Where the Woods Call

Into the Woods

I jerked as I woke up. The sensation of falling felt too real. That dream again, I see. To be honest, I can't remember much of my childhood and sometimes I wonder if that dream was a fragment of a memory or something false like inarticulate thoughts that come seconds before slumber. I fumble for my phone on my bedside table. It's only 10:00 pm. I slept and woke up too early. The feeling of being watched slowly crept up at me and I made my way towards the restroom. From the open window, the sound of cars honking and the train passing made me feel less alone in the small fluorescent-lit room. For a brief moment, I look at this girl in the mirror. Sweat makes her black hair stick to the sides of her face, eyes wide open. Too wide. Then, I open the cubby and take my pills. With these, I cling hard onto reality as much as I clung hard onto that rock in my dream. It numbs my senses. Dulls the voices I hear and erases the passing shadows in my peripheral vision.

Two quick knocks.

"Ami?" My dad calls out.

"Yes, pop?"

"Took your meds?"

"Yes, just now."

"Good, okay. A-anyway, that's not what I came here for. I just wanted you to know that we might be staying with your grandparents soon for the summer because it could be a nice change of scenery and there's a pretty good business opportunity there.

"Uh-huh.." I replied questioningly.

"I thought, you know, it could be good for us."

I see the lines time has carved on his face. He stood weary but his eyes expectant. It's hard enough to raise me by himself but on top of it, he has to support my expensive medication in a country that doesn't really prioritize mental health.

"Okay, pop. I'm looking forward to it." I replied. It's the least I could do.

I watch the road unwind as the scenery changes from the dull grayish blue of the crowded city streets to the empty roads and vivid greens of the countryside.

Paddy fields, mountains, and trees began to crowd my view while the radio shifted from 90's rock music to an acoustic indie song - a perfect moment to zone out and daydream. My grandparents' home sat at the foot of a mountain. The house was cute and almost cottage-like. Covered with patchy mint green paint and some vines.

"Wow, you've grown up to be such a beauty!" My grandma said as I put the back of her hand to my forehead — an act of paying respect to elders in the Philippines.

"You're just in time. Your grandma just prepared lunch!" My grandpa added.

Inside it smelled of old wood with a hint of dried flowers. Hung on walls were old, discolored photographs and an oddly out-of-place calendar — the kind that companies give away on New Year. We spent our time eating my grandma's food and looking at childhood photographs. Not one included my mother. She left us early so it only makes sense that she isn't in any of it. I felt no need to prod at the time so at night I mostly spent my time unpacking and getting comfy in the spare room. Every now and then, I would see flashes of small things running around from the edge of my eye and hear some scuttling noises. Here more than in the city. It could also be my mind yet again playing tricks on me. I looked out the window that showed a view of a path that led to the mountain woods. A strange feeling bubbled up in me. I felt that somewhere deep inside the woods, something was calling out to me and before I knew it, I started on my feet.