill she and Ota had been climbing alongside the creek. At the top of the hill their path led them into a clearing.

What she saw in the center of the field caused her to gasp. Roci quickly raised one arm to wave and took a deep breath, but then pulled her hand back down nearly twice as fast as she had put it up and decided she'd better not speak at all. Not yet.