Mystique Stories

1. Judged for Sorrow

His last marriage ended two months ago. Before that, John's love life never worked out. He had many relationships before, but nothing could last for him.

John was married for two years to the woman he thought he was going to spend all his life with, but he never expected that his wife would stop loving him and crawl into the arms of another. John was heartbroken when he found out. He still loved her even today, but he had to forget her, something that wasn't easy.

"Wake up." John heard the deep voice of a stranger. "Hello?"

"Huh?" John couldn't bring out a word, and a yawn escaped him as he opened his eyes. He rubbed through them to better take in his surroundings. John was on a bus, an empty bus. In front of him was a man. He seemed annoyed. "Where am I?"

"At the end destination, you need to get out." The man stated. Every sentence he said he sounded like he was getting angrier.

"Alright," John replied. He stood up, grabbed the bag on the seat next to him, and walked out of the bus.

An unfamiliar sight entered his vision when he walked out. There was a bus stop in front of him. In the back, there was only a forest. Looking back at the bus, he saw it drive away from the only road there was insight.

"Why did I fall asleep?" John sighed and rubbed his head, annoyed. "I was going home from work. Did I take the wrong bus?"

John felt a little silly talking out loud when there was only himself to hear what he said, but right now that was the least of his worries. He needed to find out where he was and how he could get home.

At first, he tried his phone, but it wouldn't start, his battery had probably died.

He followed the only road he could see, the one the bus had earlier driven. John walked along the edge of the road, kicking branches in annoyance. He felt he was getting stressed. John was supposed to be home right now with his laptop open and be doing something for work, probably until late in the night and then be up early in the morning, so he was all ready for his new day at work. John still had a lot that he should have ready by tomorrow, as a new client would wait for him in the office.

There seemed to be no end to the road, and he still hadn't come across a single house or building. He's been following this same road for fifteen minutes now, and yet, the forest was the only thing surrounding him.

How was John going to explain to his boss and his new client tomorrow that he had no time to prepare anything? He already wasn't doing so well because two weeks ago John had gotten the wrong project ready. He had mixed up two clients. John was going to get fired if he made one more mistake, but John needed the money, definitely since he's living alone and the only income was from him. How was he going to fix this?

Right then, lost in his mind, he felt no ground appear under his feet and lost his footing. If he weren't able to grab the edge of the road, he would've fallen to his death. He climbed up and looked at the road. A giant hole was there and no path to continue.

"What?!" John was shocked, staring with his mouth open at the hole. "How is this here?"

He placed a hand on his head, and for a second, he had to sit down. How was he going to get home? John didn't know. The bus must've passed here too, wouldn't it? John hadn't come across any other road the bus could've taken.

He stood up and looked around him; the only thing he could think to do was enter the forest.

He walked around for a while, trying to find a way into the forest. He didn't just want to wander in and get all the branches in his face or have to push aside whatever else might be there. John remembered that at the bus stop, he saw a path that entered it, so he decided he would walk back and take that route. He hoped following it would eventually get him out of the forest to somewhere he might recognize or at least find someone he can ask for a call or a route back home.