Among the Trunks

Slipped out beneath the heavy back door when it drifted open, then made my way across the gravel until the tall pines rose up. Stillness here. Massive vertical trunks stretching toward the pale sky, just like me. I stepped carefully over curled dry bark and damp moss, pausing at every crackle. Found a towering birch split down the middle with a hollowed core. Leaned my long frame directly into the shadowy seam. Pressed one horn flat against the wood. *KR-R-R-ZT.* A sharp click pulsed into the hollow bark, sending a muffled tremor humming through the roots. No cars here, only echoing grain.