Lost In The Woods

Virid

Emma nodded and sat against a tree that didn't have a visible entrance into a fairies' home. What else could possibly go wrong?

***

Emma sat down next to the giant trees that housed the tiny fairy-type folk. Her head resting against the dense tree and her imagination running wild.

There was no way home. She was stuck in this place. She had no way of knowing if the thing that ripped her from her previous reality would ever come back.

The tiny people that lived among the trees clamoured around her as soon as her butt met the ground. They were very nervous when she had asked about their lands, avoiding her inquiries about the color differences.

They seemed fascinated when she recanted the 'harrowing' journey she took to the open field, they questioned her about everything.

"What does the sun feel like?"

"Is the grass cool on your skin?"

She observed that the trees completely blocked their tiny villages from the sun, leaving only dark and gloomy sites. There was no grass in the general area, she thought that was strange.

How could they live in such a beautiful place and never experience the sun on their skin or the feeling of grass beneath their feet?

Why were the fairy people so pale in color? Emma had always imagined that fairies were a brilliantly coloured flying ball of magnificence.

Night fell, and she laid next to the largest tree in the centre to the village.

***

Murky light seeped through the long leaves of the tall trees, like being stuck in an overcast day for eternity.

Snap, squeak, crack, crunch, squeak.

"Help! Help!"

The noises woke Emma from the uncomfortable nights sleep. Her eyes darted every which way for the source. The tiny screams were barely audible. The rustling through the leaves on forest floor was what made her sit up.

She caught a glimpse of a fluorescent orange fox with a black-and-white stripe along the top of his tail, making off into the heavily wooded area next to the trees the fairies lived in.

The foxes mouth ajar, dripping saliva, a tiny tail swayed to and fro hanging delicately from his jaws. He carried a fairy in his mouth and leapt into the bushes.

"No! Wait!" Emma screamed, reaching forward. Her body reacting quickly, she chased after the brightly-coloured animal. Hoping she could get on the fair-folks better side with the saving of one of their kind. Her heart raced, imagining the fear that little fairy felt being inside a foxes' mouth.

Her legs ached from the day before, all this activity was exhausting her. It was like something was draining every ounce of energy she had. Her legs crumpled, and she was forced to watch through squinted eyes as the bright orange fox trotted off into the woods.

A feeling of hopelessness sinking in with the disappearing of his tale. She was no match for the four legged-speedster. He had escaped to the woods without so much as a glance back.

Crunch

Snap

Emma's eyes were closed. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest. 'Play dead, play dead' she repeated to herself.

The noises finished with a rustling next to her head. Her eyes opened gradually. Old worn-out sneakers were the first thing her eyes happened upon.

Her eyes worked their way up, drinking in each familiar site. The tattered dark wash jeans and plain blue T-shirt that she saw on this person's body made her wish she was home.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up into the eyes of the friendly stranger, a guy, dressed in clothing worn by guys around her age. He appeared to be nearly a foot taller than her.

His eyes were a glimmering shade of emerald green. He had a scar that ran along his cheek bone just below his right eye. A prominent white bundle of strands stood out from his shoulder length wavy dark brown hair.

"You need a haircut."

She sat up and brushed the twigs and leaves from her clothing. She looked him over once more; his face was kind. Though he looked tired. She felt like she had met him before, maybe in a dream.

She stood and faced him, nearly knocking him back. Her slate grey eyes meeting his.

"I'm fine, thank you," Emma responded.

He leaned back against a tree, giving her the same once over she had given him.

"Good," he retorted and turned to leave.

It was unsettling for Emma that he didn't seem fazed by the presence of another human.

How can he just walk away from one of his own kind?

Her teeth clenched so she didn't let anything slip that she meant to keep hidden. He was a stranger. She couldn't show him how scared she really was.

"Excuse me but you are the only other person I have met. I need you to explain this place to me. Please I need your help," Emma begged. Her ability to keep her fear hidden, completely useless.

She fell onto her knees crunching and crackling the forest floor. She held her face in her palms, as if at any moment tears might fall.

The strange man turned back toward her, leaning against the side of a tree a few feet away, "You're living with the Fair-folk?" He avoided her comments, instead asking his own questions. A look of curiosity in his face made his eyes appear even darker than they were.

"The tiny people with tails who live in trees, they're called Fair-folk?"

The man stared at her with wide eyes, still waiting on an answer for his question. He tapped his foot to show his impatience, the sound drilled into Emma's brain causing a massive headache.

"Yes, I live with the Fair-folk. Is there something wrong with that?"

He smirked, "You know. Legend has it, the Fair-folk will steal your soul. Draining each bit until you are but a shell of the person you once were." The stranger warned.

He glanced between her and the empty woods behind her, where the brightly-coloured fox had disappeared. As if he was awaiting the animal's inevitable return.

"What's your name?" Emma rubbed her eyes in hopes of hiding the fact that the 'legend' he spoke of had terrified her.

"The name is Virid," his voice was so smooth, and he was so intriguing that Emma had difficulty knowing if he was trustworthy.

At that very moment, he was her only chance for survival.

"Well, Virid, what's next?"