Clarinets Are My Muse | Prompts and Short Storys

Trespassing

Thick fog coated the town. Never had there been a day the town wasn't coated in a thick fog. The fog spread as far as the eye could see. The fog wound its way through the trees. Peering into the woods you can just make out a figure. It stood tall, its gaze piercing your skull. No one knows what it is, those who go searching for it never really come back, those that do are never the same. Chasing the figure you can follow it through the thick fog. The tracks are not human but in the shape of large claws, too big to be any animal you know of. The thick fog seeps into everyone's skin and rots the vegetables, gardens will wilt. But no one complains about the fog.
They tend to stay away from the woods, children fear it, but the adolescents will dare each other to go in but everyone knows it just pranks, right? Pranks can go too far, some do get lost. They are mourned but its never too long until someone else goes missing.
Taking steps further into the woods, you will get lost. The forest seems to never end, brush slapping at your face as you chase the figure.
The figure stops, you sprint closer to it. Right as you can touch it. The fog clears, the figure is a pile of sticks, and you are lost in the woods. Turning around you find the woods look almost the same. Unsure of which way you came, you start walking in a random direction. Your second mistake.
Trekking through the woods alone is never a good idea, but it's worse when you can't see in front of you or behind you. Even the sky is a foggy grey color. It's like the woods are tried to tell you that venturing too far was a bad idea.
Shifting your eyes around the darkness seems to never end. The thick fog seems to take on the rotting smell of death, it's cast thick throughout the forest. You spot the figure again, bells chime in your head. Doing a 180 you start to speed walk away, footsteps echo throughout the woods. The fog barely clears.
The smell is more rancid the more you walk, giant footsteps echo your smaller ones.
You regret following the figure.
You don't bother looking back, you can already sense what follows you.
Demon of the woods, why do you forsake those who enter your woods.
Why me? You may ask.
Swivelling your eyes and scanning the area around you, you may take notice of the hand-made chimes and bells hanging off the trees. They are beautiful in there own way. Truly they are, made of bones yet they sing like birds in the wind. Shaking your head you turn to see if the monster is behind you. It isn't but turning around you see the edge of the forest. You feel your blood pumping, you quickly sprint toward the edge thanking whatever gods took pity on you.
Your feet are catching onto twigs and roots of the tree around you. Suddenly the breath is taken out of you. Quickly you whip around, your back is now facing the edge of the woods. You were so close too, such a shame your luck has run out. As your eyes slowly crawl up from the forest ground afraid of what might be waiting for you in the woods. You hear the chimes ring out, a gust of wind blows the surrounding tree leaves. You shut your eyes tight, hoping it will go away on its own. Slowly you open your eyes the figure you thought was in front of you is now no longer there, in its place a small token. You reach down and pick it up, upon taking a closer look you see in the small jar a small amount of dust, it is white and has a look similar look flour. Quickly you shove the jar in your pocket and get up scrambling toward the exit. You hear leaves scatter behind you, but you don't look back for fear of what could still be here.

The pounding in your ears and of your feet was the only noise you heard. Nothing but a long winding road ahead of you, the sun to your back. Your shadow stretched in front of you, taking a break you panted. Turning around you looked along the horizon. The sun, in all her glory. It seemed like the past was just a bad day behind you. Turning around to face the shadows of the small town you live in, the fog reaching its tendrils toward you. Two shadows stood before you. The human one had its posture in a similar shape to yours, disbelief fills your body. You had run so far only for it to catch up to you. The second shadow was outstretched, its long claws grasping toward your own. Right next to you, chilled air. Whipping around your hair glinting in the setting sun. Nothing. Just the woods before you, glowing a faint gold. Darkness and bristling with dark memories.

You respect the place, the woods. You forgive them.

Tomorrow you will return.

Offer a gift? perhaps the creatures' favourite?

A bone

A small price to pay for trespassing.