CHAPTER THREE

I had broken the fatal spell it had cast on me in less than a second, and my body reacted instinctively by running. I had no idea where I was going; all I knew was that I needed to get away from that dreadful gargoyle as soon as possible.

The leaves howled in a symphony as the wind blew through the limbs of the trees. Running through the woods on a gravel path makes me realize how complex the interaction of weather and environment can be. Two natural forces that are both in tune and always at odds.

But then my logic kicked in, and I started to doubt what I was doing.

But all of the sudden, there was this different sensation of mine. It’s like I am a brave person or that’s just me in the past life. Hmm, nevermind. I’ll just keep going.

I’m sure, there will almost certainly be more than one giant centipede if there is one. And if you keep running like this, you won’t even notice until you’re knee deep in a centipede’s nest, which will be too late.

Trust, take care.

When I remembered the girl’s warning words, a cool shiver ran down my spine once more. I felt gooses spread from my neck to my legs and arms, despite the fact that I was sweating from the climbing and running.

Hello. The child’s mousy voice is playing in my head.

It had to be my subconscious trying to get my attention.

At the very least, there was no girl. What a fool I was to believe that. Arrgh. Put her out of your mind. It never took place. There was never any girl, and you are well aware of this. Now, focus all of your energy on surviving long enough to get out of here.

Under the tall trees, it was darker. It was still raining, and it was still cloudy, and I wondered if the sun could even force its rays of daylight through the dense canopy of giant pine trees. Even on a bright and sunny day.

Raindrops dripped from the tall trees and landed on my head. It felt like I was in the shower. I spread my arms wide, as if embracing the water dripping down my body. “I love rain.” I muttered.

“I just do..”

Those who have lived through hurricanes love the rain. They crept through the mud, searching for a safe haven for their depleted spirits. Their mountainous hope had been shaken by the thunder, but it had not been trampled. Everything was terrible; the massive raindrops were like foreshadowing how the world would end, and how it would take them, lifeless and damp. However, they are unconcerned about it because they are focused on surviving until the next day. After the wrath of the tempest had flashed through their minds, the sun that will shine through the cracking clouds and the welcoming embrace of the gentle wind They knew, oh God, that the sun would shine again, just as it had done before the storm. That it will not abandon them, that its warmth will dry their tears and the moisture in their tired system. As a result, when it rains again, they are unconcerned because they have learned to appreciate it. Every drop is welcomed, and they even dance in it. They were survivors, and they will continue to survive until that time comes.

The ground was moist and strangely soft, with pine needles and moss forming the majority of the surface. I could also see mushrooms growing in the shade of old, fallen trees here and there. Those are something I could eat.

Could I, however, really do it? I was aware that many mushrooms were poisonous, but I couldn’t recall their appearance. So I decided to look for any fruits, which could be a berry.

The thick bark felt oddly comforting against my skin as I ran my hands along the trunks of some of the trees I passed by.

I didn’t feel disgusted by the sap, which made my fingertips sticky, but I didn’t feel disgusted by it like I expected. It had such a clean and fresh scent to it! It was almost as if Mother Nature had washed the entire world in her blissful rain, and the pearly droplets were now strewn about me like tiny decorations from above.

“How lovely Mother Nature is…,”

The mother of all, the glory of the field is the mother of all the grass that weaves over their graves. Deep-bosomed, patient, and impassive, she who manifolds all forms of life.

She who is the lyrical joys and sorrows’ silent brooder and nurse. Out of the fertile depth beneath thy breast, for sure. You, motionless and voiceless, have been issued in some strange way.

The blood-red hearts that beat in time to these beats are called dust. You’ve secretly, irresistibly taken them back to yourself. As a river is lost in the sand, draw the crimson currents of life down and deep into thy bosom again.

Working within thee, the man-child was awakened to breathe thy secret. All of thy flowers, birds, forests, and flowing waters that I’ve mentioned are but enchanted forms that embody the spirit’s life; thou, earth-mother, in mountain and meadow and ocean.

“It’s lovely,” I whispered in the air.

When I came across, I saw the antler of what had to be a deer, I went completely still. I wished I could touch the bushy, branched structures that protruded from the deer’s forehead. But he vanished into the bushes as soon as I noticed him, and I never saw him again.

The thought made me a little sad because I was terrified of almost everything in this forest, and the few things I wasn’t terrified of were terrified of me.

I sighed and took a seat on one of the downed trees. A small group of brown, crinkly mushrooms stood next to me. I took one of them in my hands and examined the delicate surface on the underside of the cap. Then I smelled it by holding it up to my nose. It smelled like a damp forest.

My stomach growled as I examined it more closely. Was this one of the ‘harmless’ ones? It appeared to be edible, after all. Couldn’t I just try a bite to see how it tasted? Isn’t it true that if something tastes bad, it’s probably poisonous?

But just as I was about to bring it up to my mouth, my eyes caught a glimpse of something even better.

Blueberries!

