The Wood
The Woods
There was this beautiful place that I used to go just to get away from everything. A place where no
one judged you, a place where the only thing you had to worry about was nature. Nature…. so
wonderful, the tall and thick trees, the faint whooshing sound of a nearby waterfall, and the
animals. If you sat still long enough you were sure to find deer cavorting in the distance or a
squirrel rummaging for nuts, but not this day. Not the last day that I had ever set eyes on those
woods. I remember it so clearly, I had an argument…well disagreement with my mother and I
took to the woods. The sun had already started setting so not much light was getting through the
denseness of the woods. Walking deeper and deeper into the darkness, slowly noticing that there
is something different this time, something unusual, something almost eerie. This time there was
no birds chirping, no land animals rustling in the over grown brush trying to find their way home,
and even more eccentric…there was no wind, no noise from nature what so ever. The only sounds
that I could hear were that of breaking twigs beneath my feet as I was slowly walking. After a
while of walking I finally came to my favorite spot, my spot to just rest in peace away from it all. I
got all settled, leaning against an old tree stump and just sat in quiet trying to listen to the sounds
of the forest, but still, no sounds. The only sound at this time that I could hear was the sound of
my beating heart. The sound was so soothing, never before had I ever just sat and listen to it. No
more thoughts went through my head as I slowly drifted into a pleasant slumber…………
What felt like a short time later, I was awakened by the sound of a loud thud. It sounded a little
like something large falling and hitting the ground. I just sat there in silence, trying to hear of any
sign of company. It came again, this time it was a lot closer, not only did I hear it, I could feel it
all through my bones, and then again, much closer, and again. I tried to find the courage to run,
but my fear had put a stop to that at this time. All I could do is sit there, sit there and listen to the
pounding of my heart and the thud that keeps getting closer and closer and faster and faster, then
silence………pure silence. Then the smell in the air, it was the smell of a rotting carcass on a hot
day. I thought to myself, legs this would be the time to go…here is your chance, and I took off
running. The silence stopped and was following me; this thing, this force…whatever it is…was
coming to get me. As I was running trying to find my way home in a very panicked state I could
feel thorns piercing and lacerating my skin and blood flowing down my face, arms and legs. No
longer able to hear what was behind me over my stomping feet and agonizing breaths and not
willing to stop and find out if it was still there I just kept running, running towards the light I
could see in the distance in an opening in the trees. Knowing that I have to be getting closer to my
home though it felt like the light was getting further and further away. I kept thinking to myself ‘if
I could just reach the opening everything would be alright’, finally just feet away, one last leap
should get me out of the woods…my foot gets caught on an above ground tree root and I fall and
roll out of the woods and landed on my stomach. There was this excruciating pain in my face that
went all the way to the back of my head. Not having much strength left anywhere in my body I
mustered up enough to turn over, I looked into the woods and I seen nothing, but I could smell
the same stench that overcame me in the woods, the smell of rotting carcass. I just sat there for
what seemed like several minutes and watched into the woods, not knowing if I would have the
strength to get up and start running away from this evil being again. With my eyes glued to the
woods and not knowing if my mind was playing tricks on me, I hear the rustling of leaves but still
see nothing. My only thought at this time was that this…thing…what ever it is, was leaving and
hopefully for good. The awful smell started subsiding so I got up and started limping my way
back to the house. By the time that I got back to the house all the family was in bed so I went to
the bathroom to check the severity of my wounds, after cleaning all the dried blood fortunately I
found it to be just some scrapes all over and some nasty bruising on my leg and foot. It felt so
good to finally get to lie down in bed and let all my bruised muscles relax. To this day I never
found out what was in those woods. But that smell, that awful smell has stayed with me and will
stay with me till the day I die. And every night still to this day I wake up in the middle of the
night to a thud and that awful smell and I can not figure out if it is just my imagination or the evil
being has followed me, waiting to make his next move…………………………………………………………….
