FFXIVWrite2019 @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast
Prompt #3: Lost
“It’s that way, Faye!”
“No, the path home is that way.”
“Nu-uh! It’s this way!” The two teenagers went back and forth with one another.
“And how do you figure that?” the girl asked.
“Because the big log we pass with the patch of moss on it that looks like a face is over here!” the boy insisted, flinging one arm out to point toward the log in question, the fallen tree limb resting alongside the overgrown footpath deep within the dense forest of the Black Shroud.
“What? That's not it. That is the log with the face,” she retorted, gesturing to the opposite trail where a remarkably similar log lay within the brush.
“Whaaaaat?” He moved toward the log she indicated, leaning close and squinting as he briefly inspected it before the auburn-haired teen straightened up again, placing his hands upon his hips and turning back to her. “It’s not! The log we pass looks like this!” His face contorted into a ridiculous looking grimace, mouth agape and one eye half-shut. He held the expression for moment before he continued. “But this log looks like this!” His features twisted again into a comically sour expression, mouth puckered and brows furrowed.
The girl stomped forward to get a better look of her own at the moss formation, rosy lips pressing into a frown as she knelt to brush her fingertips over it. “You’re crazy. It barely looks like anything, just two eyes and a mouth. We’ve been following your lead, wandering around lost for bells now. It’s my turn to make the decisions.”
“You’re awful with directions!” He protested. “The only reason you ever found me in the first place is because you were lost!”
“And you’ve me to thank for your life because of it. That means we should trust my intuition and you’ve an obligation to do what I say.”
“I don’t gotta do anything! Woman’s intuition, huh? That’s supposed to get us back home?”
“No! Shut up. It’s more than that. I’ve been here longer than you. I know the Twelveswood better.” She didn’t wait for a response before she began marching down the path she had chosen, though she came to a sudden stop after only a few paces, the gears in her head turning. “Wait a tick...” She folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t remember there ever being two logs here before.”
A chorus of childish giggles responded, softly chiming bell-like from all around them, distant yet near, accompanied by the rustle of twigs and leaves. The teens glanced around every which way, but there were no other signs of their visitors save for the occasional flash of leaves in the corner of their vision.
“Oh, wonderful,” Faye breathed a sigh, pale blue eyes settling upon her companion. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Nu-uh, it’s an adventure! We’re surrounded by cabbage ghosts now! That’s fun!”
“Sylphs, Zularti,” she corrected. “They’re toying with us. Who knows when we’ll get home now! Dinner must be getting cold... Mother will have quite the lecture waiting for us.”
Zularti scoffed. “You know I can get us home! I always do.”