Lost In Shadows

Elliot had been walking for hours. The dense forest swallowed the sun whole, leaving only dappled patches of light filtering through the canopy. He wasn't sure when he had left the trail. Maybe it had been hours ago, or maybe just minutes. Time was hard to measure when panic clawed at your throat.

His backpack weighed heavier with each step, though it was mostly empty now. A bottle of water, half-drunk. A sandwich he’d forgotten to eat when the sun was still visible. His phone, useless, the signal bars mocking him.

“This is fine,” he muttered to himself, though his voice trembled. Talking aloud felt like a tether to reality, a reminder that he wasn’t completely alone. “I’ll just… retrace my steps.”

But as he turned, he realized he didn’t know which direction he had come from. The trees all looked the same—towering giants with gnarled roots that tripped him every few steps. The forest floor was a confusing collage of leaves, moss, and dirt. There were no landmarks, no footprints, no signs of the trail he’d been following that morning.

Elliot's breathing quickened. He tried to control it, but the edges of his vision blurred, and the sound of his heartbeat drowned out the rustling of leaves.

“Focus. Just focus,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.

When he opened them, he saw something odd. A faint glimmer, like sunlight reflecting off metal, in the distance. He hesitated, then moved toward it, his steps uncertain but driven by hope.

As he approached, the glimmer solidified into something tangible—a rusted lantern, hanging from a low branch. It looked ancient, its glass cracked, its handle bent. Elliot stared at it, puzzled. There had been no mention of anything like this on the trail map he’d studied.

He reached out to touch it, and the moment his fingers brushed the cold metal, he felt a strange sensation—like a ripple, as if the forest itself had shivered.

A sound echoed in the distance. A voice?

“Hello?” Elliot called out, his voice hoarse.

No response.

But he was sure he’d heard it. He turned in the direction of the sound and started walking, the lantern now swinging from his hand.

The forest seemed to change as he moved. The trees grew taller, their trunks thicker. The air became cooler, tinged with a damp, earthy smell. The light filtering through the canopy dimmed, casting the surroundings in twilight.

“Is someone there?” he called again, louder this time.

A laugh—soft and fleeting—answered him. It sent a chill down his spine. It wasn’t a friendly sound, but it wasn’t entirely menacing either. It was… playful.

Elliot stopped. He should turn around. Go back. Find the trail. But something pulled him forward. Curiosity? Desperation? He wasn’t sure anymore.

After a while, he came upon a clearing. In the center stood a small cottage, its wooden walls warped with age, its roof sagging under a thick layer of moss. Smoke curled lazily from a crooked chimney.

Relief washed over him. “Finally!” he muttered, breaking into a jog.

As he approached, the door creaked open on its own. Elliot paused on the threshold.

“Hello?”

No answer.

He stepped inside. The air was warm, smelling of herbs and something sweet, like honey. The interior was cluttered but cozy—shelves lined with jars of dried plants, books stacked haphazardly, and a cauldron bubbling gently in the fireplace.

“Hello?” he called again, louder this time.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

She was an old woman, her face lined with wrinkles that told stories of a long, arduous life. Her eyes, however, were sharp and piercing, a vivid green that seemed almost unnatural. She wore a patchwork dress, its colors faded but still vibrant in places.

“You’re lost,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

Elliot nodded, too stunned to speak.

The woman studied him for a moment, then gestured to a chair by the fireplace. “Sit. You look exhausted.”

He hesitated but obeyed. The warmth of the fire was a welcome reprieve from the cold forest air.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ve been trying to find the trail, but… everything looks the same out there.”

The woman nodded, her expression unreadable. “The forest does that. It has a way of keeping those who wander too far.”

Her words sent a shiver through him. “Keeping? You mean… people get stuck out here?”

“Sometimes,” she said, her tone casual, as if discussing the weather. “But you’re lucky. You found me.”

