Trail Bound

The man spun around and took confused steps towards the tree. He knelt down and picked up the cut ropes. I didn't stay to see anything more. I slipped the hammer in the laces of my skirt, grabbed my two pails, and sprinted into the woods.

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I woke up lying under a tree. Huh. Must have fallen asleep after running away from that knife murderer.

The bucket of water had tipped over. Dang it.

I slapped my head when looking at the blackberry bucket. It was a bad idea to use such a large bucket. Most of the blackberries were squished. With a sigh, I took some non-squished berries and, once again, set out into the woods.

I t wasn't to long before I stumbled upon a dirt trail. This should lead me to someplace helpful.

My boots were dusty. Walking on this trail didn't help. I started to wonder what was in the pond that made it not wet and able to make me feel refreshed. Now that I think about it, maybe that was some sort of fountain of youth or life. That would be ridiculous, though. The fountain of youth was only a myth.

Something landed on my forehead. It felt wet. Must be rain. A couple more sprinkles landed on my face and arms. Time to seek shelter. I ran through the woods as the rain became heavier. A large willow tree could be seen blowing in the distance. Perfect.

As I made my way to the tree, I heard faint rustling noises. Probably just my imagination. Or was it? If it was an animal, that would make sense. There were horses in this world, and they couldn't be the only source of meat.

Nothing could be heard now. The rustling had stopped and I was under the large willow tree. The leaves and branches kept me dry and sort of warm.

I began to worry the rain would go on until night time. Then, I would be forced to sleep under the tree. Surrounded by unknown threats.

It maybe seem like a scared move not to walked in the rain. The things is, the rain is extremely cold. I have no jacket, and getting a cold would be bad. I couldn't die here. I really didn't want to die here. Right now, it seemed like everything was trying to get me.

I thought of singing the song from the dream. This was not the time. I couldn't bring myself to sing it. No way I could find serenity in this world.

The minutes passed slowly. I wish I knew the time, but my pocket watch was broken. Soon I began to grow bored. A long stick was on the ground. I broke tiny pieces off until the stick was a tiny pile of wood.

Walking alone is never safe, not in this place anyway. Even if you are a teenager, you should always have a friend with. Just think of it as the buddy system.