It stood stock-still, taller than a man but not so much as to be a giant – just enough to be unnatural. Bone white flesh that glinted like diamonds was pulled taught over the slightly too sharp angles of its face. The limbs were long, thin, and bent out at odd angles ever so slightly. Two white horns that looked like bone grew from the creature's head and reached towards the sky, twisted and forked many times over like tiny trees. Moss grew up the sides of the gaunt face, blending into the icy white hair that fell almost to the creature’s strangely bent knees. Vines and flowers and thorns had been woven into the hair in intricate braids that pulled the hair back from its face. It had eyes that were just a bit too big for the small face – no whites or irises could be seen, only a rich lavender color that seemed to swirl at random.

The most peculiar thing perhaps was that the creature was dressed. Not in any sort of human clothes, or even clothes made of leaves or woven grass. It donned armor that seemed to be made of a pearly white metal, and it was adorned with precious gems and crystals, fitted around the creature as if it had been melted onto the skin. The metal had been molded to look like leaves, flowers, vines, and thorns that scantly covered the creature, intricate and almost dainty in its construction.

Mere seconds passed before the creature blinked and, with no sound at all, disappeared in an instant into the brush. The forest came alive again – birds chirping, bees humming lazily from flower to flower. Utter silence came and then left with the creature, a sudden and somewhat nauseating change. Deer crept back into the clearing from their hiding places, eager to seek out sustenance brought forth by the spring rains. The sun began to shine again, bright and comforting, peeking through the canopy.

Breath came back to me all at once. My lungs burned, and my body ached for oxygen. I looked down at my watch to map the location I had stumbled upon and nearly sunk to my knees – 3 hours had passed since I had entered the clearing. It was impossible. Only seconds had passed from when the creature entered and then left my vision – there was no way it had been 3 hours. I knew for a fact that I held my breath the entire time I stared it down, so how could this be? My mind whirled at the enigma I was facing and my knees grew weak.

A sudden voracity came over me as I realized that I was absolutely starving. If 3 hours had indeed passed, then it had been over 9 hours since my measly breakfast in the early morning.

I tore open my pack of beef jerky and chewed greedily, savoring the salty meat and the way the juices ran down the back of my throat. My stomach growled eagerly in reply and I shoved a bit more into my mouth before noting the location of the clearing on my watch and then hastily making my way back through the forest the way I had come. If I didn’t hurry, the sun would set before I made it back to my car, and I wasn’t familiar enough with this part of the forest to risk staying overnight – especially not after what I had seen.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The forest seemed to be closing in around me on all sides. Branches clung to my sweatshirt, tearing small holes in the fabric, begging me to stay. Roots grabbed at my ankles, tripping me and slowing my progress towards safety. Dusk was creeping quickly into the trees, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to see where I was going. It felt like the forest was trying to entice me to stay, a whisper of menace beneath the sweet breath of the wind. Every time I would try to increase my pace, a new stone would trip me, or a bramble would catch my sleeve.

The walk into the forest had been pleasant and easy despite the somewhat rocky terrain at points. Escape was showing itself to be much more difficult. Panic had begun to set in, my heart pounding in my ears to the point where I heard almost nothing else – just my ragged breathing as I struggled to traverse the path that appeared to be closing in, getting smaller and smaller until the path seemed to disappear altogether.

I tried to calm my nerves, whispering to myself that I just had to follow the path and soon I would be free. Repeating those words breathlessly over and over again, I estimated that I couldn’t be more than a quarter mile from the tree line. Though the darkness was fast approaching, I could make out the faintest thinning of the trees, letting small traces of brightness in still.

With a deep breath and a surge of adrenaline, I began to sprint towards the edge of the trees, ignoring the cuts and scrapes from the branches and bramble as they whipped my face, clawed at my clothing and any exposed flesh they could find. I stumbled more than once but I managed to keep upright long enough to glimpse my house just through the trees. Relief flooded through me as I pushed myself to the point of exertion, finally breaking free of the oppression of the darkened forest.

I didn’t stop sprinting until I was on my porch, bright flood lights illuminating the space around me and allowing me to finally catch my breath. Pulling my keys shakily from my front pocket, I unlocked the door and entered my home, slamming and locking the door immediately. My whole body was trembling and I felt cold down to my very core. I forced myself to take deep breaths and hold them as long as I could before finally expelling the air, until I could feel my heart rate slow.

I opened my eyes that I hadn’t even realized were closed and looked around my home. Dark corners now seemed menacing. Every doorway felt like it was harboring some monster ready to attack the minute I walked by. Steadying myself inward, I quickly walked around the entire house, flipping on all the lights and double checking that every window was closed and locked. I pulled all the blinds shut and finally sat down at the kitchen table, my head in my hands as I continued to shake.

The house was too silent. I flipped on the TV in the living room and found the cutest, happiest children’s movie on Netflix to play. All the energy was drained from my body and my mind couldn’t focus on a singular thought. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched, even though I knew there was no way with all of the blinds shut.

‘Food. That’s what I need.’

With a new goal to rush towards, I enthusiastically made myself macaroni and cheese and sang along to the songs in the children’s movie. I ate quickly, noting that I was still famished. After the movie ended, I washed the dishes from dinner and headed upstairs, not bothering to turn any of the lights off on my way.

I made a note to lock my bedroom door, thankful for the adjoining bathroom. Once I changed and brushed my teeth, I climbed into bed, pulling the covers all the way up to my ears. Deciding it was still too quiet, I put on another children’s movie to fall asleep to. It took only minutes for me to fall asleep, even with all the lights and the TV on. Blissful rest.