The Forest's Rage

“Are you sure it isn’t upside down?” Alex said, squinting at the ragged piece of paper. It was supposed to have obvious landmarks, but it didn’t make much sense to him. The symbols for trees and mountains were almost the exact same, and the paths and rivers had changed since the time the map was made.

Emma glared at him, fluffing out the map like she knew what she was doing. “No, it’s not. I would be able to tell.”

They had found the old map when they were at the antique shop, tagging along with Emma’s older sister, Amy. She hadn’t wanted to take them in the first place, so she let them roam around the store as much as they wanted. Emma had begged Amy to get the map for her, and Amy had agreed on the condition that neither kid told her mother that Amy had been out with a boy the other day. They happily agreed. A weathered piece of paper that was going to lead them to the best treasure ever was in their grasp. If only they could figure out where they were on the map.

“We’re right here.” Emma pointed decisively at the map and smiled at her friend. He was looking at Emma with a doubtful expression but followed her anyway when she started down a path only she could see. Emma was nothing if not confident, with stubbornness coming at a close second. It was because of these wonderful traits Alex knew better than to argue. Personally, Alex didn’t see how she could tell where they were. All of the trees around them looked exactly the same, with hardly a path to speak of.

The kids stopped as the sound of a stick snapping rang through the forest. Their fear quickly turned to shock as they turned toward the noise. It was a young lady. She had bright blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. She was wearing some sort of tree bark covering that was acting as a dress.

She also seemed to be glowing.

As brash as ever, Emma was the first to speak up. “Did you know that you’re glowing?”

Alex groaned and closed his eyes, hoping that he was imagining things. But the young woman smiled. “Yes, I am very much aware. Do you know what I am?”

This time, before Emma could talk, Alex slammed his elbow into her side. She hissed at him but he ignored her. Grabbing her arm, he tried to get her to turn around before she did something that both of them would regret. But it didn’t stop her.

“No! What are you? And why are you out here? And what are you wearing?”

“My mother would kill me if I wore that,” she thought.

She laughed. “I‘m a pixie. I live out here. I thought you were lost so I came to help you.”

Alarm bells went ringing in both children's heads, but for completely different reasons. Alex tried to get Emma to leave again but Emma was staring suspiciously at the ‘pixie’.

“You can’t be a pixie. Pixies are small.”

The lady frowned. “Well, obviously not all of them. I’m not small. And, I am glowing.”

Emma still didn’t look certain, but followed when the pixie walked the other way. Alex knew there was no hope, but kept tugging on Emma’s arm anyway. “So, you can take us to the treasure?”

The pixie looked confused. “That wasn’t what I was doing at all. It’s going to be dark soon. I was going to take you home.”

Looking up, the kids saw she was right. The sun was steadily going down and it was getting slightly colder.

Emma made the executive decision to follow the pixie, as she was supposed to be home a little while ago. Alex wanted out of the forest as fast as possible, and if she could help them, that was fine with him.

But they didn’t get home. The sun continued to set and Alex didn’t think they were any closer to the town. The forest was starting to fill with the sounds of nightmares. The wind howled as it whipped through the tops of the trees and a barn owl flew overhead, wings spread out against the darkening blue sky. Alex turned to Emma. “I think we need to leave. Now.”

He had a sick feeling in his stomach, like something was really, really wrong. Emma seemed to have the same feeling because she nodded very quickly.

They went to turn around when the pixie spoke. “Where are you going? We’re almost there.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Oh, we just thought we would find our own way back. We don’t want to trouble you any longer.”

The pixie looked concerned, but her fists clenched at her side. “It’s no problem. Really, we’re almost there.”

Alex looked around but didn’t see anything that looked remotely like the border of the forest and the town. He started backing up, taking Emma with him.

“Thank you,” Alex said. “But our parents are going to be worried about us.”

The pixie’s face was getting darker, and the once cheerful glow around her started flickering. “I. Insist. We are almost there.”

She lunged for them, narrowly missing Emma’s arm. Alex pulled her back with him quickly. Together, they ran as fast as they could in the direction of the now visible city lights. They could hear the pixie screeching behind them but they didn’t stop to look back. They kept running until they had stitches in their sides. Finally, they found a familiar path.

They probably could have stopped running once they were in the town but they didn't. They kept going until they were safely back at Emma’s house. Her dad seemed confused as to why they were so jumpy, but didn’t stop them as they fell into her room.

They laid on their backs, panting, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

They got their answer a few weeks later. The kids were at Alex’s grandmother's house that night. They were looking through a few story books she kept on the coffee table. That’s when they came across a picture of a familiar young lady.

“Grandma!” Alex shouted, eyes never leaving the picture and his grandmother came rushing in.

“What- Alex, I thought something was wrong. There is no need for shouting like that.”

He just continued to stare at the picture. Emma took it upon herself to start explaining for the both of them.

“We were just wondering what the story is behind this picture.”

“Well, I can tell you. Let’s get comfortable, it isn’t a short story. Once upon a time, there was a little girl living in the woods. She was alone because she had gotten separated from her family. The sun was setting, and it was getting too cold for her to continue walking anywhere. She managed to find a little shelter in a hollowed out tree trunk, and curled up in it. She fell into an uneasy sleep. She awoke when it was still dark to the sounds around her. She had been found by nearby settlers. But they weren’t trying to help her. They were bad men, and they were going to hurt her. She yelled for help, but nobody was listening. Well, no humans.

“From the dark of the forest, tiny lights surrounded the girl. They were protecting her from the bad people. The lights grew until she could see that they were actually pixies. They drove the men away, then turned to help the girl.

“She stayed with them for the rest of her life. They shrunk her down, and kept her safe and healthy while she grew. When she was old enough, they un-shrunk her so that she could live how she was supposed to. As a parting gift, they gave her pixie magic, so that she would always remember them.

“But the girl grew hateful. She saw this as a rejection. She already knew she didn’t want to go live in any human village, so she stayed in the woods. The pixies had taught her everything she needed to know to stay alive. Eventually, people started traveling through the woods. The girl saw forest as her home, and was angry at the intrusion. She started killing travelers who trespassed.

“But, word got around. The young girl had to change how she did things. Instead of killing everyone that came through the woods, she turned her target to the most easily swayed. She would find gullible travelers, and young children, and tell them that she could help them get home. She would walk them around the woods until they were tired. Then, she would make a shelter appear, so that the weary traveler could rest. And they would never be seen again. This way, the woods continue to be known as haunted, and people stay out of her home.”

Alex and Emma were looking up at her, terrified. She laughed at their faces. “It’s just a story used to scare children into staying out of the woods. No need to look so frightened. Now, dinner is going to be ready in a few minutes. Go ahead and wash up.”

Emma turned to Alex, looking a little sick. “Next time, I’m listening to you.”