Forest Story - Chapter 3

Instructions

Quick recap of where Chapter 2 ended: I place the compass on a patch of flat ground and watch the needle spin. "How strange," I notice. "The needle keeps spinning randomly!" I watch as the needle moves erratically, never coming to rest. "Could it be the forest?" I wonder. "There is something strange going on. First the noises fell silent, and now my compass isn't working. What in the world is going on?" Chapter 3: That's when I notice the glow. A faint light is being emitted by my compass, and is slowly becoming brighter. I turn off my flashlight, my jaw dropping in awe as I witness what should be impossible. Golden light seems to be pouring out of the compass, nearly twice as bright as my flashlight. Fascinated, I poke it with my index finger. The metal feels cold under my touch, but that's to be expected on a night as chilly as this. Entranced, I pick the compass up, and realize the needle has frozen in place. When I move the compass around, the needle stays pointed in the same exact direction. "Is this where I am meant to go? Noises of the forest, is this your new way of guiding me?" I ask aloud. The trees remain silent, and I must look like a madwoman, asking a forest to guide me, and a forbidden forest at that. Still, I can't keep from whispering, "Thank you for not leaving me alone." It might just be my imagination, or my sleep-deprived mind playing tricks on me, but I swear the compass glows brighter in response. It feels like my noises have come back to me, even if they are in a different form. Filled with the warmth of companionship, I begin walking in the direction the compass points. A smile curls on my lips as I stare at my compass, and I feel what almost seems like adoration towards it. Part of me argues that this is not an appropriate response, and that I should be terrified of this strange glow, that I should be apprehensive in this obviously abnormal forest. Yet, I can't feel anything but awe and growing curiosity. What does the compass lead to? Will the noises ever return? Will the place I am headed provide answers? Questions fill my head, oddly loud without any noises to muffle them. I still feel uneasy without hearing the noises, as they have, in many ways, become a part of me. As I trek through the woods, following the compass, I notice something. There is no sign of any life here, not even weeds. It's as if something came and sucked all the life out of it, leaving nothing but an empty husk behind. Despite this, there is nothing inherently sinister about this forest. Storybooks will tell you bad things happen in forests such as these, but my gut tells me I am safe. I trust the noises, and they have led me thus far, so I must continue to travel. Determination fills me and pushes any shreds of doubt to the back of my mind. I continue hiking, pausing only for short periods of time to drink. Time seems to fly by, and before long, I see sunlight shining through the cracks in the canopy. I have been walking for hours, nearly all night, yet my legs don't feel tired and my head remains clear. Soon, people will realize I'm missing. It is already morning, somebody in my family is bound to wake up and discover my absence. These thoughts don't worry me, since even if somebody guesses I have entered the forest, no one would dare to follow. No, the larger issue would be returning home, but I don't plan to go back just yet. Following the compass has become my goal, and my instincts tell me I still have a day's walking ahead of me. I get the feeling I must arrive at my destination before sunset, and that means less breaks if I am to arrive in time. The glow of the compass still has not faded, if anything it has gotten even brighter. Staring at it for too long hurts my eyes, but I already have the direction it points to memorized. I only need to glance at it every fifteen minutes or so, in order to make sure I am headed in the right direction. Walking gives me plenty of time to think, and soon my thoughts become discursive. My mind wanders, drifting from topic to topic. Sometimes I snap back into reality long enough to eat a handful of nuts and drink a sip of water, and then return back to the realm of my mind. When my thoughts find their way to the people of my village, my step falters. As a mixture of bitterness and humiliation sweeps through me, I force my feet back into motion. Memories flash through my head against my will, and I fight to keep my focus on the path ahead of me. I stare at my feet as I walk, trying to ground myself in the present by noticing the way the earth feels beneath my leather boots, the quiet sounds of my breathing, the bright green of the fallen leaves... wait. Leaves?