THE WOOD

From the universe of isle 

He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

Daniel 2:22

chapter 1 - into the Woods 

 "Alright, I have water, food, a tent, a pocket knife, and a flashlight", Pat mumbled to herself as she put the supplies in the backpack.

 "I should be gone for only two weeks" she thought to herself, "plenty of time to get home before Mom gets back from her trip". Pat's mom had left her home alone for 2 months to go on a business trip that morning, but Pat secretly knew that she had gone on a vacation. Pat never really liked her mom, she worked too much and never spent time with her. She took a knife from the kitchen drawer "just in case". As she went into the backyard she started to shiver. She was going to do it; she was actually going to go into the woods all alone. Pat had thought to bring her brown fluffy dog but she did not have enough food or blankets so instead, she had taken some money from the cookie jar above the fridge and used it to kennel her dog.

She began walking toward the woods and she stopped just before she entered the thick, dark, black trees towering over her. Their bark was like black ash, and their dark green leaves were waving and dancing in the wind. An icy fall wind blew her long dark hair in her face. If she was looking she would have seen a dark figure deep within the woods. As she stepped deeper into the woods, Pat could feel the cold penetrating her bones. The trees seemed to grow thicker and their branches more menacing with each step she took. The only sound in the forest was her own footsteps, crunching the dried, fallen leaves beneath her feet. The darkness was creeping in around her, making it difficult to see the path ahead. The only source of light was the sun that occasionally peeked through the gaps in the dense foliage above. The sound of rustling leaves suddenly made her freeze. She turned slowly, trying to locate the source of the noise. But all she saw was darkness. Pat shivered and continued into the woods. "I should pitch my tent before it gets dark," Pat thought. But first, she walked another mile and a half in before she finally pitched her tent, And dragged a couple of branches to shelter it. The forecast said it was supposed to rain today. Should probably start a fire Pat thought while dragging some rocks to make a fire pit. "I don't want to burn the forest down," Pat thought. She had also taken a lighter from her mom's desk drawer, "it will probably be cold tonight" Pat said to herself as she gathered kindling and sticks, to start a small fire for warmth and for cooking some of the food she had packed. When she was finished making a teepee out of sticks, leaves, and twigs she got the lighter out of her pocket, started the fire, and returned the lighter to her pocket. She grabbed her sweatshirt and sat down; it would be a while before the fire was hot enough to cook anything. While Pat was waiting she looked around. It got dark fast and was glad she had started a fire or she would be in complete darkness. When the fire was hot enough she got some leftover beans, fresh eggs and sausage from last night.

 The crisp sound of the fire crackling and popping mixed with the sizzling of the hot frying pan. The flames were a deep red, almost orange in color, dancing and licking the underside of the skillet as yellow wisps of smoke rose up in the air. The heat from the fire was intense, and she was well warmed . She had chosen the perfect spot to set up camp, nestled in a small clearing surrounded by tall trees, with a clear view of the night sky up above. The only sounds were the gentle rustling of leaves in the soft breeze and the occasional sound of an owl hooting in the distance. It was the perfect spot to pitch her tent. As she cracked an egg into the pan, the smell of the sizzling sausage mixed with the aroma of the nearby pine trees, creating a mouth-watering scent that seemed to fill the whole clearing. The egg fried quickly, the edges turning a crispy golden-brown as she carefully flipped it over, sizzling for just a few more seconds on the other side. She added a few spoonfuls of baked beans to the pan, mixing them together with the egg, and sausage, creating a delicious meal to fill her stomach after a day's walk. The satisfaction of cooking over an open fire, with nothing but the bare essentials she had packed in her backpack, was a feeling that couldn't be matched. She had no need for a stove or precooked meals. There was something about cooking over an open flame that made her feel better about herself 

As she sat by the fire eating her early supper, gazing up at the sky, the stars twinkling above her, she knew that this was exactly where she was supposed to be. In this moment, surrounded by nature, alone and at peace.

 Pat swore under her breath as she realized she forgot the silverware."Well I guess it can't be helped" she mumbled as she started eating it with her fingers. Then she stopped and stared; a fox was just some feet away from her. 

