CHAPTER II

Chapter 02

“You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself..... It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.” — Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

"Going to the festival, aren't you?" uttered the voice again, ever so accusingly.

Realizing the voice was too deep, too cold to be familiar: my panic grew. It started to hit me all at once: I was alone in the middle of nowhere, at night, with a stranger.

While running away from my parents, it never occurred to me that I could get caught by one of the villagers. Who, surely, would grab my hand, drag me all the way back to my home, and leave me under the mercy of my family. My family whose gentle, and caring love went blind when they were bitterly strict. I cursed my self, frustration chocking me like a pile of dirt rammed down my throat. Feeling my nails pierce the flesh of my palms, I had a strange, violent urge to strike the person who were to stand between me and my plans of freedom.

I had already risked so much by coming to the woods: my family's trust. So, I might as well just carry on with it and make it worthy. I was not going to turn on the first chance that ever was given to me, ever since the morbid accident that woke the beast. It was my first chance ever to try and release myself and everyone around me of the hold this ungodly burden of a freakish beast had on me.

Feeling the person's presence all around me, waiting for a response that I was not going to utter, I eased myself into a more comfortable position before I stood on my feet; trying to calm my breathing and buy more time to think of something, a way out, an escape.

Lifting my head up from its bow, but never loosening up my grip, I gazed up at the tall figure that stood before me. Cold blue eyes stared back, pinning me down. They mortified me, for they looked lifeless and the larger than life, shoreless, blue sea in them seemed to be trying to take hold of me in its tight grip of cold mortification. They made me want to be afar.

The trees, all around, ever so silent; didn't seem to care one bit about the situation I was captured in, for they uttered no word at all. I needed a way out, maybe some strength. With a groan, I clutched the box tightly, lifted the hems of my dress and started running as fast as I could, never looking back. The lark far in the sky, ever so loyal, kept track with me as I prayed for a faster pace and maybe if the lord was feeling generous tonight; a pair of wings.

I was running so fast when, suddenly, I heard a faint echo of dark laughter in the far distance, coming after me. Tripping over, the wooden box fell from my tight grip, and I cursed my luck.

Making a circle around me of giant greenery, the trees started to lock my way. Neither the box, nor the lark was anywhere to be seen. All I could see was the million little shining stars that aligned the night dark sky.

My mouth watered as the wind started hissing through grey leaves, I was doomed.

"Fear not, child, you entered the sacred land of our mother and no harm shall befall you," there was a whispering voice ringing inside my head over and over again, and again, stopping never. 

I had heard stories of the sacred land, stories of the enchanted woods that breathed in magic and where the trees talked and lethal creatures prayed all day and night for a second chance. But I never experienced them myself. Listening to their voice now, made chills run up and down my spine. Nonetheless, I closed my eyes and started wishful-thinking. "They are helping me, they are locking the person outside, not me. Not me, not me, not me," I kept saying to myself. Always make the best out of the bed deal, Mama always advised me thus.

Opening my eyes, my throat closed up in horror as a shadow started to loom towards me. I closed my eyes, again, but when I opened them one more time; it was gone. I started moving my head from side to side, looking for it, making sure it was no longer striding my way and that it, really, was gone. When it was nowhere to be seen, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and thanked the lord above in heavens. It was but a mere product of my fanciful imagination, I sighed in relief.

However, I still couldn't find the box - nor the lark- and the trees were still locking me within a vicious circle, their whispering never ceasing. Looking around, I started to take notice of the coat of white the forest had put on whilst I was lost in my fright. The moon had set but the weather night was shifting rather too fast, rather too cold. The woods had grew to a labyrinth of snow and frost in mere seconds.

Feeling cold as death, in the middle of a summer midnight, I put my arms around my body as everything around me started to lay under two feet of snow, with drifts of windy waves growing stronger each passing moment rocking the tops of the trees. In the starry sky many bats had started to fly high, screeching voices coming out from them, and the calming words of the trees that was still buzzing in my head did but little to lessen my fear, and fright as the laughter was growing nearer.

The pitch black color of the woods, the deep hush of the midnight, and the severe cold all were flowing along with a silent rhythm that was driving me out of my mind. Finally, the trees had ceased their false reassurance.

"Hello," I called out, trying to phrase a sentence. But my words, never making it out, choked in my throat as a cold hand whirled me around, freezing me in agony down to my core that I wanted to jump out of my flesh. 

There he stood right before me, my wrist in his hand.