Growing up where I did, there was always more to do in the woods than in town. We had one bowling alley and a few bars but that was all. Most kids played in the forest. Climbing trees, playing tag or even hide and seek, with the understanding of potential hunting and wildlife dangers, and the bridge.
The bridge stretched over a riverbank but halfway through was a small gate with a sign telling us to not trespass. Me and the other kids always theorized about what might have been on the other side. One kid said they were doing construction, another said it goes down a big hillside kids have been known to fall down.
One night I decided to take a new camera I got and told the gang I was going to sneak over the gate and see what was on the other side and if I come back with a picture, they owe me 10$ each. They all agreed, and I took my small flashlight and camera and made out into the dark woods. The dark wasn’t a problem however, seeing as I knew the forest like the back of my hand. After about 10 minutes of walking, I make my way to the bridge.
It was amazing as I felt like an explorer about to chart the uncharted and explorer a whole new world. By the time I had got my courage together I jumped over the gate and made my way to the other side of the bridge.
As soon as I got to the other side It became darker.
It had gone from being pitch black to downright abyssal. My flashlight didn’t light up much around me and when I looked up, I saw the sky had gone from stars and moon to dark amethyst purple with crimson clouds. I was beginning to panic, I pulled out my camera and took a shot of the sky, clear photo surprisingly.
I then ventured further down the path knowing that the picture wasn’t enough evidence to get my friends to part way with their allowance. My flashlight stayed on the path which was becoming less of a dirt road and more of an obscure pile of broken sticks and leaves. I shined my flashlight around me and what I saw paralyzed me in fear.
The trees had eyes.
The base of the tree was as dark as the atmosphere and seemed to devour the light I shined on it. The eyes were the same as the sky some amethyst some crimson. I took lots of pictures, forget the bet I was going to sell this scientist and explorers, at least that’s what my dumb kid brain thought. When I got to a clearing in the woods, I ducked down into the thicket immediately.
I saw people, humanoid figures in long robes with deep hoods. I couldn’t make out the color because depending how the torches around them reflected the light it was some variant of black, crimson, or purple. That’s when I noticed the torch lights were green like Emeralds, I raised my camera and silently took some photos, the flash was eaten by the darkness and the pictures came out blurry.
They gathered around a monolith and began chanting as some light was pulled from the sky and channeled into the rock. The monolith had patterns on it, but they were ineffable runes and finally, above the rock formation a terrible darkness began to stir. The being of shadow bared an ethereal shape with wings and horns of a ram. The only color that could be distinguished were the eyes, one violet and one crimson.
I went to lift my camera but upon seeing the thing I dropped it and ran as fast as I could. I ran for what felt like a horrid amount of time before I saw the bridge, and with the last of my strength, I jumped it and then collapsed.
I woke up in a hospital with my mother and father at my side they told me my friends found me passed out from dehydration at the bridge. I was asleep for two days after my friends found me. I lost the camera, so my prize was forfeited. I honestly couldn’t care less about the prize, I tried to tell them about what I saw over the gate, but they tell me It was just a bad dream.
So, what prompted me to tell this story now, so many years after the ordeal? Because to this day it has impacted me negatively. I have a phobia of the forest, mirrors and the dark. I also do not look out my window at night, because the last time I did I saw one of the hooded figures outside, waiting for me.