 The two stared at each other for a second then the fox slipped away into the inky darkness. As she watched the fox disappear into the shadows, she couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. It was as if she had just witnessed a rare and beautiful creature, and for a fleeting moment, she was filled with a deep appreciation for the natural world around her. With a sigh, she turned back to her campsite and the small fire she had built. The flames danced and flickered, casting a warm glow over the rocks and trees that surrounded her. She had also boiled some tea to keep her warm. Pat sat there watching the wildlife around her and drinking her tea.

 It had been a while since the sun went down. and Pat was feeling tired so she stomped out of the fire and dove into her tent, she did not want to be outside when there was no light. She fell asleep shivering, not from cold but from fear. Pat did not know why she was so scared of the woods but she would soon

 That night she had a weird dream, a dream where she woke in a field of ferns laying on her back. and when she looked up all she saw were treetops and a dim gray sky she looked around and saw tree trunks fading away into an even blue mist. standing up, Pat started walking and came across an even pool of water almost level with the ground. And it was as clear and as still as glass. As Pat looked into the water she saw it sloped down until it faded off into darkness. She looked and she could barely see a sandy smooth bottom. Pat turned around and saw a red tail darting off into the mist. As Pat continued walking, she couldn't help but feel a sense of calmness and serenity that she had never felt before. The air was cool and crisp, and the smell of freshly cut grass filled her nostrils. As she walked, she came across various types of flowers that she had never seen before, each one more beautiful than the last. She was in awe of the beauty and perfection that surrounded her. Suddenly, she came across a group of animals grazing in the field. There were deer, rabbits, and even a few foxes. They all seemed so peaceful and content, and 

Pat couldn't help but feel like she had stumbled upon something truly wild. As she continued walking, she noticed that the ferns around her were getting taller and thicker until eventually, she was completely surrounded by them. But she didn't feel scared or trapped. Instead, she felt protected and safe.

Chapter - 2 the deer

Pat woke up to twigs breaking outside of her tent. She got up carefully, to not scare the thing outside her tent, she slowly unzipped the tent, peeked her head outside of the tent and suddenly Pat's blood ran cold. She saw a dark figure dragging a dead deer. down into a valley "Maybe I should follow it". she said to herself "Maybe after breakfast" said the voice in her head.

 She tried to light a fire but the wood was too damp so she had to go looking for some dry wood. This was extremely hard to do because the sun was not up yet. She thought about using the flashlight to look for the wood but she didn't want that thing to come back. It took a couple of hours because it was very dark but by the time it was finished, the sun was already up and halfway in the sky. "I'll make a fire when I get back" and with that, she took her flashlight (i know), because even though it was daytime, the trees were so tall and thick that they blocked out the sun, she yanked her pocket knife out of the log and set off. While she was walking she could see little streams of sunlight poking through the leaves and the buzz of cicadas in the distance. She saw a flower, its blue and white petals waving in a beam of morning sunlight. The flower seemed to be dancing in the gentle breeze, and its vibrant colors stood out against the lush greenery of the surrounding forest. As she approached it, she could see each delicate petal - the blue ones so pale they were almost white, the white ones with a hint of blue around the edges. She started off again down a path she had seen when she was by her tent earlier which she saw led into that into the valley. So she headed down to where that dark figure had been walking.

 All of a sudden a cold wind blew toward her and then there was a howl in the distance in front of her, was that an elk? Pat wondered as she continued walking. Just then she saw blueish eyes looking back at her own amber ones. Suddenly leaves rustled and it was 

gone, Pat looked over and saw a dead deer not far off. She walked over and Its head was missing and it was skinned, Pat turned around and vomited, it smelled disgusting. when she turned around the deer was gone. All that was left was a puddle of darkened water. Pat looked around. She did not want to be in this dark valley anymore so she got up and started walking toward her tent. Once she made it back Pat tried and failed to start another fire she saw there was a little straw doll in the fire pit. "I didn't make that before I left," she thought. She walked toward her tent and next to it there was a note; there were symbols she could not understand. 

