The Forest of Silence

I remember my grandfather telling me about the forest when I was a kid and growing up I couldn't wait for the day when I would be allowed to leave the house and see its beauty for myself. One day I decided that I was old enough to behold its beauty for myself and told my grandparents that I was going to set off to the forest. My grandfather didn't like the idea, "NO" he cried. His where eyes full of fear, I could tell. Back then I thought that he wanted to keep the sight for himself. Selfishly I prepared a pack, tied my sword to my waist and snuck out in the darkness of the night.

Under the light of the full moon I left my small village and set off on the small trail to the forest. I had arrived at the forest by daybreak. The streams of sunlight lighting up the path. I took a deep breath well knowing that I had disobeyed my grandfather's words and made my first step into the forest. 

I reached the forest at daybreak.  Words can't describe the feeling of calmness and pleasure that waved over me as I walked through the forest. Beams of light weaving their way through the trees giving the forest a golden look. I admired the forests trees and wondered why there wasn't any traces wildlife. I brushed off the thought with a chuckle.

During my walk I had found an old pile of supplies, a tattered backpack, a dull blade, and fire starting equipment. everything else was weather worn and useless. But the thing that really caught my attention was a small journal with a red cover and flaking brown leather cover. I flipped through it and what I saw really churned my stomach. the previous owner had wrote about how his camp had traveled into the forest and stayed overnight. The journal had given me a very clear image on why my grandfather had looked so scared when I told him that I wanted to go. The forest drives you mad. I dropped the book in sudden realization and looked down at my hands. Stained red. I screamed and ran back the way I came.

After running for what felt like hours I finally stopped and collapsed on a tree, the sun was beginning to set. I relaxed my shoulders and let my arms fall to my side. I looked down and spotted the journal to my right. Mortified, i stood up and looked around and found my surroundings familiar, the old backpack, the withered trail now barely visible started to disappear, slowly getting covered in vegetation leaving all traces of a trail ever being there cease to exist. I picked up the journal and flipped to a random page. "The men in my camp started acting out of the norm and they started spouting nonsense". "upon further investigation the men seem to have...plants growing out of their bodies, some even collapsed". I flipped the page  "The plants growing on them grew at an at astounding rate growing into full trees within the hour leaving little to no trace of there ever being a human person there". I dropped the book in sudden realization, my grandfathers fear, the utter lack of animals. I looked down to recover the book and it was open to a page that said clearly "IT AVOIDS THE LIGHT".  I gathered materials for a fire and began to strike my flint with my sword, begging for a spark.

I felt a sharp pain in my back as the sun started to set and the forest was enveloped in shade. I reeled back and reached for the pain and ripped a small branch off my back. I threw the branch aside and continued to work on my fire that refused to light. I ignored the pain in my body, the growing of the twisted roots and I convinced that the smallest shred of light would save me from this hell. I now understood why my grandfather didn't want me to go. I felt myself losing my mind through the pain, pieces of me dying from every root that planted itself in my body until I couldn't stand anymore. I started to scream. I didn't know what i was saying, it was nonsense. i was clawing at the ground hoping that someone might come and save me from this pain, this torture that seeps into my mind and shreds apart everything that keeps me sane.

I stopped resisting and began to tear up. "I'm sorry" I cried quietly.

A huge tree erupted from my body as i am added to the Forest of Silence and forced to wander this forest for all eternity.