I really don’t know what I was thinking being out that late, especially walking through the woods, the heart of the woods, where the trees are so thick that you can barely see the sky.
I had two problems: First, I was lost. Second, monsters were on the prowl. I knew I was in trouble so I was trying to walk as quietly as possible.
I walked with as much stealth as I could. I was scared, constantly looking over my shoulder. I almost wet myself when I stepped on a pine cone. I almost wet myself again when I realized that something had heard me.
I held my lantern up, but the candlelight revealed little. I decided that the best thing to do was blow out the candle and hope enough moonlight would shine onto my path. I blew out the candle…. I could barely see anything. It didn’t matter much now. I could hear whatever it was tromping around me. I held still for a few minutes. I could hear the thing hunting me, sneaking closer and closer. My eyes had somewhat adapted to the darkness. I was able to make out a few trees. Then I saw the monster that was stalking me. It was eight feet tall. It took long strides and swung its arms wildly. I saw two large fangs that stuck up from the lower jaw of its flat face.
I didn’t get a good look at it, but by now, I knew what it was. I had the honor of being the midnight snack of a Rylock. I started to think that blowing out the candle was a good idea, because my eyes had now adapted. I still couldn’t see everything, but now that the candle was gone, the Rylock didn’t have a beacon on which to zero in. Its easy meal (which most people lost in the woods become) just became slightly harder to catch.
I started to formulate a plan. I heard the monster. Its pace grew faster. I could hear it grunting and growling. I put my back to the creature and wound up facing east. I counted in my head… one… two… three! I ran for my life. I guess that it was luck that there was only one Rylock hunting me. I had been told that they usually hunt in packs two or three. For some reason, this one was by itself. I didn’t care why and I didn’t have time to think about it. I ran just in time too, because I heard the thing howl and charge after me.
As I ran, I just barely saw a low tree branch that was leaning over and ducked just in time to only scrape my forehead and briefly stumble to the ground. I didn’t stop for an instant. My arms and legs must have been moving so fast that you could barely see them. I’m not sure what happened next, but I thought I heard the Rylock smack into the same tree I did.
That is when I wondered if the thing was lost too. Maybe it couldn’t see very well and the only reason it could find me in the first place was that I had a candle lit.
I ran at a full sprint for what felt like forever. It was probably only a few minutes until I tripped over a tree root. I scraped up my hands, but I was otherwise o.k. I just lay on the ground, panting. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down and listen. I could hear the sounds of the evening. I was listening for the sounds of the charging beast, but to my relief, all I could hear was the chirping of crickets.
I dusted the pine needles of my face and hands, and got up as quietly as I could. I looked around, and listened carefully for any sign of the pursuing monster. Then something fell upon my shoulder causing me to jump back and scream like a girl. I tried to run but tripped over my own feet… How ironic. My heart raced and I knew I would see the end soon. I turned over and awaited the merciless teeth of a ravenous monster. To my surprise and immense relief, a man, not a monster stood over me.
To be continued...
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