Welcome to: Narratives in the Forest

“#1. “Do you think, that like, when people aren’t around the forest the animals do what people do?” “Kind of?” “Yeah I’m still like, tied on that one... but it is a cool thought!” “yeah.””

“#2. “There was a moose, in the bog and I thought it was a tree stump. A really oddly shaped tree stump and then I was like, I looked at it closely for a minute and I was like: that is a moose. So their camouflaging skills are really good!” “Yeah!””

“#3. “What about the flowers?” “I love them. Do you like them too?” “Yeah, I think flowers are like, like they really like, pop like colour... right?” “Yeah.””

“#4. “What about the moss?” “The moss? Well it makes a good chair because were sitting on moss right now.” *chuckles*”

“#5. “I love the sounds, ya know.” “Yeah.” “Like a howl of wolves, ya know, we dont have many around here? Like they go awwooooo but what I notice is that, wolves howls, they’re deeper to spread lower on the ground not higher up, its not like a birds going to be a wolf, like a wolf with a jetpack.””

“#6. “What do you think of like all the lichen and stuff? I think its really cool how like, witches hair or wizards beard or whatever you want to call it, like it only grows every 100 years.” “Yeah and all the animals eat it.” “Oh hey, it must be tasty?” “I guess?””

“#7. “What about the bugs what do you think about the bees and stuff?” “I like the bees but not the mosquitos and the black flies.” “Oh the biting ones. Yeah like this morning there was a moth on my wrist and I smacked it, thinking it was one of those, curse you bugs get off of my knee.””

“#8. “If there was one place in the forest where you could stay forever, you could do anything there, you could make a home, you could do anything but basically, if there was any place in the forest that you could do anything in and just be there for as long as you wanted, where would it be?” “Hmm... hmm thats a hard question. maybe at the beach over there.” “The gravel bar?” “The gravel bar yeah.””

“#9. “Where is your favourite place to be in the forest?” “This forest specifically or just any forest?” “This forest.” “Well some places that really mean a lot to me are you see all the trees right? Those really tall thick trees, that have been here for probably like hundreds of years all of those places where the trees have been here and lived through all of that and just stayed, no ones cut them down, they’ve persevered through so many things and well its kind of, well, its kind of just like a metaphor basically. The trees can make it through anything and so can you.””

“#10. “if you had to live in the forest what would you do, to like, kind of, to like, get by in life would you hunt or pick berries and like, what would you do for a home?” “Hmm I think I would, well I would hunt a lil’, I would pick berries a little.” “It’d probably be useful to do both because if you hunted you could use all the like, the animal hides and stuff to make blankets and clothes.” “There’s no fabric stores in the wild.” “No there’s not.” “Sorry but.” “Umm yeah... I would hunt and I’d pick berries and find a nice place to live, build myself a cabin.” “I would probably build a treehouse, treehouse seems useful to keep yourself away from the dangers that are on the ground.””

“#11. “What is the forest to you? Is it a pile of trees? Is it a home? What is it? What do you think of the forest?” “It’s a home and its a nice place to be if your stressed, except for the bugs, Umm. If you go out to the forest you just feel relaxed and kind of at home, at least thats what I feel. Even if there is a bunch of bugs surrounding me.””

“#12. “If you died and you got to choose what kind of a forest animal you would be in your next life, what would you choose and why?” “Hmm... I might choose a fox. Well, they just have like, amazing running skills, they can run fast.” “They can escape predators.” “They can escape predators. They can hunt great like mice. Its just cool being a fox or... it would be cool being a fox.””

“#13. “how do you feel about the bugs here?” “Well thats a hard question because I wanna just say I hate them, interview over, goodbye, but like, they help other things. Spiders eat them and then like other things eat spiders and then other things eat those things that eat spiders and it just keeps on going and then, you know, it probably just keeps on going throughout a bunch of like carnivorous and om-omnivourous om-ominverous I dont know omnivore animal and then, it kind of just, keeps on going and then eventually like we might eat one of those animals. Like we might eat that last animal and thats, you know, thats all thanks to a bug.””

“#14. “When you hear the word forest what do you think of? What images come to you mind?” “Well I think of animals, think of nutrients, think of nature. I dont know, I just think of stuff that is growing still, healthy, wildlife, stuff like that.” “Huh.” “What about you?” Well when I hear forest, peace, calm, trees swaying in the wind. There’s nothing out here to bother you except the mosquitoes” “Yeah and if there’s an angry bear.” “You can think clearly. You can be yourself there’s no one around to judge you, like the deer is not going to care what you look like. There’s no need to be self conscious. The forest is a place where you can come and be alone and be yourself and be happy and be what you truly want to be.” “Yeah.””

“#15. “What would your dream home be in the forest? Like a nice little cottage, a treehouse? What would it be?” “Maybe a nice little cottage-cabin-cottage.” “I’d probably choose a little treehouse by the water.” “Yeah by the water is a great place.” “Because then there’s like water, duh.” “There’s sometimes not that open of a space.” “True but like there’s water, but also animals and stuff come to drink water.””

“#16. *Children howling like wolves in unison*”

“#17. *Children making chickadee noises in unison and saying “cheeeeese burger.””