A Secret In The Forest

Apologies for the gap, this is one of my writing exercises that I submitted for another of my assignments, I attempted to use a setting to form a story. I also have another piece relating to trees that I should post shortly.

Before me stands the great forest. Those mighty trees that have stood tall for generations, the setting sun drains them of colour and make their giant shadows shade down on me from a great height. The forest is quiet, the low cheeping sound of a cricket and the shrill call from a jay.

The forest has been abandoned for years. No one dares come here any more. I’ve heard the stories, the myths, strange occurrences have been reported in this forest and there are rumours that the lost souls that are buried here rest in the trees and take their revenge on any of the living. They are all false and you know it, just stupid myths. You know very well that when someone dies, they are gone.

As the light begins to fade away, I realise that time is running out. I step forward into the undergrowth.

It starts to rain. Light rain, nothing more. But later, the wind starts to howl, getting stronger and stronger in screeching gusts, hurling itself at me in anger. As I plod on, the leaves crackle beneath my feet; it gets deeper and deeper as I go along, eventually; my feet sink below the leaves and I can feel them sinking into soft water, I fight against the grip of the water but its putting up a good fight. The rain soon starts to pound down harder, followed by fierce hailstones.

 Its just the poor weather. its late November, of course the weather would be bad.

Anyway, its time to stop soon.

Up ahead I see a clearing and the mud starts to get shallower until I can move my feet above ground. 

I approach carefully, but there on the branch I notice I'm not alone. An owl sits on the branch, its two big yellow globes stare down at me, but in them were not the look of anger or lust towards its prey, they were the look of surprise and discovery.

I couldn't take any chances, I pulled up my gun and shot the bird square between the eyes, it fell backwards and out of view. I heard a soft thump a few seconds later and then nothing. I can't have any witnesses here.

You know you just shot an owl? what exactly is that gonna do? how would that spread the word exactly. Idiot. Just get on with it.

The skeletal trees surround me as if I'm in a boxing ring. I hear a deep rumbling of thunder and a sharp flash of lightning close to me. I get to work. I take my shovel and start digging. My clothes absorb the water like a flannel and my skin is soon freezing. I can’t give up. I eventually dig deep enough. My hands are bleeding. In agony, I take the body out of the bag, and fling it in. I take one last look at his motionless face. No one would find him here. How could I lose. There’s no way I can lose. No one can see me here.

Without further ado, I step back into the dark forest, I hear something behind me and I turn back. I really wish I hadn't.

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