None So Blind

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Paige stood in the clearing, seeking light, but anticipating only darkness and a lonesome, cold, damp walk home. As she waited in the quiet, she heard the strike and sizzle of a flame being born, and then, as if it had always been, the candle beacon glowed to life. Paige watched, amazed.

As they had every year since childhood, the dreams began with the first new moon of the season, beckoning her to the woods. Calling her to the clearing where the wind cried her name with such tenderness as she’d not heard anywhere before or since. Calling her to the cabin in the clearing with its promise of shelter and warmth.

Over the years she’d woken earlier and earlier in the night, compelled to complete the dream’s journey and run free into the woods. She’d become skilled at sneaking out of her family home undetected, and then later, back in again. Each time when she arrived at the run down cabin, a hush fell upon her, the wind quieted, the forest stilled and, in the darkness, she found herself truly content. Not lonely, but completely alone.

As the sky began to lighten, dampness and cold would creep in upon her and, the spell broken, she would return to her bed.

This continued until the moon was deeply waning and the wind was beginning to hint at winter. That was when the dreams faded and life, in all its mundane violence, returned to normal. By the time Christmas rolled around, Paige had all but convinced herself that her nightly wanderings were imagined. This pattern continued through two marriages, and more than a few failed careers. For all she knew, and secretly believed, it would go on forever. Toward that end she had sacrificed relationships and even dreams to stay in her family home.

This year Paige was beginning to have doubts about those sacrifices. She turned 50 in October and wasn’t really sure what it had all been for. By every metric she was a failure, even by her small town standards: two marriages and no children, a farm house held together mostly by duct tape and sealing wax. Her second husband gone, cruelly citing her dark circles, wrinkles and cellulite as a “turn-off”. Taking his own sloppy dad-bod to another woman’s bed, but leaving all his antique car shit behind so she woke every morning surrounded by evidence of how unexceptional she was. Wondering why she had fought all this time to stay here. In this no place town, in this nothing house.

The night had been cool, the crescent moon hung low and large in the evening sky, and against this blurred and mottled backdrop Paige had run. Her hair streamed out behind her, growing damp in the settling humidity. Her bare feet muddy, but sure, having run this path many times before.

And now, as she stood in the clearing watching the candle burn, she felt complete, it hadn’t all been a dream, she was not alone. She was special. Though she was not at all sure what was happening, maybe it was finally time for secrets to be revealed.

She closed her eyes against the glow as the light grew brighter and enveloped her. The rays were warm and when she opened her eyes the clearing was brightly lit and the cabin had changed. It was no longer run down. It was beautiful.

A shadow began to move through the light toward her.

“Paige,” whispered a voice.

Shocked at hearing such a familiar sounding voice, she replied, “Um, present.” Feeling stupid the moment the words left her head.

“We have waited, patiently,” they continued, ”but the time has now come for you to make a decision.”

“A decision?” She wondered. "After all these years? What decision?”

“Will you join us, at last, in the faery wood?” The voice inquired.

As she stood, astounded, stammering. The voice continued, "Or will you stay, a loser, in the generations-old home of your ancestors?” And collapsed in laughter.

The shadow solidified into the form of her second husband, Nick. He was tall, broad shouldered and rugged in his affect. A brute of a man, even before the insults. He was smart and could also be charming if he wanted to be, but at his core he was cruel.

Laughter erupted from all around Paige, and when she turned she found Nick’s friends, and his new woman, stepping into the clearing, beer bottles and cell phones in hand.

“Um, present.” One mocked, eyes wide as saucers, but otherwise slack jawed, as they filmed themselves selfie style.

“Hey, Nick!” Another hollered, “I thought you were kidding, man. What the hell is wrong with her?” And fell into more fits of laughter.

Paige stood there, shocked, begging the earth to open wide and swallow her whole. Anything to make this stop.

“Oh, Paigey, you look surprised.” Nick declared for his audience of friends. “I guess you thought nobody knew about your nightly fairy runs in the woods, huh? Maybe I should have mentioned the trail cams I installed a couple years back? Oh well, ya freak dog. You know I know now.”

