The Wild Mind

Through The Forest

                Sarah sat in the little cabin looking out the window to the forest that lay beyond the cow and horse fields. Nearly every parent in the little settlement had forbidden their children from going anywhere near the forest for strange rumors surrounded the place. Once when Sarah had been a little girl she had overheard her mother and father talking to each other in hushed voices.

                “It has stolen another child, Frank,” her mother had said, combing a hand through her long copper hair worriedly. “What if it comes for Sarah or Matthew?”

                Her father had reached over and brushed his rough hand over her mother’s. “This mythical creature you speak about is all just lore,” he said dismissing it with a wave of his hand. “The child probably just wandered into the forest at night. Some children do sleepwalk, Meredith. Matthew used to do it up until he was seven. Remember?”

                With a long sigh her mother had finally nodded her head. “It is probably just lore; you know how superstitious I can be.” he just grinned and walked off to their room in the little cabin.

                Sometime late that night Sarah had heard an odd noise and the creaking open of their cabin door. She had been six years old at the time so she was not certain if it had been a dream or not, but she had seen the outline of the creature. She had sat up on the bed watching her older brother walk out of their room like he had been under a trance. Sarah had fallen back to sleep moments later. Not until the morning Sarah had realized it hadn’t been a dream and Matthew had been gone missing.

                Now ten years had passed and today would mark the tenth year since Matthew had gone missing. Sarah couldn’t help but think of all the things he had missed since the creature had taken him all those years ago. The number of birthdays he hadn’t gotten to share with his family, being able to court and possibly marry a girl, and seeing the settlement grew to include several more families. Crossing her arms over her chest she thumped her head against the wall wishing that her brother could be there for her sixteenth birthday this Monday. With a long sigh, she closed her eyes as she sat in silence for a couple moments as an idea brewed in her mind. Her head popped up as it came to her mind fully.  

                “What if I go find him?” she muttered softly to herself. Sitting up in the wooden chair, she rested her head on her chin thinking. “But I could easily be caught like Matthew had. I need to think this out a little bit more before I go through with it,” she muttered getting up and walking outside to where she knew her friend would be.

                “You’re doing what now?” her friend asked raising an eyebrow. “You do realize no one has come back, right? When I say no one, I mean no one. Not even the adults who went to find the children.”

                Sarah sighed, “But Mary I have to find Matthew. Just think how happy and overwhelmed my parents would be if I brought them back.” Her chocolate brown eyes lit up as she thought of something. “What if I brought all the missing children back? Imagine the happiness the parents and families when I brought back their children.”

                Mary leaned back against the tree giving her a look as if she was crazy. “Do you realize just how risky this is? What if you got stolen by the Creature? Your mother and father were pretty upset when Matthew went missing; I remember it took quite a while for them to come to terms with what had happened.”

                “I know, but I can’t leave Matthew and all the other kids in the woods. Letting the Creature do heaven knows what to them. To me it is worth the risk, Mary. I can’t live with myself knowing I had done nothing when there could have been a slight chance to bring them back.”