Written from above photo –  Interesting Nature Bloggers Picture Prompt 4 • Esme Salon

Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK – For Everyone Affected by Pancreatic Cancer to raise awareness and fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer, after losing my dad to this awful disease, November 2020.

Time away

All I wanted was an adventure, time away from my boring mundane life. Time away from life’s ups and downs and the same morning routine. Away from the office desk and computer, no one telling me what to do, freedom.  The woodland path in front of me and the weight of my tent on my back.   It was only now as the dark descended that I stopped to ask myself what I am doing.

Things had been wrong in my life for a while. First Kieran left with Lisa and then George followed them.  What is wrong with me? I thought Kieran and I would be together forever but no it just took brunette Lisa to tempt him away.  After falling apart George announced that he wanted his dad, so now I’m alone in this world.

Having assembled my shelter for the night, I took my torch to search for wood to build a fire. Climbing through the trees I thought of stories I had been told about these woods.  Years ago, a group of walkers had gone missing near here, they were never found, and it was suspected that they had just skipped off somewhere.  No bodies were found so surely no murderer.

Humming a tune to distract myself from the darkness I walked and gathered wood. As my head started to throb, I cursed my oncoming headache.  As the ache increased, I held my head as I started vomiting.   Pulling back my hair I stumbled as I realised, I was now stood in a park with the sun shining.  Walking back wards my head started to throb again as the darkness descended, wow what had I just discovered?

The gateway

Walking forwards there was the park again, I looked around me for a landmark and noted the tree fallen on its side that looked like the head of an Eagle.  What is this place?

Gazing around the sky is a hazy pink colour and the sun is a perfect circle like in a child’s cartoon.  My problems were now part of a different life, no one else knew about this door, this gateway. I could see small creatures, wild rabbits chasing each other, squirrels sat in the pathway and running up the trees.  Birds scattered cooing to each other.  I hadn’t been noticed, a stranger to this world.

Deciding to explore, I walk across the grass taking in the fresh smells, the unspoilt landscape, no cafes, no shops, no people.  A world just of beauty and wildlife, the only human in this new world.  After walking for what felt like an hour I look down at my watch, time had not moved, had my watch stopped?

Seeing smoke up ahead, civilization I’m imagining someone who can tell me where this is.   Approaching the small village, I can see things are not right. A man with huge horns starts to scream at me.

“Come no further, go home.”  I’m confused, this world with its pink sky is amazing.”

“Go away, danger.”   Were those horns a hat?

“This place ruins you” then even louder, “leave.”

As I see a women approach, blonde flowing hair but hair growing from her face, whiskers and a tail.”

“Go away, vamoose, scram, go home.”

I now stood still and spoke.

A strange new world

“What happened here? Were you born like this?”

“This place deforms you, it changes you, go home.”

Realising who they were,

“Wow, are you the walkers who went missing from the wood a few years back?”

The woman spoke,

“Yes, its been a long time, but not years, and there are others, that wood is dangerous and this place changes you so you can’t go home.  Imagine walking around York with whiskers and a tail.  You can’t cut the whiskers off, they grow straight back.”

“What is this place?”

“It’s a mistake, somewhere on the outside of our home universe.  We have people trying to work it out but if you want to see your family again you will go.  Also, don’t tell anyone what you have seen as the world will descend on here and then all will have deformities.   It seems that the deformities appear to prevent us going home.”

“Have you tried?”

“Yes, but after a week in the wood and no signs of my tail going, I knew I had to stay here.”

Hearing their stories, I knew I had no choice.  I needed to get back to the park and get home.  George needs me even if Kieran doesn’t.  Thanking them I turned around to head back to the park.  How many people were stuck here?   They are right I can’t tell anyone; many people would choose to escape to here, regardless of fears of growing tails or horns.

Back home

Reaching the eagle headed tree, my head starts to throb again. As I return to the wood it is now daylight and my watch display has jumped from 9pm to 7am.  I wasn’t that long over the other side. Calculating it I must have been about two hours max.

Taking down my tent at speed, feeling fear of the wood, I didn’t want to find another time gateway.  Loading it back in the car, the adventure was over, exhaustion took over as I negotiated the country roads.  I was not expecting the reception as I got home.  Police cars and officers knocking on doors.  Pulling into my drive way I feared something had happened to George.  As an officer met me, I really was confused.

“Mrs Goodwin?”

“Yes, what’s wrong, is it George?”

“Mrs Goodwin where have you been?”

“Hills Wood, for a night, and I now need sleep, why?”

Hearing George and then Kieran, what was this?

“Lucy, where have you been?”

“The woods why?”

“Lucy, you have been gone weeks, where did you go?”

What am I supposed to say? How do I answer this one?

“Kieran, I needed to get away, but I’m back now.”

“Well so am I, I’m going nowhere, I thought I’d lost you.”

Exhausted

What do I do now? I love him but he’s a cheat, but they are all I have, and I need sleep.

“Can we talk in the morning? I haven’t slept”

If I hadn’t slept in days, weeks, then that explains my exhaustion.  Noting to research the wood further I now kissed George on the head and took myself to bed.  Kieran could deal with the police, everything else can wait till after sweet dreams and I’m awake again.

 

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Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK – Just muddling through life