As he spoke those last words he stepped close to her, reached towards her, and for a brief second she thought maybe he was going to put his arm around her shoulder and she could be in on the joke. Instead he grabbed the old, oversized t-shirt she wore to sleep in and in one motion tore it from her body. So she was left standing there in just her underwear.

She began to cry.

Nick’s new woman walked over and wrapped her arms around him and said with the most sympathetic voice, “Oh, honey. What you must have suffered in her bed.” Everyone laughed harder.

Then she kissed him, or tried to eat his face, Paige couldn’t tell which. For the next several days (at least that’s what it felt like) they kissed and groped and humped in front of her while the rest of the party yelled encouragement and laughed.

She tried to look away, tried to find an escape, but they were just everywhere. There was nothing to do but cover herself and wait to see what they would do next. She wasn’t sure she was getting out of this clearing ever again.

Then she felt the hand on her ass, and roughness of a canvas jacket against her skin as one of Nick’s friends licked her arm.

“She doesn’t taste like she’s expired.” He told the group.

“Maybe I should try,” said another, and stepped toward them.

All together there were maybe eight of them, and those that weren’t tormenting her were filming it. She knew that whether this was the end for her or not, she would never hear the end of this.

She willed herself out of her body, and she watched from a distance as they licked her, bit her, grabbed at her and one even got the candle and dripped wax on her. It burned.

And they laughed.

Though her face remained a death mask, inside she cried and she begged for somebody to save her. Maybe these idiots had driven here drunk as they were and maybe the police had seen them. Maybe they were on their way, maybe they’d be right there before things got further out of hand.

Paige knew it was ridiculous but this was her last thread of hope.

Then she heard it, the snap of a twig. Her head swung toward it, praying for a friendly face, but saw no one.

Then she heard another twig snap, this time closer. She looked again, but couldn’t see any new faces.

No one else reacted, they were too engrossed in their game.

Then came a clear footfall and a few more. And the shadows seemed to move in on them.

Now Nick’s friends were aware, they were searching for the source, their beer goggles likely making it even more difficult to focus.

“Hey ugly, you invite some friends?” One of them stammered before falling silent.

Quiet consumed the clearing and the light shifted, shimmered, and the mist rolled in. People looked to be yelling, but voices got lost in the night, until they gave up.

Paige was suddenly aware of the chittering. Had that always been there? And without warning a piercing howl, an otherworldly sound that hurt the ears and disoriented the senses filled the clearing and forced them all to their knees. As she fell, Paige felt the ground shake with a sudden pounding as if hundreds of trees fell in succession.

Then came the screaming.

In a flurry of motion Paige tried to comprehend distorted flashes of body parts and what looked like trees or spears piercing and tearing and… then she lost consciousness.

Keeping her eyes closed as she woke, Paige could smell the most delicious scent, maple syrup. Her mother was making pancakes, it must be Saturday morning. She was safe and warm in her bed and this had all been a terrible dream.

Rested and clear-headed, Paige opened her eyes and and turned her head to find she was still in the clearing, though nothing looked the same, or indeed, quite right.

Nick and all his friends were lined up, as if toy soldiers, hands behind their backs, heads bent forward, eyes down. And there was blood. And a pile of cracked and crushed mobile phones. Around them there was a battalion of very big walking stick bugs, or leg having trees, or bipedal ants standing at attention.

Paige stirred, as if to stand.

“Stay down, please.” Came a voice. But not out loud, not through the air, this voice was direct in her head and she was suddenly very dizzy.

“You are still transforming, dear.” The voice said, “Best to stay still.”

So many questions flooded Paige’s mind, but she could not find the words to ask them.

“Soon you will have a choice to make, but for now, you must rest.” Said the voice. And she once again lost consciousness.

When next she opened her eyes, the sky was beginning to lighten over the trees, but she did not feel the cold she normally associated with dawn. She felt strong, energized.

Nick and his friends still stood at attention, and now that she could see them more clearly, they appeared to be hung up, like on hangers in a closet, their feet not quite holding their weight.

