Blindsided (UsUk)

One

The village was a beautiful thing Arthur Kirkland liked to bask himself into.

The soft laughter of children ringing in his ears, the crisp smell of freshly baked bread lingering in front of his nostrils, and the cool autumn wind dancing on top of his freckled skin.

He inhaled slowly, closing his eyes before taking in the deep aroma of warm bread. The smell of it tickled his lungs, quickly reminding him of the breakfast he had this morning. The aroma was so strong he could almost taste it.

"You're out here, already?"

The door beside him noisily creaked, and he is reminded that he's forgotten to fix the hinges of their front door. Bollocks, Arthur thought to himself. The one thing I forget to do right before I leave.

His mother's sweet laughter tickled his left ear. Another weight settled beside him, indicating that his mother had sat on the bench he was sitting on. Arthur opened his eyes and turned to his mother with a small smile.

Funny how he closed his eyes in the beginning. There wasn't much difference when he opened them anyway. All he could see was a dark abyss in front him, regardless if he had his eyelids closed or not.

"You can't wait, can you?" His mother chuckled. "By the way, did you get any sleep last night? There's rings under your eyes."

Arthur breath a short laugh. Not like he'd notice them, but he could feel them nonetheless. "Me? Sleep in the village? You know me, Mum. You know how l can never get a wink of sleep here."

"It's better than sleeping in the forest."

"It's much quieter there."

The forest was many things. And one of them was being a good place to sleep at night. Well, for Arthur specifically. Any normal villager wouldn't dare step foot into the woods at night. They'd be too scared.

People have mentioned seeing ghosts, spirits, witches, werewolves, headless figures, a lady wearing a white dress, pale children with blood coming out of their eyes; they were dark characters that spawn in the forest to make sure no one steps into their territory at night.

But Arthur's never seen one, so how could he fear them when he's never seen what they look like?

"I built a little hut in the forest for me to sleep in," Arthur reminded her again.

"Yes, but it's dangerous, sweetheart. Some say they demons and spirits walk in the woods at night."

"You tell me that now?" He shot her a grin. "Should have told me, what, eight years ago?"

"It's been that long since my boy had taken a fancy to sleep at the woods?" Hearing the humor in her voice told Arthur that she was grinning too.

"The woods are fine, Mum. I actually get some sleep done when I'm at the woods."

Which was true. It beats having to sleep in their little village. Arthur truly does love his mother's home village - basking into the beautiful music, taking in the sweet aroma of food. He enjoyed doing it everyday. But when it's night, in which he needs to sleep like everyone else, he could hear everything.

Babies crying, teenagers sneaking out of windows, couples bickering, dogs howling; it was a disastrous cacophony that made Arthur's ears bleed. The only place where he can attain a peaceful silence would be the woods. And the day he realized this was his only choice of getting a good night's rest, he decides to build a small hut and transfer a bed for him to use.