Implosion

The night was pure black save for the thin waxing moon offering a hint of light along the path. Snapping twigs and crunching leaves broke the painful silence as Ezra made her way forward through the maze of thick tree trunks. She paused and looked around. ‘Where was I going?’ Scoffing the question away, she continued. A chilly breeze blew across her face and seemed to run the length of her spine. She gathered her cloak closer, feeling the thick fur wrap snuggly around her neck.

‘Where am I?’ A common question of late; her mind kept forgetting her whereabouts. She brushed it aside, per usual, as the inevitable answer always presented itself eventually though taking longer and longer with each passing day.

‘Take a breath. Calm yourself. Look around and figure out what’s happening.’ She had always been pragmatic, even as a young girl, living in the small village. She often thought of those times, envying her youth. But not for the reasons one might think. She had been a social child, making friends easily without effort. Frequently garnering admiration of the other girls at her fearlessness against insects or serpents the younger boys would use in their pranks. She had always been a popular girl but thought nothing of it, nor did she make efforts to preserve her standing.

Examining her surroundings, she made a checklist, much like a detective. ‘Darkness, the moon, thick bare trees, chilly breeze, a faint sound far away. Perhaps an animal? But where am I going? What am I doing here?’ Smelling the air slowly, she was reminded of a familiar scent. It was coming from the East. Ha! She had figured it out. Turning, she marched forward triumphantly.

‘When did I lose my confidence?’ she pondered. There hadn’t been any clear markers in her life that would indicate a clear answer. It had seemed to fade away with time. Bit by bit, as society turned its eye, she had grown more isolated, oblivious to its happening. Smaller moments in time gathered up like flakes of snow forming a pile, growing into a mountain. It had started simply enough. Her food smelling strange and causing the girls to move away from her table or insist they had eaten earlier. The annual practice of dressing up in black robes and painting their faces green. Watching movies where innocent children were made into pies. Studying the past of people testing theories by lighting others alive. Bit by bit, she had learned her place and had relented her position in the hierarchy, moving to the background, isolated in the shadows. Her world had shrunk ever so delicately with time. Weekends used to fly by in a blink but now stretched out seemingly engulfing the rest of the week and she found herself looking forward to upcoming weekdays, if only for the interactions with others.

The distant sound, traveling along the breeze grew louder, more clear as she approached the far off orangey light. It was not an animal. Its smell grew stronger as Ezra came closer.

‘How did I get here? Was I alone?’ The question nagged at her. Normally, she was assured that her comings and goings were solitary, but tonight felt differently. She had not been alone, something was happening this evening. Something she should remember.

Weaving past the trees, she recognized the flickering orange light as coming from a fire. The crackles and faint smell of burning hinted at a gathering of some kind. She would not light a fire if she had come alone into the forest, hungry and seeking nourishment. But who was gathering? Did they expect her? Were they waiting?

As she crept closer, scanning the upcoming clearing, she could not find any figures amongst the trees. The fire burned steady and full. The moaning noise, now clear, had come from beside the fire. She peered out from behind a thick trunk and saw a thick wire cage housing a young girl, no more than twelve. The girl looked terrified, her wrists bound and sweat dampening her hair and face, causing it to shine in the firelight. She knelt down, head bowed, tears gliding down her cheeks onto her knees.

           Ezra stepped into the clearing, silently approaching the cage. The girl sniffled and continued her soft moaning, oblivious to her observer. Ezra lifted her nose and inhaled slowly, letting her head tilt back and eyes gently close as her nostrils filled with the sweet scent.

           The girl gazed upwards and immediately began panting.

“Please, please help me. You have to help me get out of here. Please, please.”

Ezra approached the cage which was now rattling as the girl inside tried to move to her feet. Raising her hands up to the cage bars, and shaking them wildly, she pleaded with Ezra.

“They’ll be coming back soon. You have to let me out. Open the cage. You have to let me out. Please, let me out.”

A flicker of recognition crossed over Ezra’s face, and suddenly, it was all clear. Tonight was an important event indeed. The ceremony would be commencing soon, she realized, noting the height of the moon. A wave of calm overcame her, as her memory returned.

The girl in the cage began breathing rapidly, frantically looking this way and that, as dark figures approached from out of the thick forest. She began to hurriedly moan, and shake her head ‘no’, as her eyes grew wider. Ezra inhaled deeply, the juicy droplets of sweat glided down the girl’s face, causing Ezra’s stomach to awaken. The girl would make an excellent meal as her blood pumped rapidly throughout her mouth-watering organs.

The figures emerged one by one, eyes glued to the trapped animal, flickers of delightful anticipation crossing their faces. The girl’s moans became piercing yelps while her breathing became shorter and more rapid. This pleased the group further as they began noting each other. Silent nods and raised eyebrows of acknowledgement hopped around the circle. Moving together as one, they silently stepped closer and closer, the opening in the forest containing the fire and cage imploding into thick blackness.