Shenanigans in the Woods

It is mid-fall, and a brisk, cool breeze blows through the trees in the forest where sixteen-year-old Gemma is walking to find a spot to sit. Shivering, she looks around amongst the trees, and a path is parted where she sees a couple trees bending with the wind blowing them. “Perfect!” Gemma says to herself, and sets off to that exact spot underneath a tree with a stump next to it where she can unpack her backpack and set up for the ritual that her and her friend are supposed to do. ‘Where is she?’ Gemma thinks to herself uninspired to even begin the ritual. She knows that she is only doing this for her friend, but knowing that Avery lost her mother, she will never leave her side in a moment of need. As she unpacks her backpack, a noise that sounds like a growl startles her. She pauses and looks around wondering where the noise is coming from. It stops. The chilling wind picks up a little harder and cooler, so Gemma pulls up her hood over her soft, dark brown hair and then continues to unpacking the last few things from her backpack. The last thing she pulls out from her backpack is an old book titled ‘The Book of Rituals and Spells’ that she had kept from an old house that her and her friend, Avery, snuck into that they were not supposed to be in. While she is intrigued into the book, another growl that is even louder than the first growl startles her along with a loud thud that sounded like a huge limb had fallen from the tree right behind her. Knowing that the noises just keep getting closer and closer to her, she suddenly feels scared. “I don’t think so! Avery is on her own out here.” Gemma says to herself as she quickly begins to pack her things back up in her backpack. She is suddenly startled when her friend, Avery, sneaks up behind her to tug at her hoodie and causing her to drop her backpack onto the ground. Avery begins laughing at Gemma fumbling to the ground in horror. “Are you insane?” Gemma asks, raising her voice in hostility. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” She crouches to the ground picking up her things that had spilled out of her bag. “I can’t believe you were going to leave me here by myself.” Avery says, ignoring the fact that scared Gemma is irritated at her. “You should have seen the look on your face. You were completely freaked.” “I don’t think we should do this, Avery.” Gemma says to her as she picks up her backpack noticing that it is starting to get dark. “Oh, my God, you are freaked out.” Avery teases Gemma. “This is no joke,” Gemma says, afraid to admit that she is scared. “I was reading the book and it said that you can conjure up something evil even without trying. I know you want to bring your mother back, but I honestly don’t think this is something we should be messing with, scared or not.” At that moment, Gemma realizes from the look on Avery’s face that she wished that she hadn’t brought up Avery’s mother, who had recently passed away. “Avery, I am…….” Gemma begins to say. “Don’t!” Avery interrupts her. “I ask for help for one thing, and I can’t even count on my own best friend. Just leave everything with me, and I will do it myself. Just go.” “I really don’t think that’s very safe, Avery.” Gemma tries to coax her friend. “I’ll help you if you still want to go through with this. I just wanted to warn you of what could possibly happen, and I am not going to leave you out here alone. I am so sorry, Ave.” “It’s okay,” Avery says as she brushes away tears. “I will be fine. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s do this.” Gemma hesitates a bit, but she knows that she has made a promise to not leave her friend alone in the woods. Darkness starts to settle and the wind picks up even harder leaving the girls shivering as they set their things up to perform a ritual. “Did you bring the picture?” Gemma asks, having a hard time lighting the candles. Avery moves to Gemma’s left side blocking the wind, and retrieves a picture of her and her mother and an envelope from the pocket of her black and purple hoodie. “Oh, yes,” Avery responds as she hands the picture and an enclosed envelope to Gemma. “And I also brought a braided lock of her hair for the book.” “Great!” Gemma replies, just as she gets the candles lit. “I believe we are ready. Are you sure about this?” Just as they are prepared for their ritual, dark clouds blow over covering the skies as it gets darker and darker. “Of course,” Avery answers. “And we need to make this quick before it rains.” Light rain starts trickling down on the girls, and Gemma begins reciting the words from the book. “As we are gathered here on the outskirts of Lakeside, Colorado, Avery Shacklen and I, Gemma Rossey, bring Dana Shacklen to you in spirit.” Gemma begins to recite. Thunder begins to rumble in the distance as well as the crackling of the twigs and rustling of the leaves like someone is walking through the forest. “Gemma, did you hear that?” Avery asks, startled. “Shhhh…….” Gemma sounds off to quiet the moment, and lays the lock of Avery’s mother’s hair across the book. “As we laid Dana down to rest, we will always remember the mother she used to be. So beautiful with her flowing blonde locks of hair, very professional at her job as a stylist, a loving, caring mother to Avery and her siblings, a devoted wife to her husband, and a very loyal friend. She is gone, but never forgotten.” A cracking sound appears when lightning