Fearsome Trek

The trek to Grandmother's residence was an arduous one that could only be made on foot. No highway routes or interstates led to her home. The natives considered it bad luck to build routes in such a location. They prayed that humanity would not disturb the rare fauna that existed in this place. A few years ago, a dirt road occasionally adorned with gravel was deemed acceptable and unobtrusive to these creatures though it wasn't without its misgivings. The road was for foot travelers, bikes, and wagons without motors. It was as if the road was created for a different century.

Maggie's parents forbade her to visit prior to reaching full maturity. Many holiday weeks were spent traveling to the last wintery wonderland parking area before the treacherous road leading to Grandmother's house. It was there they all sat and waited for Grandmother's arrival. Her family never went any further. They warned her that Grandmother lived in a vile place with many evils, but she, herself, was not an evil woman. Something traumatic happened to Maggie's mother there once a long time ago, and the woman was so greatly upset that she could never move beyond the parking lot.

Maggie recalled her mother shaking with fear once when Grandmother was only ten minutes late. Her father held her mother and stroked her hair lovingly while offering her the inhaler she was prescribed for asthma. The inhaler occasionally helped with the panic attacks her mother suffered from. He placed a small container of lavender balm under her nose afterward before rubbing the balm on her upper chest, neck, and under her chin. Mother and Father always insisted on bringing aromatherapy items on these trips. After deep breathing treatments, Maggie's mother managed a bit better. Still, every time she saw Maggie's grandmother emerge from the woods safely, she wept profusely and rambled on while clinging to her and praising the Heavens. It was a strange act Maggie did not understand, but attributed to her mother's mental health condition.

Maggie's grandmother promised her mother everything would be okay this time. Maggie knew night fell quicker here, and to be wary of the trepidations this place had in store. Maggie pulled off the road into the familiar parking area before her grandmother's cottage. She sat in her warm vehicle for several minutes while going over the letter her grandmother had sent her when she told her she wanted to visit.

Grandmother stated one thing very clearly; any scent of fear could linger and attract unwanted visitors. Grandma made her life here and it was her heritage that ran through Maggie's veins. Maggie's heart pumped warmly and her fears calmed as she recalled the rituals grandma had taught her long ago about honoring the creatures in this place. At the end of the letter, Grandmother assured Maggie if she followed her directions everything would be fine.

Believing her, Maggie took her first steps out of her vehicle toward the passageway before her. It was good to honor and respect nature, whether the creatures had been created naturally or otherwise. Maggie bowed her head, and pulled aromatic oils and sage from her satchel. She attached the dried sage to her backpack and peered at the lavender and sage "protective" ankle bracelet her mother made her.

The woodland spread out in front of Maggie in a majestic and devious way that filled her with excitement as she stepped onto the flurried road. When the wind blew, snow caked to Maggie's face like wet flour. Birds chirped, squirrels danced in the evergreens, and sunlight warmed her skin despite the snow. Maggie wondered why her mother was so fearful of this place.

She thought she was making great time when she suddenly tripped on a branch. For a moment, she thought she felt something strange under her feet. She looked at the spot she fell and thought she saw a crimson hue under the slush and ice. Surely she was imagining things. She continued walking until she came to a bizarre spot in the road. It looked like a bear had fallen and clawed its way out, but the shape didn't quite match the shape of a bear. Through the slush and ice, she once more saw the reddish hue; scarlet, definitely scarlet. Her eyes were not deceived. She brushed away the slush, ice, and rock above it and heaved.

Thick white fog formed around her sightline, but below this vapor lay something more terrifying. She couldn't un-see what she had unearthed. Blood. Tiny bloody handprints. Many were smaller than a human infant's, but a few were large enough. Her stomach wretched as an awful stench clouded her mind and nose. What creatures did these handprints belong to? They looked like human hands only some were as small as a newt's appendages. What more horrors did this forest contain that her mother and grandmother knew yet she never comprehended?

Dusk was closing in, and per her grandmother's advice, Maggie lit the incense tied to her satchel. She was thankful she packed hand warmers and wore proper attire as the chill grew fiercer. At times, Maggie swore she saw shadowy figures dancing in the trees. She tried to avoid their glances and continued on the path. One thing the locals insisted during the path's creation was that it disturb the least amount of wildlife, so staying on the path somewhat assured a traveler's safety. Maggie was beginning to think that "somewhat" was a loose term after what she had just seen. She tried to hold her fear at bay and took some deep breaths.

