They say that changes are always for the best. Well, everyone has their own opinion. Until a certain point, I was very happy. You can say that I didn’t lack the love of my mother or other girls. I’m a popular guy! I don’t like to brag, but it’s true. It just so happened that on this morning another girl left me. But I wasn’t upset, a new one would come to replace the one who left. She will be better, smarter and more beautiful. Maybe the next one will become my life partner in the end. Despite the setbacks, my heart still wanted to believe in the best.
It was the last day of summer. I decided to go out for a walk and get some fresh air in the evening. The sun was getting ready for sleep and warmed up the earth to dissolve in it later. A light, playful breeze was running between the trees and played with the leaves, creating sounds pleasant to the ear. Everything was peaceful and beautiful. The forest, as always, instilled peace in me.
I have lived on the outskirts of the city, near the forest, for many years. The townspeople didn’t really like to walk there, but those who lived next to the forest ceased to be afraid of it a long time ago. Everyone knew that wolves once lived in the depths of the woods. For many years no one has seen them. Probably, the lack of a source of fear eventually evaporated the fear itself. Although some of the people living in my area were still afraid of wolves. Mostly old people, whom none of the younglings took seriously. How can you be afraid of what you cannot see?
I remember as a child, I was afraid of the forest, but then, to prove my courage, I spent the night in it. It was the most frightening night of my life. I was afraid of everything, but I didn’t want to back down. I knew that if I bail out now, I will never forgive myself! And the guys with whom I had a dispute with will laugh at me. I didn’t want to look like a coward, I just didn’t want to be one. Casting aside my prejudices, I realized that the forest itself isn’t terrible: the branches that look like bony ghosts are just branches; strange sounds that are heard in the woods and resemble moans - just the sound of an owl; rustling on the ground is not a sign of impending danger, but only the rustle of leaves. I created the source of my fear and forced myself to be afraid by closing my eyes to reality. As soon as I realized this, the forest stopped being so scary. In it, I found something that I couldn’t find in a city or suburb - calmness, peace, the absence of lies, pretence, betrayal.
Ever since then, when I feel bad or lonely, I go into the forest and listen to its mysterious whispers. I try to imagine that I’m part of it. For a few moments, all my problems disappear, and there is nothing left in the world except me and this massive sea of tranquillity. The world becomes different for a few moments, and everything is somehow simpler, it becomes easier to solve problems. Perhaps, deep down, I envied the wolves that lived in this forest. They could be a part of this world every moment of their existence, and I only occasionally when it seemed that everything in my life was subjected to destruction or devastation.
That’s how it was this time. I was left, and I had no one else to turn to except the forest. I wanted to plunge into the world of calmness and harmony that surrounded me there. To dissolve and forget the pain caused by a person, as I thought, dear to me. And so I plunged into myself so deep that I didn’t notice how far I went into the woods. Dusk was approaching. I chose a random path and walked along with it. Right now desperately wanting to get lost and disappear in this forest. But for some reason it didn’t want to calm me down, didn’t want to share its peace. I still couldn’t forget the pain, and it haunted me.
I walked along the path, not looking around, and soon regretted it. A huge beast swooped down on me. I couldn’t even understand what was happening and why I felt literally crushed. I opened my eyes and saw the massive muzzle of a wolf. He did not grin, did not try to bite me, just laid there on me. I was so shocked that it took me a while to realize that I couldn’t breathe. The wolf tried to stand, freeing me. When he got up, I crawled out from under him in panic and just wanted to run away when I heard a voice in my head.
“Don’t run.” He said. “I will not do you any harm, especially since I am already a deadman. I ask you to accept my essence and stop what I couldn’t. A new world will open before you, which you couldn’t know before, and perhaps your most secret desires can be fulfilled. “
I turned to the wolf. He was big. Grey hide was soaked in blood, and golden eyes were gradually dimming. Fear didn’t arise in my soul, on the contrary, the creature mesmerized me... I wanted to touch it but didn’t dare to do it.
“Come closer, if you agree to help me and change your world,” the voice continued to sound in my head. After taking a few steps forward, I found myself at the muzzle of the wolf. He looked at me with his golden eyes, and I saw myself in them, but not a man...
“You made your choice, accept your new essence...”
It took a moment, and his sharp teeth sank into my left shoulder. Hellish pain pierced whole body, an inhuman scream escaped from my chest, and darkness fell onto my eyes. Everything happened so suddenly that I couldn’t understand it. I don’t remember how I got home and what happened next. The whole week disappeared into my memory like sugar in tea. What was I doing? Who have I been with? It all remained somewhere out there, far away, in the back of my memory. The countdown of the new life I began from the day when I first consciously turned...
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