Fletcher's Woods

Beware. Enter at own risk. Amy read the sign to herself, but ignored it because if Ben was brave enough to go into Fletchers' Woods so was she.

The path through the woods curved out of sight. The trees grew tall, taller than any building Amy had ever seen. She tried to hug one and could not get her arms all the way around its trunk. The green leaves blotted out a lot of the sun, only specks here and there dotted the green floor of the woods.

Amy could remember as a child sitting around listening to her grandpa tell her and her friend, Ben, stories about the strange Fletcher’s Woods.

Now they were deep inside. Sweat glistened off Ben’s naked bronze chest. He whistled as they walked along the path, his shirt hanging out of the back pocket of his jeans and swinging along with his long stride. Amy’s burgundy ponytail swayed as she hurried along trying to keep up with him. The sweet smell of wildflowers lingered on the breeze.

“We should be getting close to the clearing your grandpa told us about." Ben stopped in mid step.

Amy collided with his back. “ Oowwh,” she said as she tumbled to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Ben laughed. “Here, let me help you,” he extend a muscular arm.

“It’s okay,” she said as Ben hefted her up to her feet. “I think I bruised my butt,” she said as she dusted off the dirt.

“I shouldn’t have . . . .”

Amy put a finger over his mouth. “Did you hear that?” she whispered, looking to the left.

“I didn’t hear anything.”

Amy softly stepped in the direction of the noise she heard. Putting her figure across her lips, “ssshhhh.” She suddenly stopped. “There it is again.”

Ben stepped toward her. “I didn’t hear anything. What did you hear?”

“I don’t know. It sounded like a high-pitched squeal.”

Amy and Ben peered though a small opening in the trees.

“My god, what the hell is that thing?” Amy whispered.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

On the other side of the trees, it stood about two foot tall, and covered in brown hair. Its deep, green glowing eyes the only thing you could see. It stood next to an old, gnarled, dead tree in the middle of the woodland. A hole about two-foot high was cut into the dead tree. Sitting on the gnarled tree was a big black squawking crow.

SNAP.

Amy stepped back upon a twig. She froze. A muffled sound emanated from her, “Did it hear that?”

“Run!” Ben yelled. He tore away from the trees and out of sight in a flash leaving Amy alone.

“Ben,” she whispered her voice cracking. She tried to move, but something caught and held her leg. She swallowed hard. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face. Her heart skipped a beat before beating uncontrollably in her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

Something cold and furry held her leg. Its supernatural strength wouldn’t let her move. A strange sound escaped from it; almost like a giggle.

“Ben! Help me! Its got me.” Amy cried.

There was no movement of the trees or bushes. Ben was gone and he wasn’t coming back to help her. She was on her own.

“Oh please God, help me,” she whispered.

The thing pulled at her leg and she fell to the ground. Another giggling sound came from it. Amy, now on its level, could see it better even though the tears blurred her vision. She screamed.

Amy was being pulled along the floor of the woods. Sticks and stones cutting her back, arms, and legs.

“Uh,” She screamed in a deep voice coming from the pit of her stomach. “You bastard. You are not going to hurt me anymore.” She kicked and kicked at it with her free foot.

It stopped and shook what could have been its head. Amy seized the moment. She picked up a thick tree branch laying next to her.

“Please God let me hit it.”

She brought the branch crashing down across the top of the creature. It fell to the ground, motionless. Amy sat there another moment staring at the hairy creature. She had never seen anything like it. She slowly crawled backwards before getting to her feet. Making it back to the trail, she ran to the edge of the woods before she looked back. She stopped, bent over with her hand resting on top of her knees trying to catch her breathe and to let her pounding heart settle down.




word count 773