How we meet

Chapter 2

    You met in the woods. Underneath a canopy of trees, in the speckled sunlight cast through the leaves. Rough scratchy grass rubbed against your knees as your hands dug through the dirt. In your hand was a twisty wild garlic plant. You unearthed it, shaking out some of the loose dirt. Your fingers worked fast to clear off excess dirt; pulling all of it from the ground.
    You pulled your stuff off the ground, continuing through an invisible path through the woods. Through leaves and bushes that tugged sweetly at your legs. With light footsteps, you walked quietly through it all. To the untrained ear, you were unperceivable.
    You moved slowly watching your surroundings. You stopped to look at a collection of mushrooms in a corner of the woods. Growing on the side of an old dying tree were mushrooms.
    They were a pale gray; the gills underneath were a white color, only slightly yellow tints could be seen. They grew together in shelves off of the tree's trunk. They weren't very large and they smelled wonderfully like mushrooms. You pulled them from the tree taking only what you needed just like always.
    Nearby you crouched down looking at other mushrooms you stumbled by. These were funnel-shaped and had an off-white color. These grew on the ground with short stems. The gills were white and it looked like it produced milk. These you left behind; they were inedible.
    The woods were always calm and relaxing. The wildlife was gentle, scared, and put off by your appearance, but they still never hurt you. They didn't threaten you and you didn't threaten them. There was a mutual understanding that if you left each other alone you everyone would be okay.
    The plant life was wonderful. Healthy, safe, and free. You took trips into the forest often finding more and more wild foods. Only taking things if you were completely and one hundred percent sure that it was safe and consumable.
    Some bushes ruffled. The hair on your arms stood up. You stepped back, hiding behind a tree snapping a twig as you moved. He stepped through the bushes, a handful of berries in his hand. You stared at him, and he stared at you poking your head out from behind the tree. Eyes stared at the other. Time seemed to stand still as you both froze. In panic? In fear? Neither knew exactly but both guessed surprise.
    You turned and ran, dashing into the trees. Weaving through the branches and moving fast and perfectly. You left the green-haired stranger alone in the woods. You didn't care who he was, why he was there, but you knew that you didn't want to be near a man you didn't know. You relaxed when you saw the town. Slowing to a walk you blended into the crowd of people; and made your way back home, and forgot about that man in the woods.