Writing Exercises

The Forest in her Mind

Hello! This is part two of the first writing session that I had with @Pebblemoon. More should be coming soon, so sit tight! This one was done at the same time as the previous story, and we simply switched to finish each other's peices. I really liked the way this one came out. Though I think the forest in my mind was much thicker than this one (see what I did there? No, it was bad? awwwww)

As usual, Pebble is in bold and I am in normal text

~Blaze

Prompt: (Continuation of the last one) A picture and a 12 minute time limit, followed by a switch.

The Forest in her Mind

CRUNCH

Dead leaves broke under her feet as she treaded along the shadowy path. The dark, looming forest swallowed her up, leaving behind no trace of her past self. She was lost in the forest of despair. A raven cruelly cackled his sonorous, piercing call which echoed into the forest's depths.

Her fear rising, her heart pounding with terror, she almost turned tail and ran back. But she knew she couldn't go back now. She had to finish what she started. She knew she had to get away from the beast within herself, and she was digging deeper into herself, through the thick bramble thorns, to uncover the truth. She couldn't stop thinking about her father's beatings.

Her father didn't call them beatings. He called them "Your rightful punishments for your wrongful actions". But she knew better. She'd figured out by now that none of her friends had received these beatings. That was why she was exploring this dark forest in her mind.

She shoved a hand forward, haphazardly pushing a clump of brambles out of the way in attempt to escape her thoughts. She hissed as one thorn caught on her palm, ripping a small but long cut into her skin. She watched as the blood started pouring gently from the tear, slowly dripping to the ground.

Ironic. She thought, bleeding in my own mind. But she pushed forward without care, letting her blood spill out over the dead leaves and debris on the floor.

The forest in her mind grew thicker the deeper she got in. She could feel every step trying to pull her further and further from the path, memories from her father, wishes for her mother, her desires, dreams and fears all tugging at her psyche and trying to lure her back into the inescapable darkness.

"Keep to the path. Never stray, never wander. That's what the witch said." She told herself out loud. Her voice, low as it was, still carried through the dark and the silence, causing her to feel a strange sense of fear. A shiver made its way up her spine, and she almost lost focus and let her foot leave the path.

She looked down to ascertain how long she had left until she could make it to her deepest memories when she noticed with trepidation that the path looked different. Was it smaller? She turned around without moving her feet, and saw how the path widened the way she had come.

That was a good thing, right? A smaller path meant she must be getting closer.

She turned back around and jumped from shock as she saw a blur move from the path in front of her to the shadows of her forest.

Is there someone here with me?

But there was no time to waste in thought. She lunged forward, feet falling on the path one in front of the other as it became smaller and smaller, until soon it was the exact size of her shoe and she couldn't walk fast for fear of misplacing a foot.

She took her eyes off of the road for a brief moment to turn back around. What had the witch said? The path would end in a roundabout, where she could safely control and view her memories. But until then, she needed to stay on the path.

The girl looked forward and froze. A large, familiar, hulking shape stood in the trees just beyond her vision. One boot clad foot stepped into the sparse moonlight, it's usually dirty brown leather stained gray in the poor lighting. Another followed, revealing the scruffy, thick pair of jeans that he was so fond of wearing. A small part of her stomach clenched painfully, her body unsure of if it wanted to throw up or panic.

"You tried to run? Do you not love me enough? Do you think this will solve your problems? Did you think this would make you loveable?" He said in a calm whisper, taking another step into the light.

She stood frozen on the path, unable to move. The witch had said that she couldn't move backwards unless she had finished what she had come to do. But he was stepping in her way.

Make a run for it! A small, insane corner of her mind suggested. Even as the sensical part of her mind protested immediately, she felt her body agree with the statement. The panicked feeling in her chest grew as he slowly stepped out into the light.

"I always knew you were a freak. Did she listen? Did she listen to my concerns when I told her about you? Of course not. But you will. You will listen. Eventually." His raspy, lazy voice sent another shiver down her spine, and her throat clenched with anticipation.

She could feel that her instincts had kicked in, her flight or fight response adhering immediately to the flight aspect of survival. She could feel her feet picking up, falling perfectly on the thinning path until finally, finally they picked up speed and made her frozen body warm with movement and her stride lengthen to a run.

She felt herself close her eyes, praying for guidance while moving along the worn dirt path and hoping desperately that in his arrogance he would move slowly enough to miss her.

When his rough, calloused hands grabbed her shirt and closed around her neck, she couldn't keep it in.

She finally let out the ever-building scream.