"It's getting dark I should start the fire up again or it will be too dark to see" When the fire was lit, Pat threw in the note. She did not know what it was but she did not like it. "I should explore the woods a little more tomorrow," she thought. Later that night Pat heard the cracking of twigs once again, she unzipped the tent and turned on her flashlight, and in front of her, there was a pile of sticks in the shape of a star, and right behind it was a deer standing on its hind legs. Pat woke with a start cold sunlight streamed through the window of her tent "Whew, that was a weird dream she thought" as she was unzipping the tent she froze, there, just like in her dream, were sticks arranged in a star. She blinked and it was gone. What is going on with these woods!? Pat yelled. Her voice echoed through the trees. After cooking herself breakfast, Pat stomped out the fire and started wandering around. Pretty soon she came across an old teepee she looked inside spider webs and old beer cans, high schoolers she mumbled

Chapter - 3

Redacted 

Chapter - 4 Exploring 

She kept on walking and walking and walking until she came to an abandoned football field. It looked like it had not been used for a while. The grass was so tall it went up to her waist While Pat was exploring she came across bleachers and a tower where the scorekeepers sat. It looked like one of the nicer ones she walked up the stairs and into the tower there. Besides an empty trash can and a desk where the scorekeeper sat she walked 

up and started pushing random buttons when a loud buzzer rang across the field. Pat was not ready for it and it made her jump a little with her heart racing; she thought she must have pushed the score button. Pat was about to leave when she saw a light coming from a crack in the wall. A hidden room, Pat thought as she walked over and pushed it aside when she walked in she saw over to the left a bookcase and a couch with a sleeping bag. In front of her, she saw a big radio with a microphone hanging out from the side and some other things were a hotplate on the floor, empty cardboard boxes the kind you use for packing refrigerators, and finally, with a gentle hum a generator in the far right corner of the room pat thought someone must be living here so she slowly backed out of the room slid in closed and high tailed it as she was walking back to her camp a beam of sunlight caught her eye she watched in great confusion as snowflakes piled on the soft grass she rubbed her eyes and it was gone. When she went back to her camp and fell asleep with her pocket knife in her hand in case whoever lived in that room came to look for her, the buzzer was loud and someone must have heard it. Over the next few days, she replenished her food, expanded her shelter with sticks, and explored the woods. She even found 3 more teepees. After a week had passed, Pat was getting more and more comfortable in the woods. One day Pat needed more wood for her fireplace so she went back to that old teepee to take it apart and get the wood from it. She returned to her camp and slept the day away. That night she had a dream about her dad and woke up crying. The next day she went exploring and found a swamp, "how big are these woods!?" Pat thought to herself. She almost got stuck in the mud. She did lose a shoe and had to limp back to her tent. The next day she tripped over a root and hurt her foot. She fell asleep in pain. The next morning she found a blackberry bush and had a nice breakfast. Later that afternoon, she went to the edge of the woods and looked at her house. She saw her friend at her door, Pat quickly turned and walked quickly back into the woods. She did not want her friend to see her. Pat walked back to her camp and started a small fire. She had just finished eating her dinner when she saw the same fox that she saw on her first night. Tonight she decided to stay outside the tent and sleep in the open. While the coals burned low, Pat looked up at the black outlines of the tree tops in the dark blue sky and noticed the way it was dotted with white specks. Pat dozed off, waking a few hours later, and finished off the rest of the beans.

 Pat spent the next morning looking for food and came up with a pound of blackberries. While looking for food she discovered a river running through the forest. She bottled some of the water, she remembered reading somewhere that running water was safe to drink. She went back to her tent for lunch, put away the berries and water, and went out deeper into the woods for more exploring. When Pat was about a couple of miles in she came to a large empty field and found the foundations of an old cabin and found a tin can and a broken pipe she kept the can and left the pipe it was getting dark so Pat ran back to the tent drank some water and fell asleep outside her tent

chapter 5 - the lake 

 She woke to a spider crawling on her face, Pat squealed and swatted it off. She took a walk back to that field clearing and the foundations of the old cabin and found some rusted scrap metal. She continued deeper into the wood and found a large lake, an old rowboat resting next to an old wood shack that was falling apart on the shore and Pat decided to put it to use. She rowed out in the middle of the lake. For the first time in a while, she felt calm, as if nothing could hurt her. Pat looked into the dark waters of the lake, it reminded her of black ink. When she looked up she saw a dark figure vanish into the tree line. Pat rowed as fast as she could to the shore, nearly overturning her boat and falling in. When she finally got to the shoreline, she sprinted back to her tent, she had walked a long way out so this felt like forever to Pat. When she got to her camp she slid into her tent, grabbed her pocket knife, turned to face the tent flap, and didn't move until morning.

