The Path

The moon called out to her as she walked deeper into the forest. She could hear the crunch of leaves beneath her feet as she made her way through the grand oak trees. Ominous as they were, she was sure they reached high into the heavens. The towering giants were armed with enormous branches that looked as though they could stretch for miles. There was a threatening calm that lingered in the air almost suffocating. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was following her, watching her from all sides. As if the trees themselves were making note of her presence. The darkness grew thicker until she felt it could be peeled from her skin. She continued on, following the path as she had been told, trusting the words of the village elders. She couldn’t help but recall the strange song the woman was singing as she left, “Beware of the terrors that live in the trees. On your soul they like to feed.” Just then she began to see an opening leading to a beautiful green field. Her feet started to run ignoring all thoughts and fears. As soon as she came to the end of the path the lightning struck. There was the unmistakable sound of a loud crash behind her. She looked back to find the deadly branches hurtling themselves to the ground. The path was nowhere in sight. She turned towards the clearing only to find the lush green grass was now brittle and black. The only sound that could be heard was of a child’s scream echoing in the distance.