The Endless Trail

The Endless Trail

The crowing of the neighborhood rooster woke me up. His voice jarred me out of a sound sleep. He announced at the top of his lungs that the world was being blessed by his joyous song. I crawled out of my warm bed to face the day.

It was civil dawn or the golden hour, that time of day before sunrise when you could see without artificial light. The animals of the night headed to bed. The critters of the day waking up.

I stepped outside on the porch. It was warm, the first warm day after a long cold winter. The smell of damp earth and pine filled the air. Crickets sang, a mockingbird screeched. Pre-dawn shadows drenched the yard in mystery hinting at a nice spring day.

Inside I turned on the news. A picture of a black cat, a horseshoe, a 4-leaf clover and a ladder appeared on the screen. It was Friday the 13th, a good day to start a 3 day weekend. Time to play hookie.

I dressed in hiking clothes and packed a snack. Daisy, the neighbor's German Shepherd Husky mutt, smelled my boots. Her tail thumping, she sat up on her hind legs, crossed her front paws and laid her head on her paws. Her big brown eyes begged me to take her.

"Ok girl, you can come." She jumped into my jeep.

I drove to the state park. Only one vehicle in the parking lot. Bare tree branches reached to a light blue cloudless sky. Pine trees waved green branches in the breeze. Daisy jumped out of the jeep, prancing around me. She darted into the woods. I followed her down the muddy trail. I heard giggling, kids playing in the park?

We arrived at a picnic pavilion. Odd, where did that come from? It wasn't here last fall. Odd building it in the winter. Odd, I hadn't heard any rumors of park improvements. But it stood in front of me. Several wooden picnic tables, covered by a roof.

We ate lunch. I heard giggling. In a flash of brown fur, Daisy ran into the woods, branches and leaves crunched. She came back, her fur covered in glitter. She rolled on the cement dusting the ground in neon glitter.

Faint giggling, almost unable to hear, echoed from the woods. Daisy raised her head, pointed her ears to the sound. She rolled on the cement, then trotted down the trail. Just some kids playing.

After about an hour, we arrived at a clearing. It contained a huge pond. What the heck? Last time I hiked this trail there was no pond. A new pavilion and now a pond? Was I lost? It's a loop trail, clearly marked with wooden signs and maps. How could I be lost? Low faint giggling echoed. Daisy whined. She hid behind me.

The sun rose high in a cloudless sky. We had been hiking for hours. The trail only 8 miles long, should have looped and returned us to the parking lot. The trees familiar oak, maple and birch reached their bare branches to the sky. White pine, cedar and blue spruce grew in thick clumps. Broken twigs, damp leaves littered the ground. Giggling low, almost unheard came from behind us. I glanced behind us no one there.

Twilight crept upon us. The air cooled. Daisy sat refusing to walk. I searched my pockets and found a pack of peanut butter crackers and a can of sardines. I patted her head. "Sorry girl I got you into this mess." I fed her the crackers and sardines. I poured water into my hand and let her drink. She lay down and napped.

The sun set covered the world in darkness. Silence reigned, no crickets, owl or animal noises. I didn't know what phrase of the moon it was. New moon, full moon or crescent but until the moon rose complete darkness. Giggling echoed. Where was that noise coming from?

Daisy slept. I searched for a weapon. Nothing in my pockets. I found several broken branches. A couple would work as clubs, a couple as whips. I listened for giggling, silence.

A quarter moon rose, casting weak shadows. I could see the trail. I thought about starting a fire but there was too much brush. I could burn down the whole forest. I didn't want to become a screaming alpha fire.

Giggling surrounded me. It seemed to come from every direction. Run, hide, hike? I was lost on a loop trail. I had no idea where my car was. I choose the biggest branch and set the rest in easy reach. Ok giggling creature or creatures come get me.

I listened. Daisy slept. I heard branches breaking. Someone or something stepping on them? I held onto my branch.

The noise grew louder, came closer. I stood up, clutching my branch, ready to defend myself. A short figure stepped out of the shadows. It was about knee high. It growled, revealing a row of sharp pointed teeth. Halitosis so foul, it caused me to vomit. Thick obnoxious fluid covered the creature. I clutched my branch ready to swing.

It cried, "your mean! I'm all dirty. You're supposed to run."

I froze. Daisy whined.

Small bodies surrounded the short creature. "So icky."

"Your a big meanie."

"Your no fun." Declared many voices. Loud, sad crying hurt my ears.

What the? "It's fear. What do you expect, scaring the crap out of me and my dog?"

Daisy hid between my legs. So much for being a guard dog,

"Your a big meanie! I'm getting my mom. MOM MOMMIE."

I heard branches breaking. Loud bombing steps, pounded through the forest. The noise grew louder, it came closer. A huge dark shape, blocked out the moon.

"Oh my poor baby! Your covered in filth. Who hurt you?" Asked a high pitched female voice.

"That big meanie, it unleashed a horrible weapon."

"We were just playing, it attacked."

"Mom it scared us." A jumble of childish voices declared at once.

"Oh my poor babies! You go home now your auntie will clean you up." The female voice cooed.

Many small feet, stepping lightly, disappeared in the woods.

The mom stood tall, a foul stench like rotting garbage filled the air. She tapped her foot. "WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"

Daisy like a bat out of hell, ran away. I dropped my branch. Dear goddess, I'm gonna die.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Awww yesssssss your??"

"Human! Filthy creature. You came into my forest! You scare my babies! You kill my pets. You chop down trees. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"

Voice don't fail me now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get lost and scare your babies. I just wanted to take a walk on the loop trail."

"Excuses! You human. If you like the loop trail so much, THEN STAY. I curse you with eternal hiking."

She turned around, disappeared into the night.

The sky lighten, civil dawn, that time of day before sunrise when you can see without artificial light. Daisy was gone, I hoped she found her way home.

The sun rose, spreading thin light through thick grey clouds. Snowflakes drifted, covering the ground in a blanket of virgin white snow. I hiked. The trail twisted and turned and looped around. I passed the pavilion and the pond again and again but never the parking lot. The sun set. Spring turned into summer then fall. Seasons turned into years. I avoid the giggling of children.

Until this day, I hike an endless loop trail. Will I ever find the exit?