Whenever someone asks me where my dream place to live is, my answer is the same every time. In the middle of the woods in a cozy cottage. It's a dream that has certainly become more widespread these past few years, given the pandemic. I never had the time or resources to make that dream happen for myself, so I quelled my desire by going on hikes. A lot of hikes.
It was the end of rush season at work and I decided to celebrate by hiking on a trail that I had been wanting to travel through. I'd been refraining from the experience because of the 45-minute commute to it. But looking anywhere online lead me to most amazing comments about how stunning the views are, and how many great photo ops there were. After some debating I decided, "what the hell" and went with it. I packed the essentials -food, water, phone, first aid, and communication tools- and was on my merry way.
I pulled into the parking lot to find it empty. I was surprised at first, why would such a highly praised trail be completely desolate? But after some thought, it occurred to me that not everyone goes hiking in the middle of the week. And with that realization, I moved on. I made my way through, stopping every now and then to take pictures of the landscape. I was about half an hour in when I realized I hadn't seen anyone on the trail. I guess the empty parking lot should have given me the notion that no one would be on the trail either, but even still I hadn't seen any rangers. I decided that I would walk another 10 minutes, and if I didn't see anyone I would turn back and go home. At the 5-minute mark I stopped dead in my tracks. Looking out to my right was the most amazing scene of nature I had ever witnessed. There was a clearing in the trees showing off four streams of water that all connected to each other in various ways. The lack of trees allowed the sun to pack through and glimmer atop the water. Big mossy rocks scattered the edges of the streams with a mossy fallen tree being the center piece. This must have been what the reviews talked about.
Looking closer I could see that there was indeed a trail that led through the scene. Without a second thought I snapped a picture and walked through. As quickly as the clearing of trees appeared trees reappeared, in fact, they were denser than they had been on the normal path. But I kept on. Breathing in the fresh air, I lost track of how much time I had been there, but in a second a sound woke me up from my daze. Or rather the lack of a sound. You never notice the birds chirping until you realize that they've stopped. And all at once this woodland paradise unraveled. Clouds crossed out the sun while the thick trees blotted even more light from passing through. It took a second but a splintering noise filled the darkness. I wiped my head around, but there was nothing there, or at least nothing I could see. I took another look at the clouds, they were dark almost green. It was about to storm. And just as the thought came to my head the rain started to fall.
A bolt of lightning light up the sky as thunder cracked before and after the continually strikes. I turned around the trail and ran back, "of course this would fucking happen". I guess I can check off another reason no one else was there. I kept running until another sound caught my attention, it sounded like another crack of lightening. Something was off about it, it reminded me of the first lightening strick I heard. I felt two spots on my back, the feeling you get when someones looking at you. I slowed my pace to a jog, I knew I needed to find shelter but I needed to make sure I was safe first. I wish I would've kept running.
About 20 yards away is a horrible thing. A creature at least 10 feet tall with no face stared my down. Below it a fallen tree. The sound I heard before the storm, my heart filled with dread. What I felt is far to intense to put into words. The things skin was gray as it's torso was abnormally long with it's legs that were jointed like a deer. It's arms stretched from it's shoulders all the way to the ground, balancing itself with them. I kept moving as it just stared at me, although it may have been an unwise decision, I turn back around and ran. I ran as fast as I could, at some point my legs started to hurt but it didn't matter I kept running at the same pace for as long as I could. But my running was to no avail as that thing quickly caught up to me. It threw it's arms out as they landed on the ground then pushed off them, it repeat the same manner with it's legs. Arms legs arms legs. I had to keep moving, I had to. The sprinting movement had been ingrained into my legs until I took one wrong step. In slow motion I saw my ankle twist as I slammed my head into the ground.
My ears were ringing, once I regained consciousness I immediately remembered the circumstances I was in. And there it was just 2 yards away, that hellish creature. I looked from it to my ankle then back to it. I threw my head tk the side and vomited. I layed my body onto the ground as I let whatever fate I was destined for overtake me. Rain continued to fall as mud and rocks tinged at my side. I picked up my hand anf looked at it closely. Blood splotched my hand, hatched from the rocks. It presumably came from my head. I laughed, waiting for the thing to do what it pleased with me. That laugh turned into a cry, a plea for it to let me go. I could hear it come closer. Each step rattled the rocks around me. It threw it's fist down once again, I braced for impact but it hit my side.
The creature screamed. No mouth on its face moves but the flesh did, almost like it's mouth was covered by skin. It slammed it's fist down again and again on either side of me. Soon it started to uproot the dirt, rocks, and mud the I laid with. It screamed and I cried with it. It well that's body around, knocking down trees and sending the wet leaves down onto my body. I knocked down a finial tree than stopped moving it's body. It was making a noise, almost like it was gasping for air. But slowly that sound turned into crying, the sound of children crying. I sat up and looked at it. It backed away, disappearing into the tree line. But I could still hear it. The sound of children crying. As soon as I could feel the creature was gone, I got up. I tried running again but I couldn't.
I made it out of the woods. Once I left I stopped hearing those awful children. I haven't talked much since that day, I haven't gone back to work either. My mom, friends, siblings have all called countless times. I haven't felt like doing anything. For the most part at least. Something has been calling me. And all I want to do, is go back to those woods.