The Wood

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. My Mother’s words played on a loop in my head as I walked ahead. It was a beautiful day in the middle of The Wood. The path was well paved before me with lush green trees surrounding me. The sun filtered through creating dancing shadows, the rays warming my face. I loved being among The Wood and could remember playing between these trees with my brother. We used to pretend that a legion was after us and we had to protect our home. Dodging invaders and people who would come to steal or burn what was ours. We had armor made out of bark and tree sap, barely holding together, and swords from long branches we had sharpened with Father’s knife. Those are my favorite memories.

I smiled looking around and was shocked from my thoughts as I noticed a shape coming up ahead. I slowly made sure that my knives were still in sheaths at my sides and my thighs. I let out a smooth calming breath reminding myself that this was a well traveled trail. If anything was strange it was actually that this was the first fellow traveler I had passed. The gentleman was almost before me now and something was oddly familiar about him. I wondered if we had met in my village before this.

I gave the man a smile and stopped a short distance away to let him know I would not be a threat. Unless he made me one. He hesitated before me as if he was waiting for something. “Hello there. What brings you down this path?” He finally projected loudly with a broad smile. His clothes looked worn down, dark circles and unshaven beard made his grey eyes look set deeply into his face, his disheveled hair matching the rest of his appearance. He looked like a man that had been on a long and hard journey, my heart ached a little at the thought.

“Hello Sir. Fine day we’re having, great for walking. Where have you come from?” I tried to sound innocent in my asking but the hesitancy in my voice betrayed me. Another silence stretched between us and I could have sworn I saw a sad look cross his face. “Ahhh yes. I am coming from just the village over. I needed to stretch my legs and visit some family…” His eyes seemed to unfocus and glaze over a bit as he trailed off. Furrowing my brow, “Are you unwell? You look like you may need some refreshment, sir. Let me share what I have. It seems as good a time as any to stop for a bite.” I gave him a smile and nodded to a large stump on the side of the trail. “No!” He yelled quickly making me jump back from him unsheathing a knife for both hands. I leaned down into a fighting stance before him as he raised his hands and took a small step back.

“I apologize. Let’s just sit here where we are. No need to venture off the trail.” He said very slowly lowering himself to the ground, his eyes shifting quickly side to side as if someone was going to come at us from the woods. I stood tall and looked him up and down assessing him. I saw no threat and sheathed my knives, letting my leather satchel slide off my shoulder and settle between us. Sitting across from each other I took out the bread, cheese, dried meat, and wine skins my Mother had packed for my journey. It oddly looked like I had eaten some already but could not remember it. I shook it off and tore out a piece of bread handing it to the traveler before me.

“What is your name?” I asked to break the uncomfortable air between us after his outburst. “I am Silas son of Alford. I am from the Ailian Mountains by the Southern borders. What of you?” His reply came in between mouthfuls of bread. He must have been ravenous I realized as he devoured the food not seeming to notice me looking at him. I let out a small laugh downing a bit of wine to ease the tension in my shoulders. “Very nice to meet you Silas son of Alford. I remember my family visiting the Ailian Mountains once when I was young, perhaps we have met before. I thought that you looked a bit familiar. I am Erik, son of Aluxio from the Chisos Basin. My family moved to Holickson when I was young and we have lived by The Wood ever since.” I replied with a warm feeling filling me as I thought of my family. I would be very happy to see my brother Evander when I returned.

I looked up back at the man and was surprised to find him studying me. “Yes, we have met before. It took me aback that you did not remember, but that it probably for the best. Times such as they are.” A darkness overcame the man's demeanor and before I could say another word he was on his feet. “I bid you a farewell and hope that our paths may meet again, under better circumstances.” I went to stand and when I turned around he was gone. One minute he had been before me the next there were no traces of him. If half of my food had not been gone I would have thought that he was a figment of my imagination. I turned in a circle slowly and shook my head. Packing up what was left of my provisions I once again began my long trek ahead.

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. I was growing tired wondering why the sun seemed not to be getting any lower. I felt like I had been walking for days instead of the mere hours that had passed. I should have skipped on the wine I drank with Silas earlier, it had obviously settled a little too well into relaxing me. “Erik! Oh, you are such a sight for tired eyes.” I heard someone before me yell. I whipped my head up and saw a beautiful woman standing a few feet away, her hands on her hips and a lovely smile on her face. She had long blonde hair and deep green eyes, her dress a dark red that seemed to make her eyes more pronounced. I smiled at her realizing I did not recall this woman at all.

A panic filled me slightly as she took steps closer and brought me into an embrace. She hugged me with such familiarity that I couldn’t help but melt a little bit into her. She withdrew just a small step and looked up at me, her smile dropping quickly when she noticed my face. “You don’t remember who I am, do you?” She whispered, taking a step back. I quickly tried to grab her ready to do anything to not let her leave. I did not remember her but something in my body seemed to. I was captivated by her and somehow had a new sense of energy blooming in my chest. “I-I don’t but I feel as if I should. In a dream or a past life or….do you know me? What is your name? Please.” I begged watching her face fall and tears form in her eyes.

I floundered for a way to fix it, grabbing her hands and bringing them to my chest. “I really should let you approach me first next time. I thought you would outlast them this time, or at least remember. I thought that we would make it out…but maybe there isn’t a way to. Oh Erik. If you forget everything else it is very important to remember to not step off of the path but that running makes the pain worse.” Her eyes bore into mine. My heart was breaking with each tear that fell down her face. I had no idea what she was speaking about and my mind whorled trying to decipher what she was telling me. “I don’t understand. What have I forgotten and who are you to me? Beat what? What in the Gods is off the road?” I tried to pull her closer to me to make her answer but she ripped herself out of my embrace. She just shook her head and ran in the other direction. My mind was racing as tears filled my eyes and I watched the blur of red disappear.

