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Chapter 12
A log cabin lies deep in the woods, in an opening found only through some soul searching. A place made from logs of oak, the wood's natural beauty radiated welcome for the travelers who had learned the forest's ways to make it this far. It is a small, one-room cabin lit up by happiness, the glow of which is visible miles away.
Inside, the cabin is cozy, with a fireplace radiating Gratitude's warmth. On one wall is a shelf with a collection of books, each volume in the group representing a stage of life – birth, childhood, teenage years, high school, college, career, etc.
There are two sets of the collection, each book with some pages and others waiting to get filled with the traveler's journey through the woods. In the middle of the cabin lies a bed covered in the softest cotton sheets and covers, inviting the travelers that have journeyed for miles to rest in contentment.
Jack and Rick have never really stepped into these woods, preferring to stay by the ban
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After sunrise, it was a sunny morning in the heart of the Rain Forest.Rick was still tired; he built himself a hammock using a sheet; as he lay down in it, he was sipping from his cup of coffee. Rick had the displeasure of seeing this dangerous creature as it slithered from branch to branch in the tree above him. The deadly serpent was about 6 feet long. It was yellow on the belly and black on the back, and at times, it stuck its forked tongue out and wobbled it in the air. Its movement was as effortless as flowing water pouring itself across the leaves, limbs, and branches. What mechanism of action produced such seamless movement? He did not know what to do, but it was remarkable and striking. Sometimes, it launched on frail limbs that miraculously did not crack under its considerable weight. At other times, it lifted half its body into thin air as it reached for another limb. The snake effortlessly bridged significant gaps that humans with hands and feet would
Retrograde Chapter 14
“Where did you find her?" “She was deep in the forest; we were lucky to find her before someone else got to her," Nicole stood there confused, her eyes having dark circles beneath them. She looked frightened and uncertain of her surrounding; Jack and Rick just hoped she wouldn't get back that memory of what had happened that day. *Memories* Standing on the balcony, Nicole gazed at the darkened and starry sky above. Silence surrounded her as she glanced at the deserted park before her. Memories bombarded her mind. As a young girl, the park was her favorite place to go. One cold winter's night just like tonight, as she looked upon the dark sky, she had decided to go for a walk and wrapped up in her elegant scarlet red winter coat with gleaming black buttons descending the front, keeping away the winter chill. Wearing thick leggings black as coal and leather boots lined with fur kept her feet cozy. It was a beautiful night. It was pe
Retrograde Chapter 15
Waking up, Angela could feel the oak beneath her fingers, the grass beneath her feet, the sun upon her face, and the blazing summer heat. She can smell a storm on the horizon and the moisture in the air. Although she cannot see the clouds, she senses it’s there. She wonders where she is, how she will survive, and look upon her body for tools to stay alive, realizing that she is naked, her skin bare and exposed, alone in the forest; she ponders where are my clothes are and remembers drinking her shots, She saw the path before her and tread in her bare feet, amid the oaks and redwoods, the branches, sticks, and leaves, hearing the sounds of water; the storm was closing fast as the dark cloud folded into a thick foggy cloth around her towering, trees reach to the sky, as lighting flashed brightening up the dark sky. Would lightning strike her down like some wrathful god or crush her beneath a fallen tree in a place where a fairy trod? Where are the nymph
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Worriedly she looks around, "where has everyone disappeared to?” She had turned upside down overnight, “where has everyone disappeared to?” she asked herself again.She ran up to her car and drove off. While driving, there was no other traffic, no traffic lights were working, and there were no cars parked along the side of the road.It was scary, Angela had switched on the radio, but there was a loud screaming noise, no signal; switching off the radio, she drove up to her house.“Jack?” She had run up to the door, screaming her brother's name. The house was empty and unfurnished; she walked across the yard she had started to panic. Was this some joke or a dream she had not woken up from?“Jack?” Angela screamed, but there was no response. "I have to be dreaming,” she thought to herself.Thats when something grabbed her by her throat from behind, choking; she scratched and tried to break loose until da
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Not all goes as planned; Angela being lost in the woods made her more independent and fearless. She won't forget this experience; as a survivor, her only survival was the flames; she was cold, tired, and hungry.If she is going to spend days out here in the woods, she would have to get enough resources to survive. And there is no giving, or else the perpetrators would get away.Darkness reveals its deepest secrets, which could be a question of life or death. Being cautious, Angela stood up and started collecting wood, anything higher than a meter; she then built a fence around her with a two-millimeter spacing; this was not to protect her from snakes since it was not solid fencing. Any animal could get through it; however, it would give her sufficient time to escape and keep her out of sight of the wild animals in the world. "I would have to go hunting first thing in the morning,” she thought since there was no radiance of light. There was no sign of life. She lo
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The night felt long as she sat with her back against the door, holding it close. Her stomach was full, and being alone made her think of her family. She lost her mother, and her brother was turning into someone she no longer knew.She felt remorse towards Nicole, who had been out here all alone. Is there a possibility she is still alive? If she is, she would be out there.Angela had fallen off to sleep with her back against the door. She woke up to a sudden bang. She jumped up and opened the door slightly. The wind had picked up, and it started thundering and rain pouring, lightning striking.Angela felt scared. The only thing keeping her warm was the fire. She would have frozen to death if it had not been for the fire. She had gone outside, picked up her bark, and pushed it against the door with the stopper. "This should hold it close."Angela laid the blanket on the floor, looking up at the roof; she opened Nicole's diary. Reading through it, she saw th
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The road was a smooth black river, the soft wheels floating so effortlessly along and so as the truck made its steady way along. The scenery took on an almost meditative quality, the light igniting the hues of each tree as Angela drove the truck. The shadows of the trees gave shade.The older man had stopped breathing; it felt like hours had passed as the sunset and the sky darkened. Maybe she should not have killed the older man yet, and that can swerve off the road. Angela was confident those guys were dead.She felt sleepy behind the steering wheel as she tried to keep her eyes open. After all, she had barely slept last night; with the thunderstorm and calamity which followed at sunrise, clouds started to thicken. What if she had passed the house? And she would be driving blindly into the middle of nowhere?Angela decided to stop the truck on the side of the road. The dead body of the older man had stiffened. She had to get rid of the body and try to find a m
Retrograde Chapter 20
It began as a whispering in the air. The day had been beautiful, and the sky was like a dome of plasma blue. The clouds had looked like airy anvils drifting under the gleaming disc of the sun.They had put a tent up just before the Reaper's autumn moon appeared over the trees. The moon seemed to turn the leaves into a flaming patchwork of colors: scorching yellows, lava-reds, and burnished browns. It added an alien glamour to a perfect scene. They heard a greedy thrush, snail a-tapping on rock; he finished his supper before fluttering into the owl light of the forest. The mournful cry of a lonely fox echoed through the vault-still silence of the trees.A huffing wind rose then, stirring the flaps of their tent.A tinkling sound came to the ears as the first pearls of rain dropped onto the leaves. The sound was like the glassy clinking of a champagne flute, lilting and clear. A sheet of rain passed over them, and the sound intensified. The noise in the tent was l
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