I Met Her In The Forest

Chapter 1

I silently skimmed through the woods.
It had gotten way later than I expected.
"Mother is going to kill me..." I thought to myself. "Well of course, if something else doesn't first."
         I looked up hearing the owls sing- trying to see if I could spot one. What I saw was no owl, but a girl. Her face.
It burned into my memory. Seeped into my brain. I had a feeling, a gut feeling, that I'd never forget her.
        She turned her head slowly looking down at me. She sat on the branch of a tall tree. I walked just a little faster.
I didn't want to tempt her with my running or have her laughing at me.
          All I could think about was that face. It filled my thoughts so much that my brain was left on auto pilot which led me to end up lost. Everything looks different in the dark. Everything. I don't know how. I don't know why.
          After a while of wandering the sun began to seep through the teal pine.
Things looked familiar again and I was able to find myself home before the sun fully rose.
A few hours left, I could sleep.
But I couldn't seem to rest my bones.
There was something about her that gave me a weird feeling. Not fear, but I guess a feeling of being intrigued? Who was she?
Why was she out there so late?
What's her story?
Will I see her again?
More importantly...had she followed me?
           Mother called me down for breakfast.
She was upset with me until I explained I had gotten lost. I left out the part about the girl in the woods. I sipped my tea looking out the window of the cabin.
"Not much sleep? Did something spook you out there?" My mother asked.
" No. I guess it was just too bright in my room by the time I got back.. I'm sorry again. I promise to be more careful next time."
       That night I was able to sleep for awhile. I awoke breathing heavily when I saw her face in my dreams. What could possibly be so important about a stranger that I couldn't stop thinking about her?
I looked outside. Pitch black. I glanced at the clock. "I'll only be out for a minute.."I thought as I stepped out of bed, grabbing my back and a small knife just in case.
"I need to find her." The impulse of going outside to find her was killing me.
         I wandered, and wandered.
I was about to give up hope until I heard a jump behind me. I leapt up and spun around, whipped out my pocket knife frantically.
               I had found her.
Though, hard to see her face, I could tell she wasn't amused by the picked knife.
I put it away and settled myself down.
"Sorry about that."

"..."

"... What's your name?"

"That isn't important."

".... Well, what are you doing out here?"

" I could ask you the same question."

"... I saw you the other night and I felt like I needed to again."

" I was trying to sleep, but that's a hard task when someone is pacing all around the forest floor."

" Out here? Why out here?"

"....I just like being outside. Can't a girl like being outside?"

" I'd suppose."

There were no houses or cabins for a few miles.
Crud.
The sun was coming up again.
It hit her face and I could see a lot better.
"You're- you're my age." I stuttered.

"There's lots of kids your age, genius." The forest girl spat.

" Not a very polite one, are you?"
I scrunched up my nose.

"... I'm just tired."

" Do you… maybe want a cabin to stay in?"

"I told you. I like it outside."

" What about food? When's the last you ate?"

She fell silent.
I felt my heart kind of stopped for a moment.

".. I'll be back later. Don't go too far."

I ran off back to the cabin.
Mom and I baked pies.
We always had a great time baking.
Making a mess with flour and apple slices.
        I told her I was going to go eat my apple pie by the lake. She said it was my
alright. I found the girl again and I gave it all to her. She seemed ashamed.
I let her know it was okay.
We sat in silence for a while.
Staring at the sky and listening to the lake till the temperature dropped and the blue sky was blanketed with brightly lit constellations.
"Does it ever get too cold out here?" I asked.

"No. I'm okay.. you should get going. Someone ought to be waiting for you." The girl told me.

I nodded.

" Thanks for the food.."

" It's no problem, you needed it more than I do… Is it alright if I come and visit you again?"

She hesitated.
She gave a small nod.

I wandered back.
"You sure we're out there for a while." My mother said.
I hesitated.
" I met someone out there ma'… She needed the food more than I did, so I gave it to her and I sat with her…"
She looked at me with surprise.
" Is that true?" She asked.
"Yes, it is.."
I decided not to tell her that the girl didn't seem to have a home or a family.
I was afraid Mother would tell someone and they would take the forest girl back to where she came from. Considering she prefers outside I don't think wherever she came from was good.
         Mother let me have something to eat before bed.
         Before falling asleep I decided to grab my journal and write down what the Forrest Girl looked like from memory.
She was a strawberry blonde. Her hair in a ponytail in the back, while some longer strands in the front and bangs. Light copper skin and darker copper freckles on her cheeks, neck, and some on her arms. Dark brown eyes.
       Oh gee, I've remembered all this already? I've been staring a lot haven't I?
I had drawn a perfect picture of her in my journal. I lay my book down along with the pen and turn out the lamp.
I couldn't sleep.
She was probably out there freezing.
She acts tough but I know she's probably scared. Who knows what secrets the forest keeps beneath the branches that blanket the cold hard soil under our feet.
       I feared something would harm her.
I admit I got attached probably a little too quickly. I couldn't sleep not knowing if she was safe or not, but I was too weak and tired to move. I just lay there thinking about the forest girl.
           I was ordered to pick berries for my mom so that her and I could bake something else that weekend. I wandered out into the fields. Light hit the bushes and greenery so beautifully. There were lilacs, lavender, baby's breath, and cornflowers growing every inch of the field. Bits of snow still lying on the ground. Summer was still a ways away but it had started to get warmer.
        I brushed past the flowers toward the blueberry bushes. I picked them carefully and tossed them into the basket I had with me. It wasn't very windy out- unlike it had been. The wind makes everything colder, too much to bear.
With the weather this nice I hadn't had any plans to go back to the cabin anytime soon.
          I wandered off toward the river, which was still frozen over but I was definitely not able to cross. The ice was very thin. Baby's breath started to grow around the river. I wandered down stream. I went up over the hills where I could see a train track.
         It seemed to be vacant for miles. There was nothing but tracks, signs, piles of snow, and packed sand and dirt. Still somehow a comforting sight, to say the least anyway. I sat off to the edge of the tracks and gazed at all my surroundings.
          As it got later the wind was picking up again. The bitter cold nipped at my skin and I knew the adventuring was over. I was happy with what I had seen but one thing was still upsetting me.
Today I had not seen the forest girl.