when I find a moment of sudden silence, I shut my eyes. And in that moment I am back in the woods, back in the lake. My forest around me, a kingdom that I understand. A place that does not love me and that I do not love. But we don’t expect love from each other, the wild and me. We only want to survive.
And I did. And I will.
My name is Jess Cooper, and I am still alive.