Left Behind By Ghosts

Oh, dang it! Again? I glare down the two narrow paths ahead, trees branching overhead, as I try to figure out which path my family took. Folding my arms and tapping my foot, an annoyed sigh escapes my lips. I’m seriously starting to wonder if they’re doing this on purpose! I know I can be annoying sometimes, but come on! Leaving me in the woods? That’s low, but not completely unexpected.

There are trees all around me, stretching high into the sky where the canopies are just out of sight. Dead leaves cover every inch of the ground, making the path hard to see until it gently fades away.

I pull ‌my cell phone from my pocket. As I enter the password, I see there’s no signal at all. Great! Calling’s out of the question! I take a deep breath and shove my phone back into my pocket.

Well, I'd better try to find my family before they leave without me. I hike deeper into the woods, brushing branches from my path as dirt’s kicked up from my boots.

Ahead, there’s a light peeking through leaves, casting an eternal glowing light from the leaves of the trees. Above, birds can be heard chirping, singing softly as everything feels aligned and at peace. For a moment, I’m so breathless at the sight that finding my family fades to the back of my mind. I slowly spin, soaking in all the sights until the light seeping through the trees’ branches catches my attention. If there’s light shining through the trees, then I must be near the edge of the forest.

With a smile, I push forward through the greenery and find that I am indeed correct. I’m at the edge of the woods, the forest at my back, and the road ahead. Smiling, I skip forward and glance around, trying to see my family. But as my eyes dart around, searching for them, a weight pulls at my chest. They're not here.

With a sigh and the slightest spark of determination, I march back into the woods. The trail again fades as overgrown weeds fill the path, and sweat drips down the back of my neck. I stop dead in my tracks and glance back at the way I’ve come from. I’ll be able to find my way back, right? The path leading to the edge of the forest is beckoning for me to follow it, but I take slow steps onwards. I will not be left behind by my family again; I will not leave them.

As I hike on, there’s not another soul in sight, only the caroling birds that perch from the branches and snakes that occasionally slither by. Honestly, I’m surprised I can’t hear my family. The woods don't seem to be too large, and normally, my family’s pretty loud. Well, my little brother’s loud; no one can match his yelling. Silencing my thoughts, I try really hard to focus only on the sounds around me.

Nope.

Nothing.

With a sigh, I rub the burn on my hand. My brain catches up, and I freeze. When did I get this? Is it a burn? Turning my palm, I examine the burn, tracing my fingers along it as I try to recall when I got it. Oh… that’s right…

I force my hand into my pocket, out of sight, out of mind.

I walk on, carefully watching my surroundings for signs of anyone. I should've just stayed out of the woods and waited for my family. They would’ve found their way out eventually. My family would come here all the time when I was younger, but even though we knew the trail, one of us always got lost. It’s almost like a family tradition!

As I enter a clearing, I can see the sky has turned into a shade of violet. It’s getting late… I need to find my family before it gets too dark! I’m stopped in the clearing, watching the sky’s colors dance in the sky—that’s when I notice it. A thin gray line’s floating into the sky just ahead. Smoke. Someone must be camping out. As I smell the smoke and watch it rise into the sky, the burn on my hand starts to sting. I pull my hand from my pocket, but nothing’s wrong with it.

With a shake of my head, I decide to hike in the opposite direction. Even if there are people over there, it doesn’t mean they’ll be able to help. Also, my family couldn't start a fire to save their life, so I’m sure it isn’t them.

Even as I move in the opposite direction, I can still smell the smoke as if it were right next to me. It’s a prudent smell and is sharp in my lungs. I also swear I can hear the crackle of embers roaring. But when I whip around, I can’t see the smoke in the sky anymore. At this point, I must be at least a mile away. Is my head playing tricks on me? The thing that scares me the most is that the smoke smells so familiar, as if it’s from a memory. There were plenty of fires ‌where I grew up; that’s the main reason I moved from Arizona.

There’s a light ahead, and I raise a hand to shield my eyes. The light’s a beautiful glowing hue that makes me breathless. There are figures ahead that I make out to be the silhouettes of my family: mother, father, brother, all smiling and reaching out for me. My walk turns into a skip as I approach them, but once I’m close enough to reach for their hands, they disappear, as if they were never there to begin with.

Shocked, I retreat backwards, trip over a thick root that lies just above the soil, and fall to my knees with a sob.

“Why is it that you’re always leaving me?” I scream out, my voice weak as a lump in my throat forms. Even though you’re gone, I always see your faces. It’s as if you’re teasing me! Always appearing in places you’re not—making me feel hope that there’s a chance I’ll be able to be with you! You always rip that hope away and remind me that I’ll never see you again! That I’m delusional!

Rising from the ground, I wipe my face with the side of my palm, tears drenching my knuckles.

“Why did you have to die and leave me all alone?” I call out to the ghosts. I go silent, waiting for a response, even though I know no one will answer.

As I turn to head back down the trail’s path, I take one last look at where I swore I had seen my family only a moment ago. Now the only thing left is a patch of wildflowers that bloom in every direction, completely untamed. In the wind, I hear a whisper, a voice that says something sweet before fading into the rest of the wood’s noise. A small smile escapes my lips, but fades before the world can see, leaving me to wonder if it actually happened.

The sky’s now indigo, and I should head back; it’ll be dark soon. I head back down the trail, but it seems easier than before; the worries that weighed me down before are lifted, and everything seems peaceful. The burn on my hand doesn’t sting, and I no longer smell any smoke.

When I exit the woods, the dirt trail fades, but the path is clear. I must move ahead because the world won’t stop. Time will tick, and the world will spin. Even if I’ll never be able to forget the faces of my family, I won’t stop moving forward.