Darkness settled in quicker than expected. How long did she spend vomiting on the pathway? Her heart beat rapidly and she recalled her grandmother's warning about fear. She heard gurgling and growling noises in the forest. Instead of shadowy figures, she was now seeing ghoulish pale figures; some lean and long, some squatter and short. The "whatever-they-weres" had sharp, pointed features she could clearly make out in the darkness, and they surrounded her at all angles. Could these have been the creatures that created layers of congealed blood under the ice on the road?

Maggie wore a salt crystal necklace in a vial around her neck. She shattered the crystal with her multi-tool on a nearby rock as all the creatures stared. Grandmother told her to bring salt, but didn't specify how much. Maggie hoped it would be enough as she sprinkled a circle around herself, and placed her satchel with burning sage in the center. She lit a candle and held it while chanting words she did not consciously know.

Maggie had no idea what she was doing. Something grabbed her leg from behind. She let out a scream as she was pulled through the ice, snow, and dreadful muck underneath. She knew the force wasn't human, but could not determine as beast. As terrified and disgusted as she was, she didn't want her momentum to end. She assumed that what came after the momentum was much more horrifying than being choked on dirt and decomposing matter.

She began hyperventilating as she felt her body temperature drop drastically. Was it her imagination or was she was encapsulated in ice? She dared not fall asleep for fear she would never awaken. She had come so far toward her grandmother's residence and she didn't want to give up now. Only now she didn't know which direction the creature was dragging her. She felt something frosty and wet. Was she drenched in sweat from her attack? That seemed likely. She couldn't feel the creature's grip on her frost-bitten skin anymore, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

She heard someone gasping for air, and felt her lungs swell with oxygen and ice cold water. It was her; she was breathing. Maggie was alive, but where was she? She looked at the hands stretched out in front of her. They soon yanked her from the freezing waters, and arms embraced her tightly. She could feel their warmth. A warm blanket covered Maggie's skin, and she awoke in fresh clothes that smelled of lavender. She was in Grandma's cottage. Grandmother handed her a warm cup of tea, smiled, and murmured, "Glad you could make it."

Maggie smiled, but wondered how she had arrived. She gripped the cup of tea with a shaky hold and took her covers with her to the nearby window. She saw a frozen pond with no breakages, yet she could have sworn this was the only possible answer for where she was dragged yesterday. She looked at her skin, but there were no signs of damage. Her ankle also held no stiffness or burn marks. She turned away from the window toward her grandmother. Her grandmother smiled, urged Maggie to finish her tea, and said they would discuss what happened over a nice long walk.

Maggie was not eager to return to the woods, but consented. She didn't recall entering her grandmother's house last night. Grandmother's home was colorful and lively for a cottage in a winter-scape. The outside was painted bright yellow with white trim and accented with blue chairs and modern art paintings on the inside. It reminded her of a fun-house at a carnival, but Maggie said nothing. It was cheery after yesterday's events. Grandmother brought her a knitted scarf and took her hand as the began their walk. "Would you like a closer look at the pond?" she asked Maggie. Maggie shivered, but nodded.

As they approached, Maggie noticed there was more than one pond. One for each season: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Maggie now noticed that it wasn't just the ponds that represented the four seasons, but also the landscape. Grandmother greeted an oak tree and for a moment, Maggie swore she saw a face within it. Something definitely happened to her on the trek here and it had disturbed her psyche. She felt dizzy when Grandmother took both of her hands. The oak tree yawned and moved a limb toward its mouth while murmuring "Good morning." Grandmother smiled and asked the tree-creature for a lift. Maggie watched as it stretched its limbs and placed her on its leafy branches.

Maggie rubbed her eyes and looked at the sky. She saw familiar shapes of clouds in one section, a beautiful sunrise in another, a sunset to the east, and the far-reaching night sky adorned with stars in the last. Flora and fauna from all over the world were rampant here. Species that ordinarily needed completely different conditions to grow were next to each other, yet all of them were in bloom. Maggie wondered what magic and sorcery it took to create such a place. The laws of time and physics did not seem to apply.

"Look before us, Maggie. The road here is a barrier between worlds. What you experienced yesterday cannot be explained by science, but is a matter of mind and heart. Purity, benevolent nature, and desire for a greater good are the only way you can enter this sacred place. The road here is a nightmare created by your own mind and used to keep those of impure thought and desires out."

"It was all an illusion?"

"Only because the nightmare did not overtake you; it can become reality otherwise." her grandmother answered with a sigh and forlorn expression.

Maggie rested her hand on her grandmother's shoulder and stated "She's alright." referring to her mother with a smile. "She is getting better, and will one day overcome it."

Grandmother and Maggie sat on the dryad and looked out over the land before them. Grandmother shed a tear, "One day I hope your mother can see paradise with us despite all the ice, blood, and flurries it takes to get here."