Week 218: Almost Got Shot by Authority in the Forest

“Please, forgive us. We won’t do it again!”, those were the words—at least as far as I can remember—what I said when the authorities brought us to the office for questioning. As a timid and quiet kid, it was the first time I had ever gotten myself into trouble, and in that moment, I deeply regretted the choices I made with my friends. The fun I had anticipated quickly turned into the trouble I wished I had avoided.

It was a fine day —the sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds that covered the blue sky. That day was indeed perfect for outdoor activities and for some fun and trouble. After class, my friends invited me for some adventure. I asked them first, “What are you cooking?”, and they shared that they were planning to explore the protected forest area near our school. I was hesitant at first because I knew trespassers were not allowed to that place, but being a stupid kid, my curiosity won over my rationality.

When we got in the forest, I noticed how green and full of life the place was. The tall, scattered tree branches made it hard to see what was inside. Even though the forest was small, you could tell the ecosystem was thriving because you could hear birds singing and crickets chirping. As soon as we were sure no one was guarding the forest, we quickly ran inside with our heavy backpacks full of books, and still wearing our school uniforms.

Inside the forest, the beauty of the place was truly amazing. I now understood why it was considered a protected area and why the mayor’s plan to turn it into another school had been rejected by the national government. The area had a mushy swamp, various kind of trees, and birds everywhere. Thankfully, there were no harmful and dangerous animals to worry about.

Since we were there, my friends and I unleashed our curiosities and wild adventuristic instinct, enjoying our exploration and helping each other whenever we faced difficulties. We would run in panic whenever we heard something strange, like the rustling of grasses or sound that seemed like people were lurking. Although we were nervous, the fun outweighed the fear.

After a while, we decided it was time to leave. However, just as we reached the exit, someone shouted, “Hey!”, we ran as fast as we could with panic hearts, not looking back and not caring if anyone got caught. All that mattered was getting away. But unfortunately, we were trapped and caught by the authorities, who took us to their office.

I tried my best to stay calm, but just thinking about what might happen to us was already making me cry. As soon as we reached their office, I immediately said, “Please, forgive us. We won’t do it again!” But those words didn’t stop the authorities from questioning us further. They asked for our names, ages, school, and even the name of our teacher. They made us write down all these information in their record book, and I was worried they might use it to report us to our teacher and parents. But luckily, they didn’t. We were just scolded and warned that if we were caught in the forest again, we would face real consequences.

One of the authorities added that we were lucky we didn’t encounter the armed guards who supposedly shoot anyone trespassing the area. I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or was just trying to scare us, but it sent chills down my spine and probably, traumatized me.

I felt like it was the longest hour of my life, we were finally released and was told to go home. The next day, my friends and I talked about what happened, and we just laughed it off. What was supposed to be a fun adventure ended up in trouble.

Note: All images are mine unless stated otherwise.

This is a prompt posted by Sir Hive account@galenkp. I choose this prompt - Tell us a time in which you behaved badly, why you did it and what the repercussions of it were to you or others.

Thank you for reading my entry. Have a good weekend, everyone!