The Long Way Home

Chapter One

I walk deeper onto the shore, taking in my surroundings for the first time. I had run so far that I am completely out of Greenwood forest , completely out of the village of Mellway. It's been a long time since I last been here. The sound of the waves rushing toward me reminds me just how much I've missed it.

Despite the setting sun, the sand is still warm under my bare feet; my shoes dangle from my two curled fingers as I walk. I watch as the waves spread smoothly across the sand. Forward and back again, each wave soothing my nerves like a caress. No one ever comes here, which is why I used to come when I needed space. I remember it being the only place I get to run away to, to be alone. Away from everyone. Away from myself.

I've missed this place so much. For a moment I forget the life I just ran from, calm settling over me as my breathing slows.

The sun peeks over the horizon, gently reflecting the last of its light on the surface of the water. The birds begin to leave just as the sun does. Soon I'll be left with just the waves and warm sand. It isn't until then that I fully understand what it means that the sun is setting and it hits me like a stone to my chest.

I'll have to walk back home in the dark, back through Greenwood Forest.

I had always heard stories about Greenwood, the forest that surrounded our village completely. The stories were always whispered as if the people telling them were afraid that if spoken just loud enough, the forest could somehow hear. There where whispers of the Fae that outwitted anyone to their deaths. There were whispers of creatures with needles for teeth and stomachs that craved human flesh. Of human-like figures with beady black eyes and gaping mouths. And of a man named Death that promised to give anyone the thing they most desired at the expense of their own demise. And they all were said to only come out at night.

A shiver runs through me despite the warm weather. 

I look around the beach, my mind filled with panic for the first time since I left home. That is when suddenly, I see a figure. A dark figure that's coming in my direction. Toward me.

I stop walking. My breathing stops. I feel my eyes widen.

Oh no. Was it starting already?, I think to myself.

The figure is of a person wearing a black hooded cloak that covers everything but their face. This had to be someone from the stories whispered at night. Except I couldn't recall hearing one about a person in a cloak. But then again, no one ever came here. Who would be brave or stupid enough to leave Mellway to come here? I used to walk this shore many times and never had I encountered anyone. Maybe this person comes here to find space, too.

The person in the black cloak becomes more clear as they walk toward me. I can now tell the person is a young man who doesn't look much older than me. I've never seen him in Mellway before, though. The color of his skin makes it evident that he's from somewhere far away.

My heart starts to pound in my chest, the calm from the waves leaving my body as if it were never there. My mind tells my feet to turn around and run, but my feet stays planted firmly in the sand. He's closer now, only a few feet away. I can see his face more clearly and for a moment I go calm.

He's a handsome man and looks no older than 20 years. His curly, honey-colored hair under his hooded cloak falls over his forehead like a curtain above his eyes. His grey eyes are on me, full of curiosity. His polite smile is full of hope. I wonder where he came from.

I swallow the nervous lump in my throat as he stops in front of me. Smoothly, he pulls down the hood of his cloak and stares at me for a moment, his mouth open as if trying to choose his words carefully. His dark grey eyes search my face.

I know I should be scared of this man, a stranger who is wandering outside of the realms of Mellway. But instead I feel curious. Intrigued even.

"Hello..", he begins in a deep and low voice..