A Strange Day

Look in the box, you have to do it eventually, it’s weighing you down hun…closure is so important.

All of this I heard every day from my mom, until she finally gave up getting me to open this box up. As well she should have. I don’t need to look in the box and see the fragments of the past from a sorry useless brother who never cared about our family. He left us as soon as he could and I don’t need that reminder. So I shoved the box in the farthest corner of my closet and that was that. And I’m sure she never looked either, she’s not that snoopy kind of mom. She is all go with the flow and ‘if you do it..do it here safely’, honestly I sometimes forget I’m not her mother.

Another day another disappointment. Okay..that’s a bit melodramatic, but seriously I’m tired of everyone giving the look full of pity! I’m fine we are fine and it will all be fine! My brother left in the middle of the night at sixteen, he didn’t have friends so now when he dies on a camping trip suddenly everyone knows about it and feels bad for us? It really just makes me want to dip out of school and head back home, but I really don’t want another lecture from mom. I can’t handle another lecture from mom. It’s been four months since we got the news, closed casket for the funeral. Apparently whatever ate him up made it messy. Whatever. I don’t care. The second I get a glance at the school though, I suddenly can’t. I can’t go in that building where the teachers whisper and give me more time for my homework that I’ll never do. So here’s the moment. Definitely not going home where mom is wallowing in missed moments and memories. I just let my feet guide me and of course I end up in the woods out behind the school. They feel as if they go on for eternity almost like a path to another world. My brother and I loved to spend time here together, before he became an ass. Someone who came home at all hours of the night bumped and bruised, scratches all over and wearing different clothes. Who knows? I figured he was in a sketchy town fight club. I will at least give myself a moment to remember the games we played in these woods.

As I look around and breathe in the much needed fresh air I remember my brother. How he always could navigate the woods silently but so skilled. These trees always felt like warmth and like home, they weren’t scary mean woods like in horror stories, with gnarled roots and talon like branches. No these were soft and flowed with the wind. Always felt a bit warmer than the rest of the world outside. They feel old. I should have come back sooner.

As I enjoy the woods I wander deeper. I know where I am. There’s no worry of getting lost here for some reason. I’m welcome here. I finally find a wonderful spot to lounge it’s a tree the has a perfect L shape that is wide enough to be comfortable and there’s a hollow just above where I’ll sit to have a nice spot to put my phone so nothing can bother me or call me home early. I just set my backpack on the ground to help me have a small step up enough for me to swing myself on the limb. When I get settled I reach up to place my phone in the hollow and it has a perfect almost shelf like spot so I place it carefully on the wood and bask in the sun like a cat. I really can’t tell you how long I napped and thought for. But it was long enough that when I cracked open my eyes and wiped out the grit it was dusk. Whoops. I guess that means I needed it. As I stretch my stiff limbs I take stock of the woods and for the first time ever I feel nervous. It’s like the woods want me out. Being that this is the first time my woods have ever felt like they were urging me to go I don’t hesitate. I hop up and reach for my phone. Weirdly enough now there is a small black notebook. It is well worn and has definitely seen better days, but it wasn’t there when I put my phone there. I take a second to think and maybe it was and I didn’t notice? I don’t know. I really don’t but I don’t have much time to figure it out because suddenly when the feeling of ‘Get Out Now’ is at its height from the woods around me I hear the most bone chilling sound. It was this low rumble leading to a powerful growl off in the distance followed by the whine of an animal it must have just cornered. Whatever ‘it’ is. The growl was a bit far away, but I wish it was father. I can’t move right now. I can’t but the trees keep pushing me to get in gear and RUN! So I listen to them. I hold on to my phone and that strange book as I hop down as quietly as possible the sounds of a cornered animal ended with a loud whimper. There goes my distraction. But I don’t hear any feeding sounds like on the tv shows. Why did it attack then? I just hear big huge lumbering footsteps as this animal walks through the brush. Not even trying to be quiet. I landed fairly silently and slid on my backpack as quietly as I possibly could. But not silent enough. The lumbering form was nothing but silence now and I can hear that he is sniffing the air now. That sounds like a big nose. I keep low next to the large tree roots, it almost feels like the roots bigger and higher than earlier when I first arrived making a perfect hiding spot, when I’m settled as hidden as possible I pan across the woods. The light is fairly low now but the small bit of sunlight still has the horizon visible through the trees and I can’t tell you what I’m looking at. It’s the size of a giant bear, but it looks deformed and I can’t explain what I’m seeing. I have a feeling it’s something I’m not supposed to be seeing. I just stay low and as hidden as I possibly can while this giant looks for me and suddenly there is a crashing noise farther out and that distracts the giant long enough to let me listen to the the trees and they are yelling at me to go now! This is my chance! Go!

