Oak Tree

The night was coming to an end. Only embers remained of the logs Craig had once put on the fire. They radiated orange and yellow light in a small ring around the firepit. Craig swirled them around in a whirlwind of ash and glowing sparks. A small fire burst from the coals for a few seconds before being snuffed out completely. Now, there was only darkness.

It was time for bed. Craig had a busy morning ahead of him. He would need to break down his camp before continuing on the trail. Another twelve hours of hiking lay before him. Then another campsite would be made and another relaxing fire. This was his first backpacking excursion. All other hiking trips had been day trips. And all other camping trips had been booked ahead of time. This was all new and exhilarating.

Craig unzipped the small one-man tent and crawled inside. He lay on his sleeping bag, listening to the relaxing sounds of nature around him. An owl hooted softly in the distance. Cicadas buzzed like waterfalls high above in the treetops. Nocturnal animals scurried about the forest floor, scavenging for food. All of this was like white noise for Craig. He fell fast asleep.

Somewhere in the early hours of the morning, Craig was jolted awake from his slumber. Before he could question what had pulled him from sleep, his bladder began to ache. He yawned as he crawled towards the opening of the tent. In the silence of the night, the zipper seemed to echo through the trees. If any animals were sleeping nearby, they were sure to wake up.

Walking a few feet from camp, Craig relieved himself behind a tree. The morning air was dewy with a slight chill. He shivered. When he finally finished, Craig retreated back towards the tent. A branch broke in the distance, catching his attention. He stared through the sheets of darkness, trying to see what had caused the sound. He was not afraid. Craig knew enough about nocturnal life to know it was more likely to be an armadillo or raccoon than something ferocious.

Seeing nothing, Craig unzipped his tent once again. As he did, a loud thud broke through the night air like a large tree branch had fallen to the ground. Now he wondered if a bear lurked nearby and had pushed over a rotten tree. Fishing into his tent, Craig pulled out his flashlight. He focused the beam around the campsite and saw nothing but trees.

With a shrug, Craig crawled back into his tent and zipped it shut. As he settled back in for sleep, another loud thud echoed in the forest. Only this time, it was closer. Craig grew worried now. If it was a large animal such as a bear, it could pose a real threat. Not something he wanted to come face to face with in the woods.

Once again, Craig unzipped his tent and peered outside. Clicking on the flashlight revealed nothing near camp. An endless sea of tree trunks. As he clicked off the flashlight with a shrug, something moved in the distance. Without hesitation, he clicked the flashlight back on. There was nothing there.

In the beam, he saw only the large tree trunk of a magnificent oak. The trunk was thick and round and yet seemed to be swaying from side to side in an unnatural way. Craig could only see the base of the trunk in the cone of his flashlight. He panned the flashlight up towards the top of the tree and stopped. There were no branches or leaves. The top half of the tree seemed to be missing. In its place was a strange, round object. It took Craig nearly a minute to realize what he was looking at.

The pale, round figure on top of the tree trunk began to move. It craned left and right like a person cracking their neck. A thin line spread out from one side to the other and began to open into a wide smile. The thing standing before Craig was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. A tall figure with a large, round head. Its body seemed to be made of tree bark and the head pale like sawdust. The gaping maw was lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth. It had no eyes or ears that Craig could see.

He did not wait for the monster to move. Instead, Craig leaped from the tent and ran down the trail. After a few seconds of running, he heard loud thundering booms coming from behind. They came to an abrupt halt. He dared a look over his shoulder and saw something that turned his blood cold. The giant tree-like monster had bent over his camp and devoured the tent whole. Craig ran until his lung burned and then ran some more. His only hope was to leave the forest behind and never return.