What she’d thought were maybe trees or bugs, were humanoid creatures with a thick, bark-like, skin and exaggerated features. Some had very long legs, some had more than 2 legs, others had such thick necks it appeared that they had no necks at all, some had tails, some spikes, some wings. And though she had no idea what to call them, all of them in Paige’s eyes, were beautiful.

“It is time for you to decide.” Said the voice.

Paige looked around and saw the largest of these creatures was standing nearby, studying her intently.

“Decide what?” She asked.

“What to do with them.” Came the response, along with a winged gesture toward the humans standing at attention. “Were it up to me they would already be dead,” it continued. “But you cried out during the subduing, so we restrained ourselves.”

“Wait, who are you? Why are you helping me? What do you mean, do with them?” She blurted out. “It’s my life that is ruined now. I am the small one. I have no power here.”

The voice made a raspy, wheezing noise that Paige took for a chuckle and said, “Let’s just say I’m your…patron. We have been waiting for you. We recognize we have intervened too soon, for you are still very young. But the risk of not stepping in at this time was far greater than the risk of breaking you with an early transformation.”

Paige just stared at her “patron” in shock.

“It was you,” she said. “All these years, it was you calling my name, wasn’t it?”

Her patron appeared embarrassed, though it did not move, nor did it make a sound.

“Why did you wait so long?” Paige cried. “I’ve never known that feeling anywhere else, and I’ve longed to. I’ve imagined it from people not capable of providing it. I’ve been so lonely!”

“You were never supposed to hear me. I was foolish to call for you.” Came the reply. “You were far closer to the veil than should have been possible.”

Paige now feeling ill at ease had begun to walk around the clearing. Moving, restlessly to process her patron’s words.

Pacing among the others in the assembly she began to see how truly beautiful they were. In one she saw the eyes of her beloved father, long since passed. And another shared the bearing of her mother, proud and strong. The love in her grew with each step and she knew them each to be worthy of it.

“What to do? What to do?” Paige turned the question over and over before at last turning her attention to Nick.

He looked so ordinary now. So frail. From this perspective she could see it was nearly comical that earlier this evening she’d been afraid of him. Hurt by him.

Stepping closer, she found that she wished to look in his eyes. And with a jerking motion, his head raised to her, face covered in blood, contorted in fear, and she smiled.

Unconsciously she reached forward to touch his face and saw that her hands were not as she remembered them. Her nails were darker, longer, sharp, her skin tinged green and thickened, bark-like.

Turning to her patron she saw his apprehension, but also something else. Something more familiar. He was… Was he…?

Her favorite photo, the one at the top of the stairs. Her family from the turn of the last century when they built the house. Her great, great grandfather at the front so proud of the life he had built and the family he had made, those eyes that comforted Paige through many a terrible date, long night of the soul, bowl of ice cream comforting the loss of another job - those were the eyes staring back at her now. And she understood.

Without hesitation she returned her attention to Nick, plucking his eyes from his face with her nails and relishing the music of his screams as she popped them in her mouth.

It only took a moment and all eight of her tormentors were struck down where they stood, devoured as they screamed until only silence filled the clearing and the sky turned to pink over the trees.

Seven of her kin approached respectfully, and without speaking each offered her a pair of her tormentors eyes.

She ate them each in turn. And with each bite her strength grew until she was ready to return with the family to the forest.

As they moved to the tree line, she asked her patron, “I am the end of the line, what will happen to us now?”

“Don’t worry,” they replied, “The house will provide.”

Julie smiled to herself as she watched Jonah, bouncing their youngest on his hip, direct the movers who were unloading the truck. Turning, she reached up to take down the For Sale sign which was something she’d dreamed of doing ever since she was living out of her car, and all alone in the world. This house would soon be her home, their home. She’d never known such peace as when she walked through it. She couldn’t believe someone would leave so much history behind, as they did when they left this place, but it was part of her story now, and she’d take care of it. The woods already featured heavily in her dreams and tonight would be her first night sleeping among them. ‘In fact,’ she thought, as soon as the movers were gone, ‘I think it’s family portrait time!’