Scared of the forest?

I met someone who told me he was scared of the forest.

“Why are you scared of the forest?” I asked with curiosity.

“I am scared of the wild animals,” he said. “They can attack you and kill you without a reason. If you tell them “don’t attack me,” they don’t understand. They are not human. They don’t reason."

I paused for a moment.

“Wild animals don’t really attack without a reason. This can be fear, feeling thretened, hunger, or territorial. Unlike humans, wild animals don’t attack and kill without a reason. You must be confusing cities with the forest.”

*****

A/N

Drabble based on a real conversation I had yesterday.

The initial talk about the forest and wild animals diverted to the brutal and nonsensical murder of Iryna Zarytska, a young 23-year-old girl who was victim of a man who savagely stabbed her in the neck three times, letting her to die a painful and lonely dead. No one sitting close to her helped her or tried to get some help.

In a press conference, President Donald Trump (and others) called the killer "an animal." With that, I disagree for the reasons I say in the Drabble.

I am more scared of being attacked in the streets or public transport for no reason any given day without notice than of walking in a forest whilst, perhaps, forest animals silently watch me passing by in what is their home.

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In Memory: Iryna Zarutska, 23, was killed in the unprovoked attack shortly before 10 p.m. on 22 August, 2025 aboard the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. She was a Ukrainian refugee who loved animals, wanted to be a Veterinary assistant, and held a degree in Art and Restoration.

In Memory of Iryna Zarytska

Before Fatal Stabbing, Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Had Fallen in Love with the American Dream (People Magazine)