Don’t tell me twice! I’m running as fast and quietly as I can. I made it a good few yards away before the lumbering form shifts, I’m not making too much noise still and it seems like any branch that could possibly trip me up isn’t there anymore. It’s strange but the creature now knows I’m running. Im silent, but not silent enough and I just run full out now! I have to go as fast as I can because I hear a roar that makes my bones shake. I have to shake out the tears that have gathered in my eyes, I’m absolutely terrified but I have to run I just have to keep running. I don’t dare look behind me I feel him running and crashing through the brush and I hear a lot of branches crunching behind me I can’t breathe full breaths but I don’t dare stop now I hear the growling and crunching getting closer and closer and I just push harder. I feel like the forest is keeping it at a distance as much as it can but I don’t know how much longer my legs will carry me forward! But there it is! Finally the edge of the woods! Something in me tells me that I just have to reach the edge of the woods and I’ll be okay. Just get there. So I push myself with everything that I have to get there and finally I break into the clearing and of course that’s when I trip on a small rock that sat outside the woods and I tumble forward. I roll up and look at the woods but see nothing but a shadow now that it’s dark out. I hear a massive roar that rattles my teeth and makes me weak at the knees but I keep my eyes ahead and lift my chin. If this is it. This is it. But somehow the massive shadow just lumbers back and forth at the tree line as it whines in an angry way. Missing out on prey. I never turn my back to this creature as I back up towards the sidewalk. When I stumble on the concrete I finally turn around and for the second time I run for my life. This time I feel more lonely that when I was in the woods. I just need to get home.

I finally arrive home and I rush up to my room and pace back and forth. I look down and take stock I have some bumps and scrapes. My ankle is scraped up pretty well but that’s all. I look in my hand again and see the small black notebook it really is odd, but this whole day has been odd. So I just sit on my stool at the base of my bed and open the book. On the front page there is a small piece of folded parchment. Not paper, a thick parchment style sheet with my name on the outside. I close it back immediately and toss it on my bed. I can’t deal with this. This is all too much a creature that was definitely not a bear, a notebook just showing up magically under my phone while I napped now it has my name? I just keep pacing then finally look back over at the notebook and roll my eyes. Fine. Let’s jump feet into crazy. I pull the folded parchment out and look at the front ‘Leila’. Yep, that’s me. Okay. Just open it.

‘Leila, it took you long enough, but as usual you’re perfectly on time. Go ahead and stop being stubborn for once. Open the box.

Love you sis, Gray’

How did this note get to me?

Whatever. If it was a normal day I wouldn’t. But after this I guess I need to.

I turn towards the closet and open the doors. It’s time I guess. So I reach down in the far corner and bring out this old leather box. When I lift the lid I see less than I thought I would. A small dagger in a holster, another couple notebooks just as worn as the others another note and some leather clothes under it all. I shake off the weirdness and reach for this note.

‘Hey sis,

I know there has been a lot of weird going on today roll with it. It’s going to become even weirder so shake it off. Call this number listed below, the clothes are for you. You’ll know when to use them. And don’t you dare use them before you’re ready. Trust yourself and your feelings. Underneath everything is a debit card. There is plenty for you. $20,000 to be precise. Close your mouth it’s for your journey, tell nobody and get to this address listed below. You have a long path ahead and you have to move fast.

Love you sis. See you soon.

Gray’

I drop the note and look back at the box. I knew I didn’t want to look in the box.