Andrew Woods

By Ryan Chow - Grade 7 Amber

So as it happened, he was born into a time of great acrimony, great pain and great
suffering. It was true to be said that if abandoned, he would face guaranteed destruction by
those forces of which you would be scared by for life, if you were to make it as to say. Andrew
was an uninvited visitor to the woods. He was born into the wilderness alone, with no knowledge
for what dangers lied ahead. He grew up as a prisoner of the woods, too frightened to exit. It
became his home. He knew how he loved the woods and the animals that lived there. He was
always curious about whatever new happened. A visitor hunting for deer. A bow lying innocent on
the ground, patiently waiting for someone to pick it up. At night when it was dark, Andrew stared up
into the sky. Observing the stars and planets travel. Wondering, what lays ahead, why am I
alone? He knew there was more, he knew that he wanted to explore. But he was a prisoner of the
woods, and anyways, he was not willing to change things as it was.
His home was in a cave high up in a mountain at the east of the forest. To the north, were
large swaths of lakes and cliffs, shielding away what lay beyond. To the south was coastline.
Occasionally, he went fishing out at sea with a log he found and made to become a hollow canoe.
But never, as he would frequently remind himself, never leave sight of the woods. To the west was
only more dense vegetation. But to the west of his cave were everyday smoke rising from the
horizon. Animals, retreating towards the mountain of which his cave was located. Andrew was, like
all other animals of the woods, afraid of smoke and fire the most. Curious-looking beings that
walked on two legs and looked like him but with guns and weird skins on their bodies would visit
the woods. As the days passed by, he started to gain intelligence. He decided to map the forest.
He named his mountain where his cave lay The Desolate Mountain. He had his own language
which consisted of paintings and thoughts to his head. He mastered arts and drawing. His woods
as he now knew, was to the west of the Desolate Mountain, to the south of the cliffs, to the north of
the sea and to the east of the smoke and fire he would see everyday.
One day though, he awoken to the sound of heavy gunfire at the base of his mountain.
Thousands of men gathered at the base, assembling tents and catapults. To the opposite side of
the mountain where the sea was, ships were dotted on the horizon. All of a sudden, smaller boats
reached the shore and with it came thousands of men pouring out and running towards the
mountain. Andrew soon realised what was happening. A war was about to occur and he was right
in the middle of it, stuck trapped in between the action. It was one of these moments where he was
certain that death would certainly come, where there was no need to panic as it would, one day,
come. In a blink of an eye, the entire mountain was bombarded by fire surrounding its base.
Arrows were shooting about like rain, killing many of the men protected by the mountains shadow.
A group of men now rushed up the side of the hill. Well shelter in this cave while we lay the
explosives! proclaimed one man. Frightened, Andrew retreated to the back of his cave,
brandishing a spear he used for fishing in case of attack. The encounter came, Andrew was faceto-face with one of the men. Who are you? asked one of the men. Andrew, who didnt understand
his language, replied with the exact same question. The man repeated his question, but this time,
in a much louder voice as if reluctant to talk. Andrew startled by this, drew his spear to face the
man at point blank, facing his neck. The man chuckled. Hey boys he called. Within a few
seconds, Andrew found himself surrounded by men all around him. Andrew decided to bribe his
way out. He showed them the gold in a chest of his mountain. The men all laughed. I think this
boy is trying to be friendly. the men chattered. Show us more of your gold the biggest man of the
group ordered. Of course, Andrew didnt understand but he thought in his mind that the men
wanted to see more gold on the looks of their faces. Andrew gestured a follow me sign. He led
them deep into the mountain, though channels of caves as if they were the arteries of the
mountain. They passed large chambers where Andrew painted when he was free of work. There

were chambers for storage of food, painting supplies, spears and more. Finally, came a huge
underground cave that was riddled on its sides with gold, rubies and other sorts. The cave was
sealed of with some plants that blocked the entrance. The men, startled, stared at the caves walls
with awe and wonder. They didnt notice, however, that Andrew had slipped away. Oi! called one
of the men when he noticed his absence. Where has he gone? another called. After him!
commanded the biggest. Within a few minutes, they caught up with Andrew just as he was about to
leave the cave. Where do you think youre going? the leader, now furious said. Is there
anymore? Andrew, now exhausted and angry, replied with a kick in the shin of the leader.
Suddenly though, the entire mountain shook, and the cave ceilings were giving in. The
walls started to collapse and the sound of explosives became louder and louder. The atmosphere
was filled with smoke. The men became unconscious and fainted. Andrew, using his last
resources, was just able to get out in time. Gasping for fresh air, he was injured. Bleeding and
scratched. He immediately set out for the streams in the woods. The sky was grey now, darkened
with smoke and the sky covered with clouds. The sun was blocked from sight and the air was
moist. The armies that had once been fighting before were now half gone. But the most frightening
of all, was that the mountain was half gone. Half eaten by the explosives that had almost buried
Andrew alive in his cave. The top of the mountain (which consisted of mainly large rocks) was now
at the bottom of the mountain. The remains of some catapults and men were underneath these
rocks, squashed by its enormous weight. The men who had placed the explosives there
succeeded only too well with destroying part of the enemy, but at the cost of their lives with fatal
errors. The ships on the horizon now had disappeared. With only some of the ships that were close
to shore masts sticking out of the water. The war had taken its toll on Andrew. He lost his home,
his supplies, his mountain that he loved. His woods were now on fire. The smoke still rising from
the edge of the forest. The only place that he could now think of to go was to the other mountain on
near the cliffs. Where he had once found another cave that was unfortunately a little too high up
compared to the surrounding lands.
So there he left his mountain. A victim of war, an innocent survivor who grew up with his
woods. Setting out far and beyond. Leaving only his shadow behind in the face of where he had
once grew up and loved.