It was my first time back to the cold, rainy state of Washington in six years. As we landed, the jolt of the plane woke me up. Startled, my eyes opened as fast as a lightning strike.

“Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. You have arrived in Portland, Oregon. The time is approximately 12:45 pm.” A flight attendant announced.

As we got out of the airport, the cold yet humid air filled my lungs. I was on my way to Kelso, Washington. It was right near Portland. When my aunt’s car pulled up, I felt a sense of relief yet I was still nervous. Time and time again I told myself it wasn’t a big deal being here. That I was just seeing family, but that didn’t seem like that was the case. The long, dark bridge over the Columbia River made me realize that this trip was going to change my view of the world in some amazing way.

As we arrived at the small, old white house in Kelso, Washington, up the long street past the small skate park and old white church, a ray of sunshine peeked through the cloudy grey clouds. Fresh air soaked into my braided hair and sticky skin. The voice of my great grandma made my heart warm right then and there.

“Oh it is so good to see you kids again.” She said in her soft voice.
“We missed you!” All three cousins said in unison.
“I’m sure you kids are dying to see the beauty of this place huh?” She kindly asked.
“Of course. From the drive here, it looked pretty amazing.” I added.

“Let me tell you this, go up the street. Go to the school and walk through the parking lot and take a left. Go behind the fence that leads behind the school. Take the main trail you see. Then let nature take you the rest of the way.” She whispered quietly, but loud enough for us to hear.

Off we went. Up the street to the school, through the parking lot and took the left, behind the fence that leads to behind the school, and the main trail we saw. Nature took us the rest of the way. The entrance to the forest. For a moment, I stopped and wondered why she would put us in potential danger, but no, this was not danger, this was seeking the world for a change. One step into the trees. The scent of wood and the calm sound of birds in the distance. Two steps in. Three. Four. By the fifth step in, this place feels like home. Safe. The next step we took let us to two paths. Left or right. To the left, was a short path but a big drop down leading to a stream. To the right, was a long, narrow path that went beyond what I could see. We took a right. Step by step down the long, curved path was like I had been transported into a whole different world. Almost down the curved, narrow path I see a dot in front of me. Quickly approaching it, it begins to focus. The web. The body. The legs. The scene behind it becomes a blur and the big spider becomes crystal clear. Sudden panic and disgust fills me. My first instinct is to scream but instead I duck.

“Whatcha doing there Sari?” My cousin Shelby laughs as she walks straight into the web.

“Hah karma.” I giggled.
“Whatever let's keep walking.” She said with sarcastic attitude.

The path to the right gave a sense of danger but that didn’t matter. Not knowing where the path went, related to life. You take the long path not knowing where it ends instead of the short path that leads to a dead end. Ten minutes down the path. An old, short wood bridge catches my attention. It wasn’t much but it was enough to make me smile. From the bridge on there was still a path, but it came to my attention that it didn’t seem like the safest choice. As we turn around, heading back on the path, I inhaled the fresh nature air. I could feel strength from within me and I continued walking. Soon approached the small entry through the trees and we left the safe feeling of nature. At that moment, one single raindrop fell on my head. Then another, then another. By the time it started pouring, we were back in the comfort of the  old, small white house.