To push the edge

I could see my dog's odd tail a bit further into the woods. Jumping and running she rediscovered bushes and trees with her nose. Sometimes she would stop to listen for a sound no human ears could hear. With her tongue hanging from her mouth, I could see how she enjoyed our time there. While I walked here in the forest, seemingly all on my own, but never really alone, I could not help but let my thoughts wander. I thought back to my childhood memories of this beautiful spring forest. When I saw trolls in every rock and tiny fairies behind every branch and I could not help but let out a small giggle silently to myself where I walked on the forest path. It was the same path, the same forest, but I was not the same. Now I was older, more mature, and had less time for imaginative beings.

The day was lovely and I had time for the forest. I continued walking on the path and my dog kept on rediscovering the forest with that odd tail up in the air and with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.
Suddenly we had come out into a meadow, a meadow I had not seen before. Had we not walked the same path? How did we get here? I was standing where the meadow started and the forest ended, trying to figure out where exactly I was. The shining sun had disappeared so that the meadow now lay in a semi-darkness. Grey rocks, with green moss on them, were spread out a little bit here and there with tall grass growing near by. A bit in front of me I could see a small tree standing alone in the middle.

I was starting to feel a little worried and looked frantically around me. Where had my dog disappeared to? I could no longer see her tail jump around in the trees behind me nor in the tall grass in the meadow in front of me. I started to move forward while calling her name and with each call I started to walk a little faster. Where was I?

At last I reached the little tree that I had seen before. There hung red apples from its branches and I glancingly thought that maybe I should take one but I dismissed the thought just as quickly. I stayed beside the tree and tried to calm myself down. Why make myself worry for nothing? The forest was not especially big, and the dog could take care of herself for five minutes and if I did not find her she could find her own way home. She could do it, and so could I.

Taking a deep breath to calm me down further. The fragrance of grass and trees were no longer prominent in the air, instead I felt the smell of moisture and something more. What was that? Something mouldy perhaps? It was quiet here, no birdsong and no playing squirrels...

I looked at the little tree again. The apples hung heavily on the branches. Big and red. I reached for one, maybe I was just a little bit hungry. The apple let the branch go easily and I took a big bite. The fruit was sweet and juicy, and I ate it fast. Afterwards, I decided to take one more. While I ate I was thinking. I felt slightly ridiculous that I had let myself become so worried. The dog knew where we lived and so did I. The forest was small enough that all I would have to do was walk in the same direction for a while and then I would be out of the forest again. It had been a while since the last time I was there, so it was not surprising that I did not know this place like the back of my hand anymore. It was the same path, the same forest, it was just I that was not the same anymore.

I took my last apple from the tree before deciding to start walking again. Steadily and calmly I started to walk, and tried to think positive thoughts. It was a lovely day and the meadow was not at all quiet, how ridiculous of me. A forest is always full of life and movement, I could hear it now. Something was scurrying around me, probably animals looking for food. I could feel them watching me cautiously. I almost felt like I should not be here. Here I walked, a human, in their forest. I hastened a little on my steps. Chewing the last bite of the apple and threw the rest of it on the ground. There was still a bit to the forest edge. 

Had it become darker? Suddenly I heard something behind me, like several small, but heavy, things had fallen from a height. I turned fast around, heart in my throat, each breath shallow. What was that? I took some doubtful steps forward, maybe to see what it was that had made that sound. I looked out ahead of me and my gaze stuck on the tree where I had taken those juicy fruits. The apples had fallen to the ground, that was what had made the sound. All the apples had fallen down at the same time.

My heart was beating fast and I could feel my throat itching. How had that happened? A big black bird suddenly come down from the sky and sat down on the tree's higher branches. I started to walk backwards slowly. Was the bird staring at me? No, of course not, it was just a bird. I turned myself around and started to jog a little so that I could reach the edge of the forest faster. I did not want to be in this meadow any longer. I could feel the bird's eyes burning on the back of my neck and I started to jog a little bit faster. Then I stumbled, and I fell with my face down in to the grass and I got dirt in my mouth that tasted like something had died in it. I tried to get back up again as fast as possible but when I put my hands in front of me for support, they sank down into the earth and I screamed. I could feel something move in there and I fought to get my hands out. When I, at last, got my hands free they were covered in soil and something more. Mud? I could smell iron in the air. Did I have blood on my hands? I quickly got up on my feet again and I almost started running just to get out of here. All around me I could feel the animals watching me. Or was it really the animals? The shadows on the ground were weird. One second it was regular trees I saw and the next I could have sworn that they had eyes and arms. By now I was full on sprinting. 

I ran and ran but when I finally arrived where the meadow ended, and the forest began I suddenly stopped. The forest in front of me was dark and I could hear how the trees creaked, but I could feel no wind in my hair. I felt nauseous and my throat was itching horribly. Was it the apples? My breaths were short and shallow, and I felt dizzy.

Where had I ended up? I did not dare look behind me, where I could feel several creatures staring at my back and hear the crows terrible crying. Before me I could hear the trees wailing and could see nothing more than darkness and... was that a pair of eyes? I took a deep breath and I could smell iron, moist and something else I could not describe. Then I took one step into the dark forest.

The sun arrived, the birds sang and I saw my dogs odd tail behind a couple of bushes ahead of me. I was on the path once again and the fragrance of the forest was in the air. My throat was not itching anymore, and my heart stopped beating so hard. My hands felt clean again and my pants whole. How ridiculous I was, there were no weird creatures or creepy eyes in the forest and no meadow behind me, only more forest. I was still on the same path in the same forest. 

Author's Note:
I was finally brave enough to publish this here. The first version is in Swedish (my spoken language) and I have wanted to translate this for a while (years).
Please leave comments and/or vote, I would love to hear what you think <3
I hope you liked it :) Have a great day!
- Cheza