I don’t know when exactly I fell asleep, I don’t even know how long I was out for, but I guess it’s okay. I felt something rub against my cheek, it whimpered a faint squeak.

“Don’t worry little mouse..” I barely whispered, the mouse shifted slightly, “go on, save yourself, I’ll be ok. Don't worry.”

“f̴̵o̸̶̡͘ų̸̴̢̀n̸̢̛͘͢͡d̶̢̧͢͢҉́͡ ̶̢͘̕͟͡͝͠͝a͡҉̷̷̴̛̕͟͡͝ ̴̵̷̸́̕͜͜҉̵͜f̧̨̛̕̕̕͞͝͡҉̕͠r̶̡̢͢͟͡͡͠҉̷́͜į̸̵̴̛̛́́̕͘͢͞͠é̢̧̀̀͘͘͟͜͜͠͡͡ņ̴̴̵̀́́̀̕͟͝͠͝d̵̵̸̵̵̡̛̀͜͜͜͞͝ ̵̷̨̨̢̧̛̀̀͜͡͠h̴̛̀́́̕͜͟͜͜͟͟ą̨̡̡̀̕͘͢͜͟͢v̸̡̧̀́̕͟͡͡҉e̸̡̨̧̢̛͢͞͠ ̵́́͟͝͞͞҉ỳ̧̛͘͢͝͡ó̴̡͝҉u̸̶̸͞?̵͞¿͜(found a friend have you?)” I could hear the little mouse scamper away, up the walls, and then gone. Hours passed, I swear my blood was everywhere around me within a twenty mile radius. I woke up to the scent of rubbing alcohol and bloody water,

“Tha mi cho duilich mu dheidhinn mo mhaighstir, chan eil e gu cinnteach, daonna..(I'm so sorry about my master, he's not exactly, human..)”

“Carson?(Why?)” I asked him

“O, uill tha e a ’ciallachadh gu math ach, dìreach earbsa rium gu bheil e a’ fàs nas fheàrr .. tha gearraidhean dona agad. tha fios agad, is dòcha gu bheil e nas fheàrr nach fuirich thu an seo…(Oh, well he means well but, just trust me he's getting better.. you have some bad cuts. you know, maybe it's best you don't stay here...)” he seemed horrified

“an uairsin, cuidich mi a-mach às an seo (then, help me get out of here)” he seemed to agree, immediately unlocking my chains. “Gabh fois, bidh thu a-mach às an seo luath gu leòr. (Relax, you’ll be out of here soon enough.)” and in hearing those words my vision went black.

I woke up, how many times have I fallen asleep in this forest? I never knew I was this tired. I heard a twig snap, pulling me from my internal tornado of thoughts. 

“Hello? Show yourself.” nothing, i could hear the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the soft chirp of crows in the distance. I let myself relax for about twenty minutes.

“Ring around the roses. Pocket full of posies. Ashes, Ashes we all fall down. Ring around the roses. What do you suppose we, can do to fight the darkness In which we drown? Ring around the roses. This evil thing, it knows me. Last ghost around me. I can't fall down.” 

“Not this again..” I cringed as the sound of chants echoed in the wind, but this time was different, the voices, they sounded familiar.

“Ring around the roses. Pocket full of posies. Ashes, Ashes we all fall down. Ring around the roses. What do you suppose we, can do to fight the darkness In which we drown? Ring around the roses. This evil thing, it knows me. Last ghost around me. I can't fall down.” The voices grew louder, faces begane circling me from my place in the clearing, spitting venomous words at me, building me up then destroying my very being.

“Loser” one told me, “freak” said another, “worthless” spat a third. One by one each one breaking my now fragile soul. I went numb, anger and fear molding some new found emotion, new found courage. I ran not looking back, voices following me, fueling the internal flame inside me. The trees surrounded me, cloaking me in a blanket of darkness, as the night grew darker. A clap of thunder, the flash of lightning. Perfectly imperfect, Dizzy, spinning endlessly in this maze of trees. I didn’t know where I was going, but I would when I got there.