FOREST OF THE LOST

PART FOURTEEN

23.

No longer in the company of Mary's seven-year-old brother Todd, Terrence is not going to worry just yet. He has more than settled into the fact that things here are not normal, or what may be considered ... normal. He found a piece of the puzzle and lost it again and that is just fine. He is sure he will see Todd again, alive and well, so on he will goo ... the best way he can.

All this, this is not a game he is playing, still, Terrence wants to beat this place, see it as a challenge ... indeed a puzzle ... for him to solve. He will get some answers, find out all he can then escape its clutches with as many of those with whom he knows are missing. It's relatively simple really, or maybe not.

A change of strategy or a change of plan is on the cards whether a plan could have been strategized at all. Moving from a trail which has proved to be somewhat active onto another trail where progress can hopefully be made, is something which might really set things on a path going forwards. This mobius strip must have a finish line and Terrence is determined to find it.

Moving off and away from the Canal Walk or the River Trail, Terrence moves to the Horse-Chestnut Trail, a walkway where it is known that a sixty-four-year-old man named Cecil Lynch was last seen, in the hopes of seeing this man and getting the ball rolling once again so to speak.

The path or ground up here is wide and tarmacked, where down on the Canal walk the ground walkway can get quite narrow in parts, and quite muddy too depending on condition. Up here has a real autumn feel. There is a slight chill in the air. The ground is littered with leaves of brown, yellow and orange and the trees either side of the walkway strangely support leaves a plenty and leaves of a strong green too.

Up here it is easy to imagine a father near or at retirement age, out walking with his grown daughter. Such a peaceful walkway that if it weren't for what this place really is then one could almost lose oneself in the assumed pleasantness of the surroundings. There are many birds flying overhead and many more on the treetops singing to their hearts content.

These birds, flying over and in the trees, are they lost too to time and to whatever else belongs here? Did they hear a calling ... and come duly? Robin Redbreasts, Sparrows, Magpies, and the likes, indeed under different circumstances this place really could be a nice place to be. Initially, there is no sign of anyone, never mind a man of sixty-four years. With time being irrelevant there is no need to hurry. Terrence can take whatever comes his way at his own pace.

Again, under any other circumstances, there would be a need to worry about the loss of a seven-year-old boy though in that, the seven-year-old boy has been missing for fifteen years and apparently ... he is just fine. Yeah, this place can really play all sorts of mind games.

The further down this trail, the higher an incline on its left-hand side goes, something that Terrence can't help but notice. Nothing in particular worrying looking about this incline rather it is something that looks as peaceful as it does beautiful. If whatever force present in this place actually had a say in where it is that it would come to be then it definitely could be said that it has good taste at that.

This stretch of park is also as good a spot as any for two boys to fool around on and this is exactly what Terrence comes to see. There are two young lads close by, both calm as you like. He pays little or no attention to the boys until it hits him. Out of all those of whom Terrence is aware are missing due to whatever this park is, sure aren't two of them schoolboys? Fourteen-year-old friends in fact.

At any given time, there would be people in this place who are not missing and who are not lost to time and Terrence is aware of this and he has considered the fact that if he himself could be considered lost then he may not be able to interact with all with whom he sees. A possibility exists that he could attempt to talk with someone with whom, from their vantage point, are incapable of seeing him. Sure, such a thing has more or less already occurred.