A Series of One-Shots

The Ever Woods

Once again, I wrote this for a competition on my homesite, Freewritersandreaders.ning.com! Feel free to visit or join us! In external link!

Right now, I'm sitting at home, sing guitar solos and watch Pocahontas. I should be doing homework, but this is much more amusing. lol.

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The Ever Woods

“Come on,” she taunted. “Or are you afraid?” She stuck my tongue out at her best friend, Julie. She knew Julie would never agree to it.

“Tinsley, we’ve always been told not to go near it,” the other girl insisted. She shivered just thinking of stepping beyond the tree line.

Tinsley chuckled at her cowardice and danced along the edge of the woods. “So you are afraid?”

“Of course,” she hissed. “You know bad things happen to people that go in there. No person has walked in and walked back out, Tin. I will not let you bait me into this.” Julie had known something was up the moment Tinsley said she didn’t want to have a movie night. She had just known that Tinsley would take the opportunity to screw with her head.

Tinsley laughed—the sound like a ringing bell. It echoed off the trees and the sound soared through the empty woods. Not a thing moved in them.  Julie bit her lip and looked into the woods behind her best friend. Staring into them, she could see something move within. She just couldn’t pin point what it was. There was nothing but a shadow flickering here and a leaf twitching there.

“Oh, I have an idea!” Tinsley sang. She skipped to the fence where she had stashed what she needed the day before. After moving aside a pile of leaves, she found what she wanted—rope. It was so cliché, yet she couldn’t resist—especially if she could use it to tease Julie.

Walking back to her friend, she had the coil of rope hanging on one arm while she tied it securely around her waist. Tinsley smiled at her timid, wuss of a best friend. “Here hold this.” She placed the coil of thick rope into Julie’s waiting hands. “Don’t let go. If I scream or tug on the rope, pull me back,” Tinsley said mockingly.

“Tins, please, don’t do this!”

“I’m going to whether you hold on or not.”

“Fine,” Julie huffed, planting her feet firmly on the ground, shoulders’ length apart. She wrapped the rope around her waist twice and tied it. There was still a fair amount of rope left over. Julie walked forward with Tinsley so she was about a yard away from the neat row of trees.  

“Stop freaking out, I’ll be fine.” Tinsley grinned at her nervous friend and fluttered her fingers as she danced toward the trees. “See you on the other side.” Tinsley stepped into the woods, feeling utterly ridiculous with the rope tied around her waist. As she walked, she let her hands drag across the rough bark of the trees as she drifted past them.

Julie stared into the woods intensely. Where was she? Tinsley seemed to have disappeared just a few steps in. She couldn’t be seen anywhere. The cry of a raven rang through the air, causing Julie to jump. The rope, that had been pulled tight, sagged. “Tinsley?” she called, hoping her friend was coming back to her. She tugged on the rope. It seemed to pull back too easily. She began to reel the rope in. Not once did it pull tight to indicate that there was a person tied to the other end. “Tinsley? This isn’t funny!” Julie yanked on the rope and watched as the end of the rope skittered into the yard. Tinsley wasn’t attached to it.

“You can come out now!” Julie cried, angry and confused. Why would she do this to her? “Come on, Tins! This isn’t funny!”

 She waited and waited, and nobody came out. There wasn’t even sound to indicate movement.