The Dark Forest

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

The woods shivered, as frigid air gently caressed the branches, exuding some melancholic atmosphere as ancient groves stared down at the child standing at their entrance.
Perhaps it was because of his friend’s stupid dare; or perhaps it was because he lived so close to the dark forest that he fell victim to the curious whisperings of the trees whenever he was unlucky enough to be taking out the trash at night. Whatever his motivation, the boy walked in, entranced and fearful.
Dry leaves crunched under his feet as he walked. He yelped with fright, as he stepped onto a soft and fleshy shape.
Upon closer examination, He found that he had stepped upon the rotting carcass of a squirrel.
The trees waved their arms in the air, shadows contorting their faces into twisted grins of mockery, as if they were laughing at the child. Hideously.
But surely these…trees couldn't actually be smiling, could they? Surely those smiles and wicked laughter were tricks of light or whispers of wind. The creatures in the undergrowth must've just been hyperactive squirrels. The morning façade has since disappeared as if it were a lie that never was. It was nothing but a deception, luring prey in.
The further inside the forest the boy went, the more it seemed like he would never get out. A silence descended upon the forest, erasing even the chirping of crickets. The path back disappeared, replaced by dense grass and heavy undergrowth. Unsure of where else to go, he trundled forward.
A growing sense of reproach developed as he became isolated; he was trapped in territories not meant for man. He desired nothing more than to escape. Yet he couldn’t.
The first thing that he had become aware of after realising his plight was the noises. The silence gave birth to multitudes of sounds. Wind screeching throughout, waking up residents with scent of fearful prey. Occasional leaves danced a maddening dance macabre in the wind.
Sounds became distorted after filtering through the many branches of the trees, turning into shrieks of laughter.
The boy felt terror. It came more as a relief to him as intangible anxiety transformed into tangible pain. Leeches and ticks latched onto their dinner, with the roles of predator and prey now reversed.
As despair settled over his mind, he prayed for the sun to rise, prayed for the tiny demons that plagues him to just…go away. Such actions would be futile.
As he swatted away the ticks, and leeches; larger predators eyed him with hunger. The light in the eyes of a bear gleamed as it made its way towards the boy. Frozen to the ground, he realised that he will die.
A chase ensured. The bear slammed into him at speed. The child quivered as he tried to make himself a smaller target...to no avail. Chunks of flesh; torn apart by as the creature feasted. Satisfied, it left the corpse. Weaker predators set their eyes upon the remains. 'It' became food.
The cycle continued as the next pair stepped in, looking for their child...

FOLLOW US


25

Write4Fun.net was established in 1997, and since then we have successfully completed numerous short story and poetry competitions and publications.
We receive an overwhelming positive feedback each year from the teachers, parents and students who have involvement in these competitions and publications, and we will continue to strive to attain this level of excellence with each competition we hold.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Stay informed about the latest competitions, competition winners and latest news!