 Late the next morning, after she had built up a fire, her grumbling stomach reminded her that she was out of food. She decided she would go foraging mushrooms and crayfish. A little while later as she was boiling some river water in a tin can she found by the old cabin she decided she would go back and try to explore the lake and field, just then 5 hikers showed up and asked for directions to the nearest road. Pat thought that was odd since the woods she was in were not highly traveled but she gave them the directions and continued with what she was doing.

 A little while later when she was eating lunch she decided she wanted to swim in the lake, so after her lunch, she walked over to the lake, jumped in, and played around on the sandy shore for a while. The sand was so soft it felt like powder. Towards the end of the day, Pat went out into the deep part of the lake and dove under, she looked down and the water was as clear as glass and seemed so calm and peaceful she could see fish swimming around almost looking like they were moving in slow-motion plants swayed slowly with the warm tide and there wasn't a single sound, in this underwater world. Pat closed her eyes as she drifted along with the tide. The water almost held her as she got closer to the middle of the lake, streams of sunlight broke through the surface of the water and showed down through it. "That's weird." Pat thought, last time it was dark and murky maybe it had something to do with the shadow. Then Pat looked down and could see that the lake went a mile down. She had a fear of deep ocean water so that was enough for her! She got out of the lake, dried herself off, and got dressed when she was walking back to the camp the water turned back to black. It started to sprinkle as she was walking back to her camp and by the time Pat reached her camp, it was a total downpour. The rain making small waterfalls on her tent and tiny lakes, oceans, and rivers on the soft ground. She made a sort of shelter for the fire with some cloth, and for the rest of the day Pat sat and the rain pooled on the cloth hanging over the fire every once in a while she would dump it out so it wouldn't put the fire out. At some point during the storm, she fell asleep, she had not slept in 2 days and felt it.

 When she woke up the fire had burnt up the cloth, and the ground was dry. "I must have slept for a bit," She thought. Pat sat and read for a bit but eventually dozed off again. She had a peaceful dream about the lake but it wasn't a lake it was an ocean it was a new experience. as far as she could see. The warm crystal clear aqua blue water at the bottom was an endless watery soft sandy desert as far as she could see and farther out in the extreme distance was ultramarine blue. She felt a rush of excitement and wonder as she realized she was now able to breathe underwater. As she swam deeper, she noticed that the animals and plants that filled the ocean were unlike anything she had ever seen before. Brightly colored fish and coral formations danced in the undulating currents around her. As she explored further away from the shore, the ocean seemed to come to life with an abundance of sea creatures. She saw schools of large fish swimming in unison, dolphins leaping out of the water and pods of whales singing beautiful deep music to each other. It was a surreal experience that left her feeling both terrified and exhilarated all at once. As she swam towards the distant horizon, she was struck by the sheer vastness of the ocean. She felt as if she was only a small part of this expansive world, one that had countless mysteries she had yet to discover. Eventually, the sun began to set and the vibrant hues of the sky painted the entire ocean in an array of oranges and pinks. Pat was in awe at the sheer beauty of it all. She knew she had to return to the surface soon, but she didn't want to leave this magical world behind. At that moment, she realized that she didn't want to wake up from this dream. She wanted to stay in the depths of the ocean forever, surrounded by the hypnotic beauty of the sea that she called home. With one last breath, she floated up to the surface and opened her eyes. Just as everything was fading away into soft darkness Though the dream was over, the memory of it lingered inside her mind. She knew it was one of those dreams she would never forget, and one that she would always hold close.

