Nature’s lights off

Jorge – Stage 11 May 2022

First Language English IGCSE descriptive coursework

Grade: A

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The river flowed slowly, babbling under the natural bridges of branches and rocks; the crystalline stream was gentle, allowing fragile animals of peaceful existence to drink from it safely. The aroma of exotic flowers and tropical fruits was addictive, almost as if it was man-made, specifically to delight any human brave enough to enter it. I carefully caressed a nearby leaf of enormous proportions – it mesmerized me with its silky texture and delicacy, so unique in its infinite abundance. It was a perfectly chaotic assembly of life, so pure in its filth, so peaceful in its pandemonium. The whole forest had a strange connection, ultra-natural, it felt like sole creature, a single entity that was welcoming me into its own world – I felt comfortable, protected from the threats.

The last of the sun’s warm rays were becoming scarce and, as if the god of time had announced the imminent absence of light, the prolific wildlife began to seek shelter. The day’s balmy warmth faded, and an unsettling cold embraced the agglomeration of trees, bushes and animals. A scent of humidity seeped through the forest as raindrops the size of clamped fists began to drop with a speed that almost seemed artificial. The dry, dusty ground turned to mudflats, as water gushed down the eroded pathway. The sounds of life and joy turned to wails of fear and mystery, accompanies by luring howls of threats and menace. All of a sudden, I started feeling like all the protection the forest had offered me was slowly but relentlessly fading away, almost as if the titan was starting to awake and walk away from my side,

The day was now no more than a mere memory. Towering treetops were now engulfed in the ominous darkness that had fully besieged the whole forest, and after the last apex of light and hope was abolished, the real chaos started. The canopy above came to life, swaying unrhythmically and against any sort of pattern. It was the monkeys. They shook each tree as they jumped and hung from its branches, their screeching squeals merged with the hysterical flapping of the blood-thirsty bats and the splashes of the red-eyed crocodiles to form a cacophony of apprehensive racket. The foulest creatures of the forest walked loose, untethered. Cries of despair from helpless pray, succumbed to the uneven fight of nature, echoed through the night – yet another animal plucked from life.

Finally, the fight between light and dark changed direction again and the first brave individuals began to emerge from their shelter to walk the still dire grounds of the battlefield. With the downpour over, every trifle of forest was bathed in the pureness of that crystalline water. The tropical fruits that had mesmerized me were releasing their scent again, flooding the woodland with their sweet fragrance. The sun’s rays pierced through the vast canopy above and a hope-filled rainbow began to form as the animals returned to the stream to drink in peace. I found myself back at the beginning, the start of a vicious cycle of life and death, light and dark.