The night, this night in its hues of black and blue, a bright moon that pierced through the fiercing forest, clouds hid stars in an unreachable distance, this night was and is what made me who I am if not who I was
I came to sense on a trunk of oak, leaves and branches obscured my view towards the sky.
Suffocating pain from my left shoulder, my head dull and my eyes heavy, whatever happened doesn't matter now, I need to move on.
Lifting my body up, like a flower in spring, not in warm sunlight instead in a cold dark.
So I took my first steps, crawling, into the darkness, into the unknown.
Trees in shades of gray came and went as I followed a slight light in between the canopies of the trees, a few stars could be seen here and there in between lights of clouds.
If not for the slight 'llumination of the moon would I not be able to see where my feet went.
There was a star that seemed to be brighter, emanating a warmth that felt welcoming.
Following the warm light in hope it would lead me to my sanctuary, until it was obscured by the arms in green that played songs in winds and weather.
The forest got denser, troubling me more and more to find stable footing on the grooted ground.
And gravity took me more than once to embrace me in soil.
Walking for half an eternity, till I came to a glade, diamonds in the sky with non' to hide from my eye.
High and far, gazing down up on me and guiding my way to find what I searched, to find what I needed, to find what I am unable to remind myself of what it was.
Shallow was a stream that met my naked feet, from soaked dry to bone wet swept it the dirt of my feet, in the cold silver of the night.
Refreshing while reposing, the water rejuvenating me, my mind and body, If I only had crumbs or scraps to munch and crush on.
Still it was enough to find my strength to move on, to lift my confidence.
The trees came more and more to life, the deeper I got on the other end of the glade. Stars still smiled on me as my journey went on deeper into the woods, luna light made my way available to the eye.
Was it only the wind or was it something else, voices, do these trees speak or have I lost my last bit of sanity left in me?
Well I don't know, the thing that I knew is that it got colder and my heart came more to live as it beat the drums up all the way to my ears.
Shadows moved more on their own, saw it in the corner of my eye, for half a heartbeat or so.
Luna's light died slow and silent as I could see less and less, my body stiff with stress cause...
There were whispers, whispers came from grass!, bushes!, branches!, from the bark of trees!, from their canopies!
The sound of breaking bones replaced those of the wood, of the twigs and sticks!
Faces were on trees in rising numbers the deeper I got!, the less light my heart had to fight this cursed night.
Dark shapes moved around, merging into a lightless wall of darkness.
Not daring to take another step forward, not daring to take another breath, not daring to make another sound as the world found around me tranquility.
A deadly silence as time went by like a dead fly in a river of time.
Unknown amount of time went by, it felt like eternity, the first of my steps, with hollow low breaths, slow and steady, to not disturb the sleeping trees.
Then the second as precise as possible, to not break what ever could be on the ground, then another one, to not fall over my own feet, then the fourth, like a child under the smiling face of its mother while laughing.
Heeee!
Heeee!
Heeee!
Laughing like the wind in the leaves, laughing like the trees...
A blizzard crawled down my back, drenched in cold sweat...
Laughing like the wind under my legs as I ran, I ran as far as I could, as fast as I could.Abruptly, out of the blue came dens fog, it obscured my view and the muddy ground under my feet gave in, I lost my balance and stumbled out of the forest, on to a glade, on to soft and tender grass.
I came all the way back, without realizing it, on to the glade on which I rested prior this night.
Looking back, over my shoulder, on to the embracing lumina of the stars and luna.
Was this all a trap, were there no way to leave this nightly mare, was there, at the end of the way shown by the light of this oh so summoning star no hope left for me?
No! There has to be a way out.
And I will find it for sure.
But first however, my lungs burned, my breath hollow and flimsy as I was surrounded by the walls of darkness of these abyssal woods.
I felt like I had to throw up, was it the exhaustion or was it something else? Was it this cursed forest that made me sick?
When I came to breath again, was the air colder, white might even descend.
If I didn't start moving, I would succumb to frostbite for sure.