strikes in the distance, which startles Avery and Gemma. They both stop and look into the distance to see a dark figure coming in the distance about a mile or more ahead of them. “Gemma,” Avery whispers, “we need to hurry. Someone is coming.” They both turn back around to the tree stump and one of the candles go out immediately. “Those words ‘gone, but not forgotten’ means nothing to Avery.” Gemma goes back to her speech with fear in her voice. “More than anything, she wants her back. We both wish for her back. As we stand here tonight, we perform this ritual to bring Dana, Avery’s mother, back from the dead.” Stumped on what comes next, Gemma refers to the book for the next speech that her and Avery both have to recite at the same time. A light begins to shine through the forest that Avery casts a view of, and shockingly nudges Gemma. “What?” Gemma irritatingly asks. Avery is too scared to even say one word, and points toward where the walking figure is that is shining a flashlight like they are looking for something or someone that seems to be getting closer to them. “We are almost done, Avery, let’s finish this and we can go.” Gemma says quietly to Avery, and retains back to the ritual. “You will have to say this last part with me.” Avery looks down at the book memorizing the words to recite with Gemma, and stands straight back up. “Let’s close our eyes and the God of all Gods will be lifted as we speak.” Gemma begins to say, and then Avery begins to speak with her. “We rest our hands upon this woman who we need with us today. Take her hand, heart, and soul……….” A sudden crash abruptly interrupts them and the flames go out in the rest of the candles. One of the flameless candles tip over and wax drips onto the book and the locks of braided hair burns right into the book. Smoke begins to fill the air forming into a figure that Gemma and Avery are very shocked to see and look at each other in disbelief. “I am now officially scared,” Avery says, still in disbelief. They stopped seeing the dark, shadowy figure moments ago and realize that it is safe to be heading home. “We should go.” As they are walking through the woods, they realize that they are pretty far from home and still have quite a walk before they are completely out of there. As the wind calms, sounds of screeches and squeals echo throughout the woods. Gemma stops right in her tracks. “What’s wrong?” Avery asks, concerned for her friend. “I left the book,” Gemma answers, realizing the she had made a mistake when she went to gather her things after the shocking horror that her and Avery had been through. “Forget the book, Gem,” Avery says, rolling her eyes in disbelief. “We are not going back.” “We have to, I am not leaving it,” Gemma demands, knowing that she will never find another book like it. She begins to head back with Avery running to catch up with her friend who walked off very fast, and suddenly, an object comes flying out of the air stopping the girls in their tracks. They both scream, and fall to the ground nearly getting hit by the flying object. It was the Book of Rituals and Spells, the book Gemma had left behind. For no reason why, Avery begins hysterically laughing. “What’s so funny?” Gemma asks, very intimidated by the thought of Avery laughing.”. “You seriously have a sick sense of humor since your mother passed away.” At that moment, the dark shadow with a flashlight appears right in front of them, and the girls were struck with fear like a deer stuck in headlights. Nobody but them knew they were coming into the woods at night. So, they had no clue who it could be that may be out looking for them. They clutch to each other as the dark figure in front of them reveals himself by removing his mask. “Blake Warner!” Gemma yells out realizing that it is her and Avery’s fellow classmate. “What are you doing out here? How did you…...?” As she begins to ask Blake how he knew her and Avery were planning on coming to the woods, she looks over at Avery who happens to be quiet all of a sudden standing there with her lips pursed and staring at the ground kicking at the leaves and twigs. Gemma finally realizes that Avery had told Blake they were going to be in the woods that night. “You told Blake, didn’t you?” Gemma faces up to Avery very sternly. Avery doesn’t say a word. “Avery! I am talking to you.” “Okay,” Avery begins to confess. “I told him, but come on. I know it was scary, but you did not find it at least a little amusing?” “We could have gotten killed out here,” Gemma enunciates the word ‘killed’ just as she punches Blake into the shoulder. Gemma forgets that her sharp rings that she wears on her fingers tend to hurt him when she sees Blake rub his shoulder. “Serves you right. You scared us to death.” A fluttering sound and the hoot of an owl surpass over the woods. “I can admit to a lot of things I have done to scare you both, but that was not me.” Blake frighteningly says. “Let’s get out of here, and I will take you guys home.” As Gemma, Avery, and Blake walk out of the woods, they can’t help but to still be creeped out by the horrific sounds that gather around them. All of them have been told not to be messing around in the woods, but they seemed to grow more and more curious to take their ‘shenanigans’ over there. At least that’s what Gemma’s grandfather would say. Hopefully they will know better next time after the scares that they’ve received. Or will they not?