Short stories

The hole

He was out of breath. Why was he running again? And who – or what – was he escaping from? So many questions he was unable to answer without understanding why. All he knew was that he seemed to be chased by someone – or something – that shouldn't catch him. Was it enough? It was going to have to be for now. He didn't know where he was. He leaned against a tree to catch his breath. He was in a forest. He loved nature. He had already owned a cabin a little further north, near a lake. A very isolated place that he loved, but a violent storm had caused a fire and completely razed his little corner of paradise. Had he bought a new one? That, he didn't know. At least he didn't believe so. So, what was he doing in a forest, running to escape God knows what? He didn't know.

He noticed the silence that reigned around him. From what he understood, his pursuer was making no noise. He was not deaf. He heard the rustling of the trees' leaves swept by the wind. He had heard his own footsteps as he ran. He heard his own breathing. For the moment, he was content with small victories. Having calmed down, his logical thinking resurfaced. He knew who he was – Norm Bailey – and that he was unmarried. He had therefore not lost memory of his identity. He was still trying to understand why he was running in a forest that seemed very quiet. He couldn't even hear the birds. Looking around, he saw nothing and no one. Not even a cache in a tree for hunters. The ground was covered with dead leaves and branches. He paid attention to the smallest detail. He wasn't in the woods behind his house. Of that, he was sure. The trees were massive and towering, almost completely blocking the sky. The light barely passed through the branches and leaves. He couldn't see any clouds in what he could see of the sky, which looked dark. The thunder didn't rumble. He leaned against the tree. His surroundings suddenly seemed very eerie to him. A silence and a calm that never boded well in the movies. Maybe he should keep moving... Where should he be heading? Everything around him was the same. There were trees everywhere. Normal for a forest. This thought made him smile. But nothing seemed hostile to him. So why did he feel the urge to run, to run away?

"Is... is there someone..?"

No answer. What would he have preferred: to get an answer or not? If he had heard anything, it would have told him that he wasn't alone. Without being able to see it. And again, it depended on the distance. It was possible for another person to be in the forest with him without him being able to see it. But what if that person was near him and he was unable to see it? He hated to speculate. Since he was running before he stopped, there was someone else with him. His instincts told him to run. Even if he still didn't understand why, he had to trust his instincts. His breathing returned to normal, he resumed moving in the same direction as his running. He paid great attention to everything around him, from the trunks of trees to their tops. He was looking for any clue pointing to potential danger or a safe place. But the further he went, the smaller the trees became, almost becoming shrubs. As if they were indicating a focal point somewhere. He decided to go take a look. It was better than doing nothing. And he might finally find some answers. His step was slightly hesitant. He still felt scared not knowing how he could have ended up there. He looked up. He frowned, noticing that the further he went, the blurrier the peak became. A bit like there was fog without him being able to see one. One more thing I don't understand. He sighed, continuing his way. What is this place? What is happening? The top was no longer blurry. There were none left at all. He only saw shrubs.

He could still hear dead leaves under his feet, but there was still no birdsong or even insects. There wasn't even a breeze. Then he heard a kind of murmur. It sounded like a childish laugh. He quickened his pace. He didn't recognize the voice – of course, since he was too far away – but he was happy to know that he was no longer alone. The laughter came from the direction he was heading. So, he had nothing to fear. At least, that was what he hoped. The further he went, the more the scenery around him changed. The focal point he had noticed earlier seemed to be a very wide clearing. He was nearly blinded when he found himself in a clearing illuminated by a bright sun. Great contrast to the dark sky he had seen through the branches earlier. The clearing wasn't as wide as he thought. There was nothing in particular – no flowers, shrubs, huts – except that a person was walking in circles a little further. At least, that was what he thought he saw. He was still some distance away. He still heard that childish laugh. He had slowed down a bit to take a look around, but there wasn't much to see. He quickened his pace again. The other person was indeed circling around something Norm couldn't see. He could see that it was a man of about thirty years old. And the childish laughter was actually a kind of sneer. Norm moved closer to him and cleared his throat.