I ran over to the little bush, leaving the mushroom on the trunk. And, for once, I felt extremely fortunate when I discovered that there were more of those bushes a short distance away. My hands worked systematically through every tiny branch and leaf for the next hour or so, bringing the juicy berries into my mouth and suffocating my hunger. And by the time I’d gone through each one to make sure I had them all, the flavorful fluid had turned my fingers and, most likely, my lips purple.

I smiled a little, relieved that no one had seen me in this state. I’m sure I looked terrible! My hair was a tangle, my clothes were filthy, and the wounds on the back of my head and above my brow didn’t look particularly appealing. They weren’t feeling well, either.

But, oh well. It will improve once I leave here and return to civilization.

When I heard the cracking of branches and something that sounded like a grunt, I jumped. It’s a huge ungulate-like creature. Long, rounded snouts; large, flattened antlers; humped back; narrow legs; and massive bodies help me recognize it. It’s a moose, charging straight at me, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I didn’t even have time to consider running before it launched me into the air, head first. Surprisingly, I landed on a soft surface, and I thanked the higher powers for assisting me.

So I reasoned.

“Ahhh!!! Get out of here! Get off!” I let out a loud scream. Creatures that has eight legs, I leapt to my feet, attempting to brush off the crawling monsters, as I noticed the moose turning around to attack me once more. I grabbed a large branch and began swinging it over my head to scare the moose away, almost forgetting about the spiders.

“Get out of here! Shooo!” I screamed, only to discover that the animal did not understand what I am saying. So I did the only thing I could think of: I climbed up the nearest tree, which was tall enough to keep me above the angry cow’s reach. It was because it was. Two tiny moose calves came stumbling after her after she had calmed down a little, smelling the ground where I had been standing. And I was so taken aback by how adorable they were that I almost cried. The mother kept a close eye on me, making sure I didn’t try anything, but all I could think about was finding a comfortable position to sit in without falling, while admiring the wonders of nature right below me.

They eventually left and vanished back into the wilderness, but I stayed in the tree until I was absolutely certain they hadn’t returned. And all this happened while I waited. “Ouch!” I exploded. I sighed as I was deeply focused on picking off the red ant and examining the areas where it had bitten me.

I’d been wandering through the woods for hours when I came across a large river. It was quite wide and not particularly deep, and I debated whether to cross it or continue on my current path. It felt good to get out of the now-quite caliginous forest and into open terrain. But it was getting darker, and I wasn’t looking forward to spending another night outside, unprotected. It had been raining since this morning, and the sky remained dark and threatening, so I knew I’d have to find a dry place if it started raining again. It was already cold enough if I didn’t get wet. If that were the case, I’d most likely perish from hypothermia.

I was also hungry once more. The blueberries didn’t make you feel particularly full. But I couldn’t find any more berries, and I was still refusing to eat mushrooms. My gaze was drawn to the clear water, where I noticed the movements of a fish, gracefully swimming. Then there was a third. And then there was another. And I noticed that the river was teeming with salmon.

If only I had something with which to catch one. I sat down on a ledge to see if I could think of something clever to say. And I didn’t waste any time debating whether I should just jump in and catch a fish with my hands, because that wasn’t going to happen. I had to keep my clothes dry.

So I looked around and discovered a long branch that could be used as a fishing rod. The question now was what kind of line and hook to use. I didn’t have any tools, so I considered unraveling a small section of my cardigan to make a line.

But, before I got there, I heard a voice.

“Trust yourself.”

The voice was the same as before. I had no doubt that it was the young girl. However, when there was no one there when I looked around.

“Hello?” I yelled, but only the gurgling of the river responded. Then I became stiff. Footprints. There were footprints in the sand on the riverbank around me again, making sure I didn’t miss anyone, but the area I was in made it impossible to get away without being seen. There was no one else in sight.

Even so, there were new footprints. I slowly stood up, intrigued and a little creeped out, and walked over to take a closer look. There was no doubt about it. It was the footprints of a child. And it appeared out of nowhere, walked a few steps, and then came to a halt. Then it appeared that whoever was standing there had simply fled?

Oh, I’m going to the other side of the river without a doubt.

I tied my clothes as tight as possible before stepping into the water. Because of the stones, walking was difficult and I might drown and I lost my balance a couple of times and nearly fell. But eventually, on the other side, I stepped onto dry ground. I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. And it was looking right at me.

A monster with a light color scheme and noticeable dark markings.

My chest tightened as I slowly turned my head, making it difficult to breathe.

“Oh, nooo!” I harshly exclaimed. As I stared at the massive grizzly in front of me, I whispered to myself. Nausea and cold sweat washed over me, and I took a few steps back, only to be pursued by it.

I was well aware that you should never turn your back on a leopard and flee, but the fear was almost obliterating any semblance of common sense in my mind. I was so terrified that I tripped and fell backwards on the riverbank when it stood up on two feet, as if to state my fate. That prompted the bear to charge towards me, clearly triggered by predatory instincts.

And the ultimate thing I keep in mind is the strong odor of moist endure and a grotesque breath, simply earlier than he growled and opened his jaw, and the whole thing went dark.