Brand New Day

The night was bright as the Moon shone over the forest. Its silver beams escaping through the fine gaps of leaves and little bird nests, illuminating whatever it could with the reflected light she borrowed from Sun. The wind gently hummed around spreading the scent of dew. Upon hitting my nostrils the smell made me a little less heady. The place felt ethereal.

I was standing here. In the middle of this beautiful spectacle the nature had to offer. Yet I couldn't help but be concerned with other things at the time.

-"I know you are not leaving this forest! And neither do I! So come to me and talk! NOW!"

I shivered. Hearing his demanding voice made me run faster. I need to get there FAST! I know it's supposed to be on the north. So I followed the moss. The moon on the sky helped a little too I guess. But I didn't get a clear description of what I am looking for.

"A shack. With weird things happening around. "

That's what I was told by the informant. She couldn't have been any more vague, god dammit! As I was contemplating the value of my information I dodged the trees, jumping over their roots and evading the low branches that would otherwise hit my face. Panting and huffing I finally noticed something out of the ordinary! An arrow engraved on a tree trunk with a text below:

"Proceed with caution"

Guess that's where I am headed. I didn't stop. I couldn't hear the old shopkeepers steps anymore. He probably gave up on chasing me. I mean it's impressive he would chase me into the woods just for stealing a deodorant and a lighter. After making sure the chase was over I did what the sign told me to. I proceeded with caution.

The woods became silent. The wind was not humming. The trees around had more leaves so it was also darker. And the scent of dew was slowly turning into a scent... of chocolate? No I am definitely just hungry. I haven't eaten in days! Now that I am thinking she said I should be wary on the way. The way started to get darker and darker. Guess I will need to trust my gut! I reached to my pocket and fetched the stolen lighter. I turned it on. The light was not that helpful, but it was just enough to see the road. There are even more bushes here! I thought to myself. At the same time noticing that the faint scent of chocolate had become so intense it was scratching my throat. I coughed a little. I guess those are the "weird things". I must be close then.

The further I went the more the forest enclosed itself on me. As if the leaves wanted to engulf me whole. Between my coughs I noticed a sound. A silent rustling of leaves. Probably just animals or something. They shouldn't get closer if I hold out the light right? I wonder how long the lighter can hold the flame... I mean the fuel is pretty limited right? My pondering was cut short by me hitting a wooden door through which I stumbled inside a dark shack.

Here the darkness was pitch black. The scent of chocolate? Suffocating! When I fallen onto the floor I heard more leaves rustling... inside? I quickly light up the flame again. In the flimsy flame I noticed something...

A shape in the darkness. No! Multiple shapes! Dogs? Wolves? But those are not growling...? They just... look... or maybe wait? My heartbeat probably could have been heard from a mile away. My pupils dilated. Every fiber in my body screamed "RUN". But the moment I started flexing my leg to quickly spin... I felt a breath on my back followed by even more noise of rustling leaves. Are those beings made of leaves? No, impossible... My thoughts got interrupted by a sudden charge of one of those things.

As the thing got closer to my dim light I saw its true form. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! The being was made out of fern. Its mouth and teeth were covered in what seemed to be chocolate. I did my best to dodge to the left but it managed to scratch my right side of the waist. The contact was painful. Its fangs were sharp. But not sharp enough. Ideal to induce pain which was multiplied by a surplus of chocolate in and around the wound. I cried a little looking down at it. The sight was disgusting. My blood getting clogged around the drying chocolate. I wanted to puke but I had to keep going. Gritting my teeth I looked around. The other ones? They are just looking... Making a show out of me?

Wait! They are ferny right? I can light them up! I quickly drew my deodorant and pointed it in the direction of my enemy. But it didn't mind. They are probably not sentient enough... Without contemplating much I sprayed them with fire. The creature let out a high pitched shriek as it started rolling around the room trying to put out its own fire. The other ones visibly startled broke their formation and I saw two ways.

Out of the shack. And into the shack.

Out of the shack I am no one. I am worthless outside those walls. No one would have cared if I died to those monsters.

Inside this shack. She said there should be a rift. A door. Hatch. Some type of escape that will lead me to a better world. I hope she didn't mean heaven!

I ran into the darkness of the shack now slightly lit up by them starting to catch a "friendly" fire. Door. Hatch. Anything that might look like an escape! I rushed towards the first door I see. I opened them. Nothing. I went further. Another door nothing. A hatch in the ground nothing. Nothing! Did she lie? No why would she? In that moment I heard rustling of leaves behind me. The fern beings stopped looking out for their kin engulfed in flames and focused again on me! SHIT!

I ran further. How big can this shack be? No use. It all doesn't make sense anyway. My lungs started to give out. I had lost a lot of blood. My head spun. My vision became blurry. I reached out for the last handle of a random door. I opened it. It's pitch black. Without strength to keep up. I just fell through them.

But the impact never came.

I couldn't make out directions. My pain pulsed around the wounded flesh. The drying chocolate was scorching it up. But I didn't have the strength to cry or whimper anymore. In that moment of serenity. I felt peace. As if every piece of me was being rewritten. As if I was finally noticed by the world. As if... I was finally me. My tiredness got the better of me and I closed my eyes.

I opened my eyes. The falling sensation had stopped. I looked around... The beings were still running towards me. I could see them in pitch black. It was like those were the only things that existed in that moment... My grim reapers... I guess this is it...

Snap

They disappeared.

I looked up. There stood a woman smiling at me. She stood tall at least 170 centimeters tall. Her long hair was in constant motion...? Shifting its shape and colors. Changing between gradients of black and green. Her bright green eyes were piercing through me as if she was scanning my being. She wore an elegant suit. But the more I looked at it, the less I could make sense of what I was looking at. The patterns on its surface, matching her hair's colors, resembled some sort of fractal sequence. Before I could get even more hypnotized by the impossible attire, she started talking.

"Great you made it!" She exclaimed excited. "Now follow me along I have a lot to show you!"

I still lay on nothing stunned from what just happened. "What... what was that?"

She sighed but managed to put on a smile once again "Those beings? They are called Blatuans by the locals. Blatuans are my mistake. Many of which I mean to fix as soon as I can. But for that I need your help. So come on chop chop! Follow me along we need to go places!"

I groaned laying on nothing. Still feeling the sting and scorch of my wound.

The woman shook her head like it was just a silly problem a kid would think up. "Just stop thinking about the wound. It's not real here. Are you ready? Remember! Places to be...."

I asked startled "Places...? But everything is pitch black... as if you were the only thing here..."

She chuckled as if I said the stupidest thing I could "Just think about how you would like 'things' to look. You will get used to it Jason."