The Jester | K.TH

Chapter 3 The Woods

I woke up that morning to find that the windows to my room were once again unlocked. "I better let Sydney know so they can get that taken care of." I thought to myself as I got dressed for the day.
I had decided to go on a walk through the woods to clear my mind.

"Hey Sydney." I said as I was about to walk through the lobby door, "My window was unlocked again this morning and I know I checked it before I had gone to bed last night."

"Ok, I'll let Mr Stanford know.  Where are you off to in such a hurry?" She asked.

"I'm going on a little walk through the woods"

"Don't go into the woods, Ember!" I could hear her yell. "That's where he lives!"

I ignored her last sentence and left. The oddness of this town had started to take its toll on me. I had only been here for a few days, but it had started to feel like weeks from all the gloomy people and talk of the girl that had disappeared. 

I grabbed a newspaper on my way through town

"Rachel Willocoyski, 19, vanished on the night of the 15th. She had been found by local farmer Joe Digrassi outside his farm, wandering through a field, has now been admitted to the asylum. The only lead anyone has to go on is The Jester...."

"What kind of breaking news is this? Why would they blast that poor girl's issues for the whole town to see? What garbage!" I thought as I threw the newspaper into the recycling bin next to me.

I continued to walk through the town until I had reached the far side, where the woods met the building.  There were no walking trails, so I just decided to wing it.  I had my phone if I needed any help figuring out what direction I needed to travel. 

As I walked into the woods I couldn't understand why everyone was so afraid of them.  "There is absolutely nothing out here other than wildlife."  I thought to myself. 

I kept walking. Thoughts flowing through my mind like a faucet that I couldn't turn off.  This town. These woods.  Jin. Sydney.  The locals.  The Jester.  It was all a puzzle to me, but it felt like it was a puzzle that I needed to solve.  Almost as if my soul was being pulled towards it all. But my mind, my mind was so ready to be done with it all. All the superstition. All the fear. Was there actually something to be afraid of? I don't know. 

*snap* my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a twig snapping.  Startled, I stopped dead in my tracks.  I slowly looked around to see what had caused the sound.  Nothing. All I could see was nothing. All I could feel was......nothing.  It was as if my mind had entered a realm of it own in those wood.

I realized that I had spent far too much time out there and I needed to head back to town. As I walked I had this feeling that something was watching me.  I stopped and looked around and again found nothing.  Fear began to creep its way in, but I kept walking, quickening my pace. 

*laughter*

"What in the world? Who is there?! I know you're out there! Just show yourself." I yelled out in fear, my heart racing by this point. silence.  Pure silence filled the air around me.  I ran back to the town as fast as I could.  It felt like an eternity in those woods.

My heavy breathing was finally given rest when I entered the outskirts of the town.  I had never been so excited to see such a grumpy place, but boy was I glad. 
"What just happened?!" I thought to myself.  "Who was that out there with me? Was it just my imagination? Maybe it was just some little kids playing and my imagination wandered.  Yeah, I'm sure that's what it was.  Simply just innocent children playing cops and robbers and I just took it all too far."