Chapter 6 - Walks in the Dark 

It was late in the afternoon when she woke up. As Pat sat there, watching the sun slowly disappear behind the trees, she couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over her. The dampness of her surroundings didn't bother her much, as she had grown used to it in the past few days. She focused on getting a small fire back up, gathering just enough wood to keep her warm and cook her food. As the fire started to crackle and the warmth seeped into her skin, Pat noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw a small fox emerging from the bushes nearby. Its fur was damp from the rain, but it didn't seem to mind. Its piercing blue eyes locked onto hers, almost as if it was searching for something in her. Pat couldn't help but feel captivated by the fox's gaze. Its eyes were like deep ocean water, filled with wisdom that belied its small size. She wondered what the fox was thinking as it stared at her, and if it knew something she didn't. As the night grew darker, the fox eventually scampered off into the woods. Pat was left alone again, but not feeling as lonely as she had before. Something about the fox's presence had brought her comfort, as if it was a reminder that there was still life out here in the wilderness. She drifted off to a lazy daydream, grateful for the day's experiences and excited to see what tomorrow would bring. A couple of days later she went exploring but found nothing and returned to camp. It was getting dark by the time she got back and the fire she had left was just a hotbed of coals by now but she fell asleep next to the fire. Pat had begun to sleep outside since the days were getting longer and warmer. One night When she woke it was still dark out she looked at her watch and saw it was only midnight. Pat wasn't tired so she thought she would take a walk with her flashlight, as she was walking along the path she saw all sorts of cool things but if she was looking behind her she would have seen a large black figure. When Pat got to the field it was the prettiest thing she had ever seen; there were fireflies all over the place. She looked up and saw a sky full of stars twinkling against a navy blue sky and a couple of constellations she recognized and some she didn't, Pat laid down in the soft undergrowth and stared up at the sky for a while before getting up and taking a walk over to the lake and shown her flashlight into the water and saw some crayfish minnows and other things. Just then she saw a light not far off in the tree line on the other side of the lake she walked over when she saw it was just a bunch of fireflies Pat was just about to turn around and walk back to her camp when. She tripped on a root and fell down a steep hill and that's when everything went black. Pat woke up to sunlight streaming on her face and a fox sniffing her ear its wet nose tickling her she laughed and got to her feet she had sunburns up and down her legs, but other than that she was unharmed 

She got up slowly, she was rather stiff and sore and while limping up the two-mile hill the fox followed her she had a weird feeling that the fox was watching her this whole time protecting her. Pat thought "I must have fallen for a long time after I was knocked out." She walked past the trees and puddles of water when she got back to where her camp was. All the food was gone, probably taken by animals, so Pat packed up what was left of her camp and started walking back to her house "ok I get the hint" Pat thought. When she got home she packed everything away and cleaned up. When She checked her phone and realized she had been in the woods for over 2 months. 

 Pat was really tired so she went to take a nap in her bed and when she woke up she found out she had slept 17 hours. she can't explain how good it felt to sleep in a real bed! As she walked out on her deck and breathed in the cool morning air she heard a small yep from under the porch. She looked and saw a small red streak. It was that same small fox. She kinda liked the fox so she got an old dog house and bed that her dog outgrew. Spent the next few weeks resting, playing video games, and playing with her dog and the fox ( they got along quite well). Her mom came home a few weeks later and they finally got along and started to bond, so I guess you could call it a happy ending. Over the years Pat rarely went into the woods but when she did she always felt like she was being watched. She eventually moved houses. When she grew up and had kids of her own she would tell them tales of camping in the woods and the kind young fox that had protected her. If you ever get a chance to visit those woods, dear reader, always watch your back. ____________________________________

Non tamen suus super adhuc spectans eius

Noli credere vulpis

 A young man steps out of his car and heaves his bag onto his shoulder, he stops and looks up at the house where his mom grew up now in ruins. Afternoon sunlight makes the shadows long and distorted. He steps into the backyard overgrown with tall grass and he can hear the call of an elk in the far distance… The call of an elk. it is an eerie sound, almost haunting. It's a sound that he hasn't heard in years, and it feels like a reminder that he's no longer in the city but surrounded by nature, where things are raw and wild. A warm fall wind blows past him he looks over at the tall trees their bark black as ash 

 fin