Little Footsteps

The secret of the trees:

In a clearing in the woods stood a lonely candle. Paula stared at it in amazement. What was doing that there?

The absurd candle was surrounded by small stones that were set around it, but there was nothing more strange there. Anyway, Paula thought that it was evident that someone had been there who abandoned the candle when they heard someone approach, but why? What were those people doing there? An answer invaded her mind causing chills. Would that be witchcraft?

Paula looked around trying to find someone hiding in the dark of the night but she saw nothing... just trees and branches, many branches. Darkness was a plague in that forest. She couldn't see anything beyond that little circle of light. Suddenly that idea caught her attention. How could she have seen that little light from the house? It was so strange that for a moment she doubted about her sanity.

Suddenly there was laughter around her... Paula started looking for the people who made fun of her walking around. She was fed up!

"Where are you cowards?" she scream.

But nothing else was heard, only her steps as she broke the branches. A minute passed... then two. Paula began to think that maybe her mind was playing tricks on her again, anyway she didn't have to wait too long because she started hearing the noises again.

"Hello! Anyone there?" the girl asked in a trembling voice.

Something in the air made her shiver and fear returned to her. Suddenly an icy breeze blew out the candle behind her suddenly. Paula was then plunged into darkness. Her heart began to beat so fast as her eyes began to get used to the darkness again. Paula tried to calm her nerves by leaning against a tree but it was useless because an idea horrified her. She had been so furious as she ran through the woods that she hadn't realized what direction she had taken. Paula had no idea how to back home and it was impossible to orient herself in the dark. There the trees grew close together and their branches hid the moon.

"God! Where I am?" she whispered terrified.

This time something answered. Paula heard a loud, clear laugh and could also make out a small silhouette in the darkness that slipped through the bushes.

"I saw you! Who are you?" she asked retrieving the courage.

She began to walk quickly to where the silhouette was but before arriving she observed that it was hiding behind the trees. That was moving very fast.

"What do you want? Why don't you leave us alone?"

That child's play was making her very angry. Why didn't it confront her?

When Paula searched behind the trees there was nothing there. She was confused, wondering where that strange silhouette was but then she saw it again so she started to follow it.

"Come here! Don't run away!" Paula said. "You could have burned down the house. Why don't you leave us alone?"

At that moment the small silhouette disappeared after a small slope. Then the moonlight filtered through the branches of the trees and for a few seconds Paula could see more than just a silhouette: it was a boy with his back to her or maybe he was a teenager. This caused the woman to change her strategy.

"If you leave us alone I promise I won't charge you with the police. Your parents won't know."

Paula was suddenly silent when she reached the top of the slope and what she saw shocked her. There were not many trees there so the moonlight allowed her to see what was there. It was so strange that for a moment she did not understand what her eyes were seeing until she remembered where she had seen something similar... a memory that went back to her childhood.