The Crowhill Chronicles

Chapter Six - The Chopsticks

The woods often make a person experience one of two moods. If the woodlands you are experiencing are the kind that happen to be especially dark, gloomy, and creepy beyond all reason--and on top of that, seem to harbor some sort of terrifying beast--then you are likely to experience fear. If the woodlands are beautiful, and the trees are spread out evenly enough that you don't feel any sort of ominous feeling when you walk amongst them, then you are likely to experience pleasure and enjoyment at the beautiful environment around you.

Jack Crowhill was currently experiencing pleasure and enjoyment as he walked through the woods, as the trees were spread apart, causing him not to feel trapped. However, the prospect that his worst enemy, Admiral Johnson, may be chasing him in order to obtain a certain phial was quite concerning to him, so he didn't stay as positive as he would have liked. The fact that he was in the woodlands in the first place was also making him wary, and he kept racking his brain over whether he should have trusted that mysterious man by the gates of the country club. Nevertheless, as he walked, he began to whistle a tune to himself. When you whistle a tune to yourself, it is often to try and cheer yourself up, and in this case it was working.

Jack soon realized, however, that whistling to himself when he was on the run may not be such a good idea, especially if Admiral Johnson was pursuing him. It could attract unwanted attention, but it could also attract help. Jack concluded that whistling would likely be harmless, but in the off-chance that Admiral Johnson was close behind him, he stopped doing it anyway. But what were the chances that the Admiral was close behind him? After all, when Jack last spoke with him at the country club, the Admiral seemed to be intent on reorganizing his plans. Maybe the threat wasn't as imminent as usual. Despite these thoughts, Jack still kept his guard up. It wasn't that he was scared of the Admiral--he was fairly certain the man wouldn't hurt him. But whether or not the person in question is trying to hurt you, how would you feel if some random guy was chasing you everywhere you went?

As he walked further through the woods, Jack saw a few small properties here and there. It reminded him of the woods behind his house. He didn't see any people, but he did notice a couple of deer frollicking in a small glade. There were many birds flying around and twittering, and Jack noticed for the first time that leaves were starting to fall. It was the beginning of October, and those last strands of summer air were dissipating as autumn began. Jack wondered whether he would ever be able to appreciate autumn again, what with his current situation. It had always been his favorite season, but he wasn't so sure that it could cheer him up now.

He soon came upon a thicker area of forest where the trees grew closer together. The sky was only slightly visible through small patches that opened up through the canopy. Jack glanced around at the changed environment, but continued on. After a few more steps, he heard some faint rustling noises. Thinking it to be random forest creatures, he moved on without hesitation. However, he soon realized that it was not the creatures of the forest.

Turning a corner, Jack jumped back slightly at the sight of a very strangely-dressed man. He was short and very muscular, and was wearing tight clothes. He also wore a strange-looking mask made out of flowers, which Jack found to be very bizarre. He was currently stooped on the ground, digging in the dirt with two pointed wooden rods that looked like chopsticks. What sane man would dig a hole with chopsticks? Suddenly, the strange-looking man stabbed the two batons into the ground and swiftly pulled them back out. They had impaled a very juicy worm, which the man plopped into a small bag, before going for another one.

Jack could hardly hold back his curiosity. Who was this? Why was he gathering worms? Were those really chopsticks? They sure looked like them. Jack glanced around for any possible objects he could use for self-defense against the strange man. He slowly bent down to pick up a small, pointed branch which looked adequate, and carefully crept out into the clearing, holding the branch behind his back unless this interaction went awry. The strange man swiftly lifted his head and looked at him as he passed, seeming to smile behind his mask (at least, that's what it looked like to Jack).