Uncertainty Principles

The half-fallen tree finally collapsed the rest of the way at some point. Broke apart higher up and came crashing down a long time ago. You can tell by how the rotting wood has sunk into the soft ground and how the undergrowth has sprung up around it. Give it another thirty-six years and you might never know it had been here at all. For now, though, it still clearly marks where I need to turn off and head deeper into the woods.

“It’s all downhill from here,” I whisper over my shoulder to nobody.