Elliot forced a smile. “Yeah, lucky. Do you know how I can get back to the trail?”

The woman didn’t answer immediately. She moved to a shelf and began rummaging through jars. “The forest is tricky. It doesn’t like to let go once it has you. But there’s a way.”

She turned, holding a small vial filled with a shimmering, golden liquid. “Drink this.”

Elliot stared at the vial. “What is it?”

“A guide,” she said simply.

He hesitated. Everything about this felt off—the forest, the lantern, the cottage, and now this strange woman offering him an unidentified potion. But what choice did he have?

Swallowing his doubts, he took the vial and uncorked it. The liquid smelled faintly of citrus and something metallic.

“Will this… take me back to the trail?” he asked.

“It will show you the way,” she replied, her green eyes glinting in the firelight.

Elliot tipped the vial back and drank.

The effect was immediate. His vision blurred, and the room seemed to spin around him. He gripped the arms of the chair, his heart pounding.

“What’s happening?” he managed to choke out.

The woman’s face swam into focus, her expression calm. “It’s starting.”

Suddenly, the walls of the cottage dissolved, replaced by the forest. But it wasn’t the same forest he had been wandering through. The trees here were impossibly tall, their trunks glowing faintly as if lit from within. The ground sparkled with tiny, bioluminescent fungi, and the air was filled with soft, chiming sounds, like distant bells.

Elliot stood, unsteady on his feet. “Where am I?”

“The heart of the forest,” the woman’s voice said, though she was nowhere to be seen.

He turned in circles, panic rising. “You said this would show me the way back!”

“And it will,” she replied, her voice echoing. “But first, you must face what brought you here.”

“What are you talking about?” he shouted.

The forest around him shifted, the glowing trees bending and twisting. A path appeared, winding through the surreal landscape.

“Follow the path,” the woman’s voice instructed.

Elliot hesitated, but he had no other options. He started down the path, the strange light of the trees guiding his way.

As he walked, he began to hear whispers. At first, they were indistinct, like wind through the leaves. But soon, they became words.

“Why did you leave?” one voice asked.

“You’re always running,” said another.

Elliot’s chest tightened. The voices sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place them.

“Stop it!” he shouted, covering his ears.

The whispers didn’t stop.

“They needed you, and you ran.”

“You failed them.”

“Stop!”

The path suddenly ended at a large, still pond. The water was like a mirror, reflecting the glowing trees and the starless sky above.

Elliot approached cautiously, his reflection growing clearer as he neared the edge. But when he looked into the water, it wasn’t his reflection staring back at him.

It was his sister.

“Emily?” he whispered, his voice breaking.

Her image in the water looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness. “Why did you leave me?”

“I didn’t!” he said, tears welling up. “I didn’t leave you! It wasn’t my fault!”

“You promised you’d always protect me,” her reflection said. “But you weren’t there when I needed you.”

Elliot dropped to his knees, the weight of her words crushing him. “I tried, Emily. I tried to save you. I—”

His voice faltered, memories flooding back. The accident. The hospital. The guilt he had carried every day since she died.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his tears falling into the water. “I’m so sorry.”

The reflection of Emily smiled, a bittersweet expression. “It’s time to forgive yourself, Elliot. You can’t keep running forever.”

The water rippled, and her image dissolved.

Elliot sat there for a long time, the weight in his chest slowly lifting. When he finally stood, the path had returned, leading away from the pond.

This time, he followed it with purpose.

The glowing trees began to fade, replaced by the familiar sight of the forest he had been lost in. The air grew warmer, the sounds of birdsong replacing the eerie chimes.

And then, just ahead, he saw the trail.

Relief and exhaustion washed over him as he stepped onto it.

He turned back toward the forest, half-expecting to see the glowing trees or the old woman’s cottage. But there was nothing—just trees and shadows.

Elliot took a deep breath and started walking. This time, he knew where he was going.

And for the first time in years, he didn’t feel lost.