Berrywitched!

The woods have long been a place of mystery and intrigue. So many stories of monsters and fairies had originated from the forest, leading to an almost mystical feeling for whoever happened to venture into one. It was almost as if you had entered another world.

One particular forest, however, had a few more stories to its name. The more well known was that somewhere, deep in the forest, lived a witch who could grant the wishes of your deepest desires. The other one was that anyone who entered the forest and got lost was destined to die there.

Unfortunately, that second story had so far held true, for the few people who entered the forest were never seen coming out. Despite these rumors, however, a young man now stood in front of the entrance to the forest.

He stood silently for a few moments, staring into the wilderness. A lonesome dirt path snaked its way through the countless trees ahead of him, littered with rocks and shrubs. He took in a deep breath, and exhaled mist into the cold air. Finally, after another moment of hesitation, he took a step into the wilderness, gripping the black case on his back even tighter.

He couldn't say how long he walked, or really what his goal of entering this place even was. He had lived close to it as a child, always hearing the stories. Maybe it was some remaining piece of his childhood that had drawn him back here? Or maybe this is simply something for him to take his wandering mind off his own life. To enjoy nature at its fullest.

That's what he'll keep telling himself, anyways.

And so, on and on he walked, deeper into the darkness of the trees. By the time he finally stopped to take a breath, the moon had risen high into the sky, bathing the woods in an almost spectral glow.

He took a seat by the nearest tree, catching his breath from the day of walking. After a moment, he found himself listening to the calling of the crickets and hooting owls, and the wind as it whistled through the leaves. Before he knew it, his eyelids grew heavy, and he nodded off to sleep.

——————————————————

"Helllloooo?"

A soft voice called him out of his rest. He slowly opened his eyes, struggling to adjust to the light of the sun peaking through the trees.

"Ah! You're awake!"

The sweet voice called again. He turned his head slightly to see her staring down at him.

A girl with bright pink hair and an even brighter disposition greeted his eyes, and the smell of fresh baked bread and strawberries invaded his nose. Her bright smile grew even wider as he turned to look at her, blinking several times as he did so. "I must still be dreaming..." He muttered, and she giggled. "Nope! You're wide awake."

"Uh-huh.." He said skeptically. He rose from the tree he slept on, and was hit with a massive burst of pain from his back. Seems that a knotted old tree trunk wasn't the best place to lie down on...