Short Stories

Finding Peace

My friends and I were walking down the hall way when I saw a poster stating that there would be a camping in the woods. I was excited about this so I quickly asked my friends to also join and they all agreed. We signed up and later on our names were called along the others who joined for an announcement on things we should bring and simple rules that we need to follow while we were at the woods. After that we all went home. Being so excited I packed up all the things needed even though the camping was still one week away.

It was the day I was waiting for and all there we were all in one bus. It was not hard for me to communicate because a lot from our batch joined the camping and especially because friends were there. Suddenly there was this kid younger than me for three years who talked to me.

“Will these trip be long I feel quiet sick?”

“I don’t know wait I’ll call someone who could help you”

“Thank You”

The bus suddenly made a stop and I looked at the kid beside me but she was not there. We were all ordered to go down so I went down and asked m friends if they saw the child but they said they didn’t see any child. A cold feeling just went in me.

The camp chief started the bonfire and we were all there to witness the event. I was sitting beside my friends when I saw the child beside our tent. I went straight to her and asked where were she when the bus stopped she said that she just came back from the place where she came from. Later on the voice from the camp chief boomed out telling us to all gathered up near the bonfire. I didn’t know where the kid went again so I decided to just listen to the camp chief’s story.

“I was just a little girl when my family decided to camp here and ever since that day we decided to camp here every weekend. Knowing the place already I became one of the camp chief. Many tales are heard already from this place like monsters and ghost but there is only one that I could say is true. There was a …”

I didn’t get to finish her story because the kid from the bus was going to the woods and I decided to stop her but she didn’t listen so I followed her. The kid suddenly stopped at a log house, inside were pictures of a family composed of a mother, father and the girl with her twin sister. The girl then brought me a diary with a name on it. The name was Carmen I asked her who she was but she just pointed out the picture. I opened the diary and there were writings on it I tried to read it.

Dear diary,

It is another day for me in this woods and I felt bored so I went to Charlie and told her to accompany me in venturing out the woods. The woods is fascinating there are a lot of things you could see like the plants and there were a lot of creatures. Charlie and I saw this ferocious creature so we decided to run back home but unfortunately she was caught. I reached home crying and my parents went to retrieve Charlie’s body but they were not able to see it. I blame myself for this happening if I didn’t tell her to come with me these wouldn’t happen to her. I wish this didn’t happen. I miss her.

Love,

Carmen

I cried after reading the diary and asked the girl if it was her diary but she went out running deeper in the woods I followed her to make sure that she was safe. The girl stopped and there was something shining, it was a bracelet reflecting the moon’s light. I picked it up there was a name on it, it was Charlie. Then I said maybe this is the sister of Carmen. Then a light shone from my back. It was my friends along with the camp chief.

“Why did you venture out the woods alone you could have been killed by some ferocious animal”

“Sorry I was following this girl and ….”

“Tell me that later, first we need to go back at the camping site before something happens”

We all went back at the camping site and discussed what happened. The camp chief was suddenly shocked about this story and pulled her sleeve. She also had the bracelet I was holding having the name Carmen. This was something shocking for me for how could she have the bracelet unless she was really Carmen and the girl that I kept on following was really Charlie the one who died. I decided to give the bracelet to the camp chief and there was a light that shone beside her, Charlie her sister the girl that I was following she’s there. The camp chief quickly hugged Charlie and told her sorry. Charlie just told her that it was ok she understood her. It was not all Carmen’s fault that she died it was also her who agreed to accompany her. She said that as long as Carmen was fine she would also be fine and later on she vanished.

The next day we went back to school and while on the bus I saw Charlie waving at me good bye smiling. Then I thought to myself it was a happening I would never forget in my life.