I replayed her words over and over in my head as I walked forward. Her face had reminded me of Silas’s as he yelled about now wanting to sit by the edge of the path. There was fear in their eyes. I stopped and looked between the trees around me trying to see anything move or show signs of life. It looked just like the forest we played in as kids and I had never gotten hurt there. I strained my ears to see if I heard anything beyond it but only the sound of the swaying branches and leaves filled the space. I felt doubt and paranoia set into my bones as I restarted my journey ahead. What have I forgotten and what is in the woods?

My feet drug across the ground catching on a rock and throwing me down. I hit the ground hard and all of my breath left me in a quick exhale. My entire body ached as I let the exhaustion settle in. I pushed myself slowly onto my back looking at the sky above me. How hadn’t the sun moved? I know I had been walking for what felt like days, but the sun had yet to make its way across the sky. I was becoming delirious and knew if I could just get some rest that I would feel better. Things would become clear and everything would make sense again. It had to.

Giving in I pulled my sleeping pad from my satchel and walked between the trees for a quiet place to rest where I was hidden from the path. I walked into the wooded area and as soon as both of my feet hit the soft needled forest floor I felt a painful tingle start at my toes and slowly spread to my feet. It went from uncomfortable to downright painful in seconds. I fell to my knees as I lost the feeling in my feet altogether. Then pain began in my ankle and traveled up my legs and I looked around wildly for a source of the pain. A scream ripped from my throat as my legs went numb as well and my chest began to burn. Panic and pain consumed me and my body hit the ground with a hard thud.

The pain receded slightly and I realized my entire body was paralyzed as I lay face down. I felt the ground shake as a figure came into my line of sight blurred from tears I could not control ran down my face. I tried to cry out for help from the figure but my mouth would not move. A devastated noise left me as every breath became a burning pain. The figure came closer crouching before me, and I internally jerked back. From a distance it looked like a man but up close it was a grotesque creature. Bones with rotting flesh hung around his face, maggots fell from his face and he leaned closer to me.

“I have been following you for ages and am so glad you have chosen to join me.” His teeth were black with rot and sharp enough to rip into my flesh with ease. I closed my eyes against his image waiting for death. “Death claimed you long ago, boy. This is where your choices have taken you. Are you proud of them now? Knowing they lead you to us.. to this eternity?” It was as if he could read my mind and my eyes flew open to meet where his should have been. I grimaced as he leaned down and a deep inhale sounded from him as he grasped my hair in his gnarled hands. “I will cherish our time together.”

My eyes burned against the sun and I raised my arm to shield my face from the bright onslaught. I gingerly sat up looking around me jolting awake as I say the path ahead of me. I had somehow made it back to the path. I looked over myself and saw that my skin was red and angry with burns and cuts. I reached up and felt that my hair had been shaved off brutally, leaving behind cuts and dried blood. My eyes felt like sand had been shoved in them, my body aching from pain I could not remember. Terror filled me as I remembered the man but could not remember the pain he inflicted on me. Just felt the devastating remnants of what had happened to me. A feeling in my soul that it had been something to crush me in body and spirit.

Death claimed you long ago, boy. Was this death? I did not even have the heart to try to convince myself otherwise. Small pieces of my memory came in painful bursts as I saw what felt like centuries on this path. I remember every conversation with Silas as we had crossed paths, we had met hundreds of times. It always went the same way, with him warning me, and me going into The Wood anyway. It was a different creature each time and usually they wiped my memory when I was placed back. I am sure it was more fun if I had no memory of what was coming from me. I remember a woman who had come and dragged me off the path long ago telling me, “It is so much sweeter when you feel the fear of me for the first time. The most addictive thing I have come across.” I grimaced at the memory.

Gwen… oh my sweet Gwen. There was a very long time that we had walked together fighting the exhaustion and there were times we were dragged in the woods. I could hear her screams echoing around me as if for the first time. My hands went to cover my ears in instinct to the violent memories swimming within me. We had sworn to fight them together but had been separated last time that they had drug us away and us being together seemed to anger them more. What had I done to deserve this? To send me to this place?

I could smell her sweet lavender blend long before she laid down next to me. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her now knowing the pain I had put her through. “When they wipe your memory they put some kind of spell on us and we can only tell you bare minimum things. They don’t wipe our memories, which is part of our penance, I am sure. Seeing you so happy and then seeing you right after they hurt you. We can’t beat them.” Her voice was low and void of all emotion. A numbness had taken her and I reached for her hand next to me. She linked our fingers and gave me one tight squeeze.

She stood abruptly and pulled me to my feet before I could protest. “I don’t understand. How do we get out?” I whispered to her pulling her close to me. We sat there in silence soaking in the embrace. “My sweet Erik. We don’t. We just walk. You gave up a long time ago. All you need to do is keep walking.” Hopelessness filled me as she pulled her hands from mine and began walking the opposite direction. Her form disappeared from view and I turned around and looked at the path before me.

I deserved this. Hadn’t that been what they all said? This was punishment for something that I had done. No one was coming to save me. I led myself here somehow and there was no way out. I released a deep calming breath and began the journey again. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other.