Killer Sloths

Maranda sat at her computer, blank screen. The black cursor blinking with every impatient pulse. She had to put something on this document, but what? Her boss gave her so many prompts – cursed dragons, killer sloths, enlightened geese – but she can’t seem to pick one. One was a serious adventure tale, one was a hilarious short story, and one was just a fun little story to write for some kids. But which one should she choose?!

           “Ok” she murmured to herself. “Just start typing. You’ll find whatever one you want…”

           The geese honked to the sky, flapping their wings and splashing. They were happy

           “Nope” she said and slammed the laptop shut. She had to make a decision quick. The deadline was in three hours and it would determine if she got promoted in the book company or not. Her company writes all kinds of books, such as scientific fiction or just normal fiction to fantasy drama or adventure.

           She walked out onto her front porch, the smell of fresh rain on her lawn welcoming her into the misty daylight. Maybe a walk could loosen the thoughts in her head. She slipped on some running shoes and stepped onto the walkway.

           “I’m just not sure if I want things to change…” she said quietly to herself. “Maybe I’m just taking too long because I’m stalling…on the one hand, I’ll have a lot more money to spend on personal things than I do now, but on the other, I’ll lose more personal time with Eric…”

           Maranda looked around as she walked, paying attention to every detail of the forest. The water dripped off of the trees onto her head and back, giving her a jolt of chills down her back every time one hit. Maybe she would go with the story about the cursed dragons. She could write a part where the team goes through a lovely forest like this before facing the hideous creatures.

           She looked to her right, looking at a pond in a small clearing. In it, she saw the geese that normally splashed around in it. Maybe she should write her story about the geese. She had wonderful references here – they always seemed happy when she walked by.

           She stopped. She had thought of two out of the three prompts because of the forest, but…what about the sloths? She looked around. The trees started to feel closer, too close for her. She started her way back home. They began to slowly loom farther down as she trekked along the path. Sweat dripped down her nose. Her eyes darted from tree to tree and branch to branch, scanning and wondering if anything was really there in the dark and dense foliage. She kept walking, kept speeding up until she was in a light jog. The trees rustled in the wind, or was it even wind? Maybe it was the sloths, pulling themselves all together at once to swallow her up and slowly digest her like they do to the leaves they eat.

           She ran faster now, tripping over most branches and roots that were strewn about the pathway. She didn’t care, she didn’t look down, she looked up, and that’s all that mattered, looking up was all that mattered in this moment. The trees were closer, to close, way too close to be natural. They were never this close, right? She tripped again, heard a rustle and took off once more. Her legs were muddy, she’s pretty sure she lost a shoe, and her socks were soaked. She began to chafe, her legs screaming for her to stop running and stop causing so much friction but she kept running from the sloths. She kept running and running, still falling and tripping. She stopped and realized something. She was lost.

           She began to spin, looking every way she possibly could for a way out, a way out of this circle in the trees, any definite path but she lost it. Now all she could see were tree trunks and leaves and the darkening sky above her. She began to hyperventilate. Had she just not worried so much about one thing and simply gave herself enough time, she wouldn’t be out in the woods at dusk, freaking out about killer sloths even though she lives in Canada, were sloths definitely do not live.

           She stopped.

           She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand and began to laugh.

           “Sloths…have I been running from sloths? They don’t even live here…” she sighed. Another rustle in the leaves and she whipped her head up. Even though the sloths weren’t here she still worried about herself, she still worried about the sloths. Such a silly thing to worry about, yet, still very real to her.        

           She began to head home, watching the trails and keeping a close eye on the horizon. Eventually, she came into a clearing beside her house. Finally she was home. And just in time for dinner!

           “Thank you,” she said to her husband as he handed her the bowel of rice.

           “No problem” he said with a smile. “Have you decided on a prompt yet?”

           “Maybe…I’m still not entirely sure if I even want this promotion. It’s like the world will be so much…heavier, y’know?”

           Eric smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know, Hun, but just think. Once we have the money to move to a better house in a better location, you’ll have so many more opportunities that will give you enough personal time and work time.”

           “I…Maybe your right. This is for both of us…”

           “Honey, this is mostly for you”

           The girls ran and ran, gaining distance from the small creatures. Their thoughts screaming at them, asking “How are they this fast?! How are we slower than sloths?!”

           One of the girls lost their shoe and fell face first into the mud. She screamed at the others to wait, but no one did. She pulled herself up and tried to keep running but all she did was get herself lost and stuck in the vines. She screamed and screamed for her friends or anyone to help but no one was able to hear her.

           Something brushed by her leg. She fell silent.

           She felt three little toes grab onto her pant leg and start to pull.

           Her arms were stuck at her sides like a hug. Sweat poured off of her in buckets full.

           The small creature hoisted itself farther up her body until it was right in front of her face. Slowly but surely.

           She looked right into its eyes, into the black eyes of a soulless creature.

           It opened its mouth and screamed.

           She screamed and screamed and screamed, yet no one heard her. No one came to the rescue. And soon her lungs would give in, and she would faint, and it would all be over.

           She screamed and screamed, yet no one came to save her.

           “Aaand done!” Maranda exclaimed happily. She saved the file and sent it immediately to her boss with three hours to spare. It took her almost all of her time to write the story, using up seventeen pages on Microspare Words. Her husband kissed her cheek and embraced her.

           “Good, now let’s please get some sleep. I’m beat.”

           “Ok, ok” she said laughing. “You head in already, I need to shut down.”

           “Ok” he smiled. “Just hurry in.”

           She nodded and smiled as the door closed behind her. She hit the power button on her 12 year old desktop and stood up, stretching. She got a drink of water and began to head to bed, but not without looking out into the night and thinking she seen something move in the trees. She just smiled and shrugged it off. This is Canada, not South America. There are no sloths here.