Unattended Campfire

• Zoe Scholtens, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2017

As my shaking legs edge closer towards the forest, I listen to the wind racing past my cheeks as I wobble deeper into the woods. The darkness crawls overhead as the trees start dancing to the sound of the moaning winds. I hear the laughter of the rain collapsing against the ground making it almost impossible for me to hear my thinking. The rain keeps on piling onto the surface with droplets of rain racing down my spine. I edge closer and closer, deeper and deeper not turning back. I can't stop now. I travel further until I freeze in my tracks. A hard and cold, bony hand reaches out and continually taps me on the shoulder with its long fingers. One million questions run through my head. I had the urge to turn around immediately, but something stopped me. Who is it?

I slowly turned my head around to find no one. Just the path behind me and the trees staring, watching me. I could almost see the trees’ eyes. I could almost feel the perseverance inside them. I kept going. The rain kept tumbling down as it bought down thunder and lightning along with it. I keep walking. The thunder echoed through the woods and the lightning chased. As I continue along the path, the sharp sticks crunch in the beds of the dry leaves. I keep going. As I go on walking, I hear sudden whispers. I stop. I see a tree with white and pale hands hugging it as tight as possible. I freeze. The fingers are long and bony. I turn around. No one. I turn to the tree. No one. No hands. I keep walking. I look behind the tree as my legs stagger past. No one. I keep walking. The thunder slowly sinks and the lightning flies away. As I maintain walking I get stopped again by a blast of bright light which appeared in front of me. I walk closer to take a look at what had just happened. As I finally turn the corner, I couldn't believe what sat there in front of me. I stared into the flames, I didn't move a muscle. It was an unattended campfire sitting under a tepee of sticks.

My heart starts racing even faster and I stop breathing. I rub my eyes and look again. Still no one sits by the campfire. The smoke runs up and down my nose, little ashes burn but it still tickles although I don't laugh. The strong winds push me back against the trees as I continually take deep and heavy breaths. I wrap my arms around the tree so tight like a snake squeezing its prey. The wind races past as my grip around the tree doesn't come loose. I watch the campfire flames grow in the strong winds. I stare into the bushes, then all of a sudden a pair of dark green eyes stare back at me. Then I realize I'm not alone….