I stopped where the trail split into two, staring at the blanket of yellow leaves that covered the forest floor. It was clear that the left one was taken more often—the path was well-worn, the undergrowth minimal and kept to the trail’s edge. But the one on the right was shrouded in shadow, the canopy above too dense to let in much of the morning sun. The path was small and abandoned, as if no one had set foot on it in a long time.
I thought for a while, burying my chin in the neck of my sweater as another chilly breeze swept through the air. I cursed at myself for having lost the map—but it hadn’t said anything about a fork in the road … had it?
“Jus’ choose, boy, they both lead to the same place,” grumbled a raspy voice from beside me.
I jumped and whirled around. “Who’s there?”
The man seemed rather old, with a wrinkled face and pearly hair that was half-hidden under his thick hood. He was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed across his chest as he stared at me with his lips pursed in irritation. “Well?” he urged, nodding toward the trails. “Get on with it.”
“Get on with what?”
He rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Nothing good, I figured. With a sigh, he said, “You see these paths? One’ll take you down an easy road, jus’ a boring little walk. The other’s not the best journey. It’s dark. It’s scary. It even gets dangerous—” He paused and shuddered, as if recalling a painful memory. “Yeah. Dangerous.”
“Why? What happened—”
He shot me an angry look.
Okay … never mind. Different question. “Where does it lead?”
He scoffed. “Can’t tell ya that, boy. You gotta find out yourself.”
“But I need to know which one to choose. How do I know I won’t regret my decision?”
He shook his head. “Ya won’t. That’s the thing. You think over it, you make your decision, and you hope for the best. Whichever one you choose, it’ll get ya to where you’re goin’. The journey’s gonna be different, tha’s all. One path’ll be easier. The other’ll be more worth it.”
“But you said it’s dark and scary and dangerous …”
“Ah, but tha’s why it’s more beautiful, no?” For the first time, he showed a crooked grin. “You get to realize how much you’ve overcome, and how much stronger it’s made ya. So when you finally reach where you wan’ed to go, you can look back and say, ‘Ya know what? I made it.’”
I was silent. He … was right. Did I want an easy journey? I asked myself. Or did I want a journey where I could look back and say “I did it”?
With a deep breath, I stepped toward the dark, abandoned path.
“Good luck, boy,” came the old man’s voice from behind me. “Don’ know if you’ll need it, but just in case.”
I looked back to offer him a smile and say, “You never told me your name.”
He froze and considered for a moment.
“Frost,” he replied. “Name’s Frost.”
“Frost,” I repeated. “Thank you.”
Something flickered in his eyes—a hint of recognition, maybe? I decided not to think too much about it. But he quickly turned his gaze away and waved me off. “Yeah, yeah, now get goin’”.
And with that, I turned and began making my way down the road not taken.
