Crossroad

She stands at a crossroad. Alone. At this point in the road, the straight, level path splits into two separate ways. Both paths wind out of her view, shadowed deeply by the overcast of the towering trees. Her small frame shivers slightly in the breeze that sweeps through the forest. She is acutely aware of the pebbles pressing into the soles of her sandals, urging her to move. 5 toes point to the left, while the other foot is angled towards the right. 2 paths. Which to take? The leaves rustle impatiently. The woods are hushed, she hears loudly the unsteady intake of her own breath. Still, she is rooted to the dirt path.
Until this point, her way had been straight...predictable...sunlit. She had danced, laughed and twirled through the flowered meadows. But no more. Now, here she stands, a single dark silhouette, halted at the crossroad.
Darkness approaches. Crickets chirp, filling the silence, but clouding her head with noise. She remains frozen. The gray twilight deepens and neither path looks appealing in the dusk. She tilts her chin up, searching the sky amidst the tangled web of trees. No stars can be seen. No light to guide her.
It is deeply dark, with only hints of moonlight spotting the ground. Still no decision. Craning her neck, she peers down each path, longing desperately for just one sign post to mark the way. To choose the wrong way would mean hours of back tracking or becoming utterly lost in a haunted forest.
The wind picks up, spinning dead leaves around her ankles, whistling eerily in her ear. Choose. She must choose. The chilling cold, the oppressive dark, the movement of scampering animals...all pressure her to move. Move.
But sill, she waits, weighing the decision. Hour after hour she stands, her feet not daring to move an inch. Fear causes her heart to pulsate erratically and more than once she tastes the saltiness of tears streaking down her face. She stays alert. Hour after hour. The black night slowly, painstakingly turns to navy, from navy to gray, from gray to silver, and finally from silver to gold.
Still, she waits. Birds sing deep in the branches. The high trill makes her lift her eyes from the ground for the first time in hours. Mellow sunlight filters through the forest, illuminating the two paths again. She sighs, a deep, heart-wrenching heave that expels all the air from her body. Still, she has no idea. It seems she has stood at that crossroad for an eternity.
It is time for a choice. Left or right? Then...drifting delicately through the forest, she hears the lilting, airy melody of an instrument...perhaps a flute. She does not know its origin, but its refrain puts her heart at instant peace. A smile tilts the sides of her mouth. The sound creates an energy that flows through her body. Her waiting is over. Following the music, she slowly lifts up her foot, leaving behind in the crossroad a small footprint deep in the dirt.