So I began to move up again, as soon as I took my first step, as soon as the blood in my body began to flow anew with pressure, as soon as my muscles began to contrast again, began the world to lighten up, to warm up like spring at the end of white winter.
Only that daybreak never came.
Upward, on and over a small hill, on the glade to move off, into the woods again.
In a new, in another entry in between the trees.
The wind played the leafs like instruments in these dark orchestras as soon as I lost sight of the glade behind me.
Slow and steady came each instrument more to life.
A trail carved to ground, steps animal, lead hopefully out of these.
The silhouettes of deformed trunks could be felt by the eye in the distance, to my right came light piercing through the trees and boughs.
Thinner, slender trees came more often in my vicinity, the world lightened up and my ability to see increased, in hues of blue and black, in black and gray could great mountains be seen far far away.
The fuss of music by wind and wood died slowly as the wind calmed down, the branches decreased their dances as well as their weight.
I could see so far, my gaze stopped as well as my steps, my eyes, wide open, wandered over sticks and stones, over herbs, bushes, we were all standing still as if we were in a deadlock or stalemate. No one dared to move, all could be seen and no one dared to make the first move. However fog came up again, I walked till the end of the fog, however at the end of the fog was only a glade.
A glade that, after a short inspection, was more or less well known to me.
So I took another way back into the woods, but either a dense fog came up and I ended back at the glade or the trees moved on their own with their long and dark appendages.
I tried to wait until dawn, until the golden fire fought the darkness of the night but only the cold came .
I tried to sleep in a hole, covered by wood, grass and mud, with moos and wheat to keep me warm off the ground but nothing changed.
Clouds moved as well as the moon and still the first day break never came, they all just took their turn around in circles in the sky.
Neither the highs nor lows could lead my way, was my only option to move through the woods without orientation or sense of direction like a headless chicken?
Was I destined to be trapped in this cursed wood?
I decided, after ruminating without a clear answer, to follow the moon, to keep it to my right, in hope I would be fast enough that it would lead my way where I would find the way out.
The forest got denser and darker first, the wind found its blazing strength again as it directed the orchestra of the woods.
Pushing me from behind toward the moon, should I still follow it or try to find another way?
Pondering for a second or two, would my choice be the right one or the wrong, could this truly be the way out?
The choice was clear for me, to turn around and face the fierce gale head on.
I could see less and less, denser wood until I fell over something and stumbled through bushes and branches on to...
On to grass.
Finally out of this oh so cursed forest was my thought at the sight of unobscured mountains far in the horizon.
I got up, began to walk, to run, down the hill, towards the road that appeared infronta me.
Carts and horses formed on these in the distance.
I ran as fast as I could but it felt as if I got only farther away.
Golden light spread from behind the mountains over the red sky ,like ember towards air, the further I got.
With every step I took would it lighten up, with every step would it spread further and farther over the sky, with every step would dawn brighten the night away like a fighting knight.
Although my naked feet, on the wet grass, torn with scars and wounds as same as my dirty rags, glued to my meager body, all I could feel was my eager mind, full of euphoria of freedom.
White was the atrocity that blinded me like lightning striking the sky, that prevented me out of necessity to not snap my face to the ground, but to ease my pace.
Still my worn and out torn legs, overcoated with wounds, blood and dirt, gave in for a moment as I stepped in onto a hole.
I managed just in time to find balance again, however something took my foot as I was unable to take it out the ground.
Soon I saw that there were deep green tendrils around my ankle.
I pulled with all my strength just to move them slightly off, red thorns appeared as I tore out my left leg and fell over.
Almost overwhelmed with pain dug my right hand and left leg into the ground, pushing me forward not even halves a step.
So I crawled further and further towards the road vastly in the distance.
Despite all my effort was there no way I would've gotten closer.
They, the carriages and horses, got smaller, as I felt darkness envelope me.
Suddenly there was something on my right toe, it advanced rapidly over my heel towards my calf.
I spun my head over my shoulder to look behind me and there they were.
Vile vines carved through my flesh towards my torso and dragging me deeper into the all devouring darkness.