The woods were dimly lit, with the trees climbing high into the air, branches interlocking high above to let light through only in small patches that barely managed to touch the ground. The air was thick and moist, and Leena felt as though she could hardly breath because of it. She had long since lost track of how long she had been traveling amongst the trees, trying to find her way. She had wandered in on a dare by her friends, but... Well, she could hardly find her way out now.
The way plants grew was very strange to her. They seemed to be crawling towards one another, intertwining as though they were attempting to grow in ways that supported each other. It was as though the forest was alive, a biome full of creations that would only be capable of existing were they to rely upon one another. She felt nervous as she attempted to find her way, as though when she reached out to the trees to support herself on, the trees pushed back against her, telling her to leave.
Leena sat down somewhat roughly, pulling the bag off of her back and reaching in to grab the last of the food that she had been carrying with her. It would give her a few more hours of energy, and she could only hope that she would be able to find her way out before that time ran out. She looked around and found a small stream of clean water, which she was able to drink from. It seemed as though every time she stopped there was water ready for her.
"You seem to be lost," came a voice from behind her. It was low and rough, as though it were coming from a man who had been around for far too long, and it startled Leena. She stumbled to her feet and turned to see something that she couldn't quite explain. It was as though a man were trapped within a near by tree, nearly camouflaged within it, as his face was half covered with tree bark, and his clothes were green and leafy. "You shouldn't have come into these woods, dear," he whispered. His voice felt as though it were all around her, coming from every plant in the forest.
"I... I'm sorry," Leena replied, her voice weak with fear. "My friends... They dared me to, and I thought... I didn't know..."
The man stepped out of the tree, plants moving freely out of his way so he might escape. He had a thick green cape draped around his shoulders, and Leena realized that his barky appearance was a set of armor. A rusted steel broadsword hung at his hip, dragging along the ground. His eyes were old and dull, and they barely moved, as though he were blind. "Let me show you out of these woods," his voice came again.
Leena stepped toward him in earnest surprise. "You'll help me out?" she asked. "Please, sir, I'm so frightened being here."
"Well, there's your fault," he said. "You must not be afeared of these trees. They'll feel it."
Leena blinked. "They'll feel it? How?"
"These are ancient woods, my dear. They know more than you ever could. Accept them. They will set you free."
Leena frowned and looked around. She didn't know what to think, but at this point she could hardly see as she had a choice. She closed her eyes and kept thinking to herself the same thing: "I'm not afraid of the trees. I'm not afraid of the trees."
"Are you gonna go or what, Leena?"
Leena opened her eyes in a jolt, to find herself back out of the forest, her friends surrounding her as they had before she had entered. "Don't tell me your pussying out, Leena," Brandon taunted.
She looked towards the woods, remembering what had happened. She remembered the man she had seen. She remembered the fear and the hunger and the darkness. "No," she said slowly. "I don't think I'm going to go."
No comments:
Post a Comment