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

Digging Yourself Out of a Hole

Sybil crawled on all fours for an extended distance for perhaps the first time in his life.

Sybil's parents used to joke with him, "When you were a baby you were so fat, when you tried to crawl your belly would drag along the ground. You were a real roly poly." Followed by a belly laugh of their own. They weren't really joking. It was the truth. And they were making fun of him.

"I never understood what was funny when they said that," Sybil said to ... um, JD's backside. "Jokes that make fun of other people, hurt them. I wish my parents understood that. I just wish they cared anything about me," he mumbled under his breath.

"My dad told my mom that I was so plump the doctor should have given me two birthdays. Hardy har har," Sybil pretended to laugh, this time mocking his parents.

Sybil had been made fun of all his life. Ridicule from his parents made him feel worse. They made him feel small, er, in this case larger than he really was. And not in a way that would make him feel better about himself.

"Folks said my mom was pretty ..." Sybil rambled on.

Nobody was there to listen to Sybil, of course. However, perhaps Sybil was hearing himself for the first time what he really thought about himself.

"Dad was ... I don't know. What kid makes a judgement about what his dad looks like. His new girlfriend sure likes him. EEEwww! And Mom and my new ... " he stopped himself and restarted, "Mom and her new husband sure like one another.

"But why none of them care about me other than throwing money my way, I'll never know."

Sybil didn't notice that JD had stopped and consequently Sybil's nose went right up against JDs backside.

Sybil jerked his head back. "I guess that's what I get for feeling sorry for myself. A nose full of ... a nose full of JD. I deserved that.

JD resumed moving towards the hole that the light came through. What Sybil didn't notice was JD frantically digging at the tunnel up ahead. JD was doing his best to keep the tunnel just big enough for Sybil to crawl through IF, Sybil also tried his best. JD didn't make the hole too big, such that Sybil could easily crawl through. JD, it seems, wanted Sybil to work at his digging himself out of this hole, these holes, he was in.

At one point Sybil grew a bit too confident and tried to pat himself on the back, figuratively speaking of course. "I am pretty good at this tunneling thing."

JD heard and stopped digging. Subsequently Sybil soon got stuck.

It was then that Sybil realized that he was only making good progress because he was being helped out by his new friend, JD. Sybil also realized that he was making progress because he, too, was actually trying and not just hoping to be dug out of this hole, literally. He was doing something for himself rather than just expecting others to do for him.

"JD. You are a good friend. I wish my mom and dad would have helped me to help myself, too. Or maybe taught me how sometimes. I wish my friends ... " He caught himself ...."But I am not feeling sorry for myself! Nope! I am not going to feel sorry for myself. I want to be done feeling sorry for myself. I don't need to ... well, I don't need the same experience as before. You know what I mean. I mean ... Okay, I'll stop talking now and dig some more."

It's one thing to resolve to stop feeling sorry for yourself. It's another to act on that resolution. And yet another to change one's character for the better. Sybil made a step in the right direction.

Sybil tore his pant leg on a root. JD had gnawed through a large root that was blocking their way.

"Da ... uh, dang it! JD! Did you leave this knife-root here to cut me?!"

Sybil pulled harder and the fabric responded with a bigger tear.

"JD! I'm stuck! Look what you did!" Sybil blamed JD even though JD was trying to help.

JD returned to Sybil's side and gnawed on the root a bit. Then returned to the front of Sybil.

Sybil slowly pulled his leg forward. He was free. His pants leg was torn, but he was free.

"JD. I am sorry. You're a really good friend!" Sybil placed emphasis on the 'really.' "You are helping me. It was my fault I tore my pants leg."

The light at the end of the tunnel grew larger. They were getting close.

Suddenly, JD disappeared. JD had very slowly and deliberately crawled out of the hole.

Sybil dug deep into his resolve and into the walls of dirt that pressed against him. What Sybil hadn't realize was that when you crawl underground, you really can't easily tell whether you are on the level or are going downhill or uphill.

Sybil and JD had been climbing. The incline, however, was not so steep that more pulling was required. When Sybil stuck his head out of the tunnel, he found himself mid-cliff about 15-20 feet above the base of the precipice he had been IN. Below him Sybil saw a large field. He had a badger's eye view of all that was going on below.

It took only a few moments for his vision to adjust from the near complete darkness in the tunnel to the open field in the moonlight.

The earth below him just outside of tunnel where Sybil was perched began to crumble and Sybil was certain he was going to go bowling down over the side of the crag like hill. He reached to his right and grasped thing air. To his left he found a small bonsai-sized tree and latched on tightly.

What he saw below caused him to be more frightened than relieved.