Wander
45 minutes ‘till curfew. Just enough time to finally explore the forest that lurks just beyond our town. It can’t be that bad, not as bad as people make it out to be. The first step feels like trespassing, the second sends a thrill throughout my body. I take a quick glance behind me. Seeing no pursuers, I began my trip into uncharted waters.
So far so good. No supernaturals, no weird holes, no unnatural creatures. No trail either. I grab a nearby stick to mark my entry point on a tree and continue my stroll. Sunlight streams down through thick branches. Marigolds litter the ground below. I breathe in the crisp air and regret not bringing a camera. 30 minutes, still enough time. My head gets fuzzy as I walk farther and farther, deeper and deeper. Soon my legs get tired and I lay on the warm grass. Hm, maybe 5 minutes? I relax my arms and admire the scenery. A few small animals dart around in the bushes. I pick up a delicate flower and inhale. How come this place is forbidden? I see nothing wrong. Colorful trees peacefully hover above. They seem to grow taller with each passing minute. I shut my eyes and relish in the warmth of the summer afternoon. 5 minutes turns to 10, then 15, then I don’t know what. I should head back soon. I reluctantly open my eyes. To my surprise, it’s already dark. But it’s only 5 o’clock. Right?
My head is pounding, maybe sleeping on grass wasn’t the best idea. The trees now loom impossibly tall above me, blocking any light. Suddenly, everything goes silent. I didn’t notice until the only thing I heard was my own breathing. No chirping or wind blowing or leaves scattering. Nothing. How did I get here? The only way out is to retrace my steps. But where… In the distance I hear noise. Like carnival music. Something tells me I shouldn’t follow it. Common sense, most likely. But where else do I go? I close my eyes and try to think back to where I came from. I marked a tree at the entrance, maybe I should just walk forward and hope for the best. As I walked, the marigolds that covered the ground began to wilt, and the amount of trees became scarcer. This isn’t the right way. I move to turn back but the music pulls me into a trance. I turn around and walk in the direction of the noise. Everything is a blur as green grass soon turns to barren ground. The music is getting louder. Almost deafening. There’s a hole in the distance with letters that I can’t read above it. A deep sense of dread fills me as I walk closer and closer.
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The hole is about 10 feet tall with the words “To Wonderland” above it with an arrow pointing downwards. Melody blares from within the pitch black abyss that the moonlight can’t seem to penetrate. I hear voices beckoning me to join them, to have fun forever with them. It’s all I could do not to give in. I subconciously take a step forward, like someone is controlling me. My arms and legs shake from great strain. I grit my teeth as I try to resist. Soft whispers of persuasion turn to shrieks and threatenings of murder. I close my eyes and focus on moving my right leg back. I feel something snap and I shout in pain, but I keep trying. The screams get louder and it sounds like they are coming from all around. I managed to move my foot a few inches back. I try to block out the noise and move back as hard as I can. I can sense them coming closer to where I stand.
My foot lightly touches the ground and I feel a sense of hope. It's when I try to move my arm when the voices suddenly stop, the silence filled with my heavy breathing. I fall backwards and feel my senses start to come back. The curfew! It has to be a few hours past curfew by now. I stand up and wince as I put pressure on my injured leg, but I try to limp my way out of the forest. Tap tap tap. Soft taps come from the hole. Maybe it’s just my imagination. Maybe this is all just a bad dream that at any moment I could wake up from. This could end any moment now. Frigid air numbs my back and I freeze in my tracks. The tapping gets louder and closer. I limp a little faster to try and get away. The tapping turns to steps, steps into stomps. The sounds are getting faster, I’m a few steps away from the forest. Tiny blades of grass brush against my ankles. My hand touches a decaying branch. Suddenly, a large black hand juts out and grips my leg. I try to grasp the branch but to no avail. My fingers slip, and I crash onto the ground. My leg numbs under the solid grip of the hand. I twist around and kick with my good leg to pry it off. It proves futile, so I scratch at the ground in desperation. The music comes back even louder and more distorted than before. I cry out from fear and pain. The hand drags me closer to the hole with increasing speed. More arms wrap around my limbs and squeeze roughly. The last thing I see is my vision blackening, and the last thing I feel is a sharp snap in my neck.