Terror in the forest.

• Jessie Pearson, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2006

I shivered as my feet crunched the leaves on the forest floor. The moonlight shone down upon me, bathing me in a pale glow where there were no trees. I pulled my jacket around me tighter. I grimaced at the thought of what my mother would say when I came home. She had warned me not to stay out so late…
I jumped when I heard a low growl. Heart pounding against my chest I spun to face the source of the noise, my breaths appearing in large puffs of smoke from the bitter cold. I scanned the area with my eyes, watching for any sign of movement in the dark shadows. The wind picked up quite suddenly, lifting the leaves up, blinding me for a few seconds.
Panic filled my chest. I couldn’t see! What is something attacked me? I waved my arms frantically in front of me to clear away the leaves. I wiped my eyes and blinked. I looked around again. Nothing.
I gave a small, shaky sigh and a laugh and continued walking, now a little more aware of my surroundings. I calmed my breaths ad wiped the sweat from the face. I could almost see the lights from my house shining through the trees when something large ran passed my leg.
I yelped with surprise and backed up into a tree. Breathing quickly I looked about, searching again for any sign of movement. I heard a low growl to my right and I whimpered in fear. I closed my eyes and muttered a silent prayer. Oh please… oh please don’t attack me…
The growling became louder. My eyes snapped open when I sensed a large shape make its way towards me from the shadows. My lip quivered as I followed the dark shape with my eyes. Two yellow eyes bored themselves into mine as the shape came closer…
I was aware of tears running down my cheeks and I swallowed. My breathing hyperventilated. I closed my eyes, waiting for the attack to come…
A bright light suddenly shone through my eyelids. I opened my eyes and squinted as a large man stepped in through the trees, a torch of fire in his hands. He waved it at the wolf, scaring it away into the bushes. I wiped away my tears and looked at the man. It was no one I had ever met before.
“T-Thankyou,” I stammered, my voice still shaking with fright.
The large man turned to face me. The fire caused shadows to dance across his grave, serious face. “You have to be more careful,” he warned me.
All I could do was nod. The man beckoned me over. “I’ll walk you home,” he said.
“Thankyou,” I said again, walking towards him. “How—how did you know I was here?”
The man looked down at me. “Let’s just say you have a guardian angel,”

End