An Eerie, Calm Quiet

A heavy mist settled upon the faerie houses. Dense moss became laden with dewdrops, slippery to walk on. I continued on my way through the wood, cautious of the many creatures all around me. This was there home, and I was merely a traveller passing by. 

It was very tempting to stop and look into the houses. Sweet treats sat on the front steps of each little house, hoping to draw someone in. The glances I could get proved a common children’s story, there were little flowers scatter upon their roofs and smooth stones leading up to their doorsteps. 

“Hello, who are you”

I turned around, but there was not a soul in sight.

I had to continue to remind myself to continue onward, faerie woods are no place for a human. They loved to play tricks and lure us to stay. Another voice was soft in my ear, just as the first had been. Bells rang softly in the distance, there were many near. 

As I edged my way further and further into the dense wood, I realised that I could see very little in front of me and nearly nothing behind me. But I pressed on. I had to keep following the path. Never come off the path, once you step off you are as good as theirs. 

I unconsciously picked up the pace of my steps. The woods were becoming a blur as I began to feel dizzy, prompting me to turn my quick walk into a run. I was gasping for breath time and time again when suddenly everything went still. I was stopped, hitting something that felt like a brick wall. 

I could breathe. Air-filled my lungs as I gasped from my lack of breath. My head glanced everywhere, my senses overwhelmed and madness descending upon me. Fear began to set in, I did not know where on the path I was. I had been doing as I was told but I had not travelled fast enough perhaps? Collecting myself I righted my posture and continued onward, now glancing behind myself every so often and consciously wary of my surroundings. The trees seemed to move and I felt eyes following me. 

It is nothing, you are alone. They may be here but you are alone and you are nearly through. But you can not stop, you must keep going, keep going you can do this.

I kept repeating those words over and over in my mind as I pressed onward. 

A short while later I noticed the fog beginning to clear and the path seemed to be opening up. The stones that made up the path grew gradually smoother and lay more flat. Never had I felt such relief in my life, but it was short-lived. 

No sooner had a smile made its way onto my face when I felt a pair of hands grab my waist. I let out a shriek, kicking and fighting as I was pulled back away from safety. I struggled and struggled to no avail. Trying to turn my head to see what had me, I was dropped suddenly and whatever had dragged me disappear with a rustle of leaves. 

I was frantic now. Something I had gotten me, I had to leave. I should have known, I should not have taken this path. It may have been shorter, but it was not shorter. 

Getting up quickly I turned to face where I had come from, it was dark and was almost entirely blocked from view by a heavy mist, but the way ahead seemed almost to be a trap, luring you near and then a creature would pull you away from the safety of the light.

I had to go. Shaking my head I ran toward the brighter end of the path, illusion or not it was the way forward. As I approached the clearer area, the air seemed to lighten and I could finally breathe better and more deeply. Just as I was about to ease and drop my guard, a rustling sound came from the trees to my left. Before I could stop myself, I had edged closer to the side of the path. Peering into the dense line of trees, I hesitated. The rustling continued, with the sound of bells quietly ringing in the distance. I moved toward the sound. As I took a singular step off the path, a shock of frigid cold air shot up my spine. 

Panic and fear overtook me. What had I done? The world dimmed around me. The mist had become a dense fog and the trees seemed to double in size. An unsettling feeling washed over me, eyes following me from everywhere. The tinkling bells seemed to grow nearer, but my ears began to ring and hear heavy footsteps. My breaths became laboured as I felt the world begin to close around me. 

I had to get out. But I did not know where “out” was. All sense of direction had been lost, these woods were different, almost sinister. The faerie wood had changed around me. No longer was I protected by the path, I was in their world, and I was trapped. 

The world seemed to spin around me, my eyes unable to focus. My arms, my body was heavy. I was tired, but not sleepy. It was almost as if energy had been taken from my body, draining me of life. I looked up at the sky. 

When had it become night? 

I stared at the stars, they shone blue and bright. As I fell backwards onto the damp soil, I reached my hand upwards toward the only twinkling light I could see. I could not move. I could barely breathe. I opened my mouth to try and let out one final cry for help, or salvation, or anything, but nothing came out. My eyes began to close. They were heavy and I was paralyzed, unable to move as the world began to set itself around me. As they fluttered shut I could just make out a figure, and it moved with the same sense of the world I now felt, an eerie, calm quiet.