The Dark Forest

• Stephanie Raines, Grade 7, Caulfield Grammar School
• Short Story
• 2011

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

It was a dreadful, windy night as the miserable dark leaves that topped the humongous and spindly trunks of the forest clashed together in fury, the wind roaring like an enormous lion, threatening to tear the small shivering eleven year old girl standing by these terrible trees off her feet and into the damp, muddy yards next to it.
Joanne Wittershaft was about one meter and a half tall, with pale skin and dark hair that tumbled down to her shoulders.
Should she dare to set foot into these terrible thick woods? It looked dark and eerie in there. But, what could be the problem? She knew her property inside out, but she had never thought anything of this dark forest that lay gloomily on the border of her land.
Joanne drew in her breath, and heaved a massive breath of determination. She was going to discover the secrets concealed in the mysterious clump of dark green. Her feet rose and fell towards the thick trunks, her figure soon completely swallowed by the darkness…

It was as though as if every tree she clambered around was another bolt on the gate to which she could not get out.
Joanne looked at her watch. Great! My luck that this watch just simply stopped ticking! She thought.
Deeper into this creepy forest Joanne tumbled into, her clothes now nearly shredded to rags due the spiky sticks on the wood’s floor that strangely seemed to rise up at her like she was a zebra walking down an isle of starving lions. The trees spoke in their own language, brushing together to create sound.
‘Oh, no, what have I gotten into? Will I ever get out of here? Joanne moaned, dropping onto a thick fallen branch. She dearly missed her warm bed.
‘Huuushhhhhhhh…Huuushhhhhhhh…’
‘What was that?’ Joanne gasped, alarmed, sitting up stiffly like a touch from an electric shock. And she, thinking it was the trees, nervously looked up.
‘Huuushhhhhhhh…Huuushhhhhhhh, look out for the murder, they’re coming your way!’
‘Murder?!’ A tingle went up Joanne’s spine.
The air now had a magic, different feeling now. Like the “Huuushhhhhhhh” had had a magic dust fight.
A noise like a faint, angrily rushing river filled the air, getting louder and louder…
Joanne whirled around, now on her feet, squinting closely at a small gap between the tallest trees.
‘Caw! Caw!’ A humongous amount of crows came sweeping down in a tornado; Joanne received many scratches to the head from their clawed feet. They zoomed all around the little clearing, their energy levels seemingly never ending, and then finally settling noisily into the trees.
‘So that was it. The murder of crows!’ Joanne whispered, and out of the gap behind the crows came a magnificent white Pegasus, landing softly beside her.
‘Hello Joanne… I’ve been looking for you.’ It cooed.
‘Really?’ Joanne replied quietly. She clambered on it, and the Pegasus stretched its enormous wings and took off, soaring away into the night like an angel.