Red Forest - Part 1: You

Sink into the earth. Get closer to the dead. Begin your search, just to get ahead. Dance around a fire, and feel what is said. Don’t try to understand, you’ll only hurt your head. I can’t really tell you, but I know there’s only one way through the red. One way for the dead and one way that can’t be said.

As I walk through this green maze I can’t help but wonder, when I’ll be dead. I’ve given more than I’ve ever had. I’m lost and it’s not so bad. Maybe just a bit sad. Still, I can say what I want, pick up my tone, and think out loud. I just took off my pants and normally this isn’t allowed. I can rhyme like it’s a crime, and even switch it up from time to time. I speak to the trees and the world that sees me. I’m nothing but free, and no one can see me.

I’ve just been strolling, while looking for a way out. Kinda hungry and broken, struggling without a doubt. Might not care if I even pass out. I haven’t counted the days and my stomaches been moving. I found myself on a path and couldn’t help but think, this forest is soothing.

I skipped through the path and hummed my rhymes, as I looked and searched for a new path to find. I dodged a branch that seemed to reach out. I brushed off vines that swung into my way. I glanced down at an oddly giant eye, just as it blinked, while I was in the midst of hopping by. I had honestly never seen such a big eye. I stopped and snapped my head back to look at it, especially since it made no sense to see an eye in the ground at all, but when I doubled back it was just a small puddle.

After inspecting the puddle to understand what I saw, here’s the conclusion I came to. The reflection of the leaves above, made it look like an eye, and when my shadow passed over it, it looked like it blinked.

I was hopping back and forth over the puddle trying to catch a glimpse of the illusion again, but I couldn’t shake this feeling, that I was being watched. I stopped and scanned the whole forest, but couldn’t find anyone. If someone had finally come across me they probably wouldn’t be interested in this, depressed loser with no pants on.

Maybe I was just feeling the eyes of an animal. That’s right! It’s probably a squirrel…a bird…or some random…woodland creature.

Anyway, I felt a bit self conscious and decided to go back for my pants. I glanced around as I retraced my steps, still searching for the eyes that I felt, while also searching for the pants I lost. Was I just being paranoid? Maybe, but it wouldn’t hurt to also keep looking around for new paths throughout this forest.

I heard the leaves move behind me and snapped back to find the cause, hopefully with the pair of eyes that I suspected were watching me.

Again, I couldn’t find them.

I shouted, “Come out!” and looked for the slightest reaction. “I know you’re there!,” I continued, but still got nothing. “Seriously, If I have to find you myself…I’ll kill you!”, I went on with absolute conviction. If that doesn’t bring them out, it’ll just prove I’m being paranoid, and nobody’s here.

I watched and listened, but all I could sense was the soft sound of the wind moving through the trees, as it made the leaves rustle, the branches shake, and the vines get blown into my way. I still wasn’t convinced. I bursted into a dash and raced forward ready to chase them down, as if I was after them. There was still no movement. Nothing around me even bothered to flinch. I must’ve just heard the wind move something earlier. Even if I do find someone, they basically gave me permission to kill them. I wouldn’t.

At this point, I was at an impasse. I wanted to go back to being carefree as I explored this forest, but it might be better for me to try and hold on to what’s left of my sanity, so I should go find my pants. Holding on to what’s left would be the safest most logical decision…but my sanity isn’t in peril. I’m safe. I just need to find some pants before the paranoia takes over, and someone finds me out here losing it.

Pants are boring.

No…screw the pants.

Suddenly, I heard something thump on the ground behind me. I put my hands up and flipped around, ready for whatever it was. I looked down to see a nut rolling on the ground. It must’ve just fallen from a tree, and here I am ready to fight it for my life. I’m definitely just being paranoid.

I let out a sigh, and while I was putting my hands down to turn back on the path, I nearly walked into a crooked tree branch. It took me by surprise, so I lost my balance while flinching my arms up again. I fell back onto the ground, towards the nut.

Frustrated, I complained aloud, "God! It’s like everything’s out to get me.”

The branch had grown into an extremely odd position, and staring up at it from this angle really allowed me to appreciate it. It was like it had specifically grown coiling downwards, while the other branches had grown up towards the sky.

I continued to look up at the sky allowing myself to get lost in thought, as I waited for the wind to let me catch a glimpse of the sun between the trees. Losing patience, I let out a chuckled gasp as I stood up to further investigate the branch.

I scanned it over, and continued to wonder. What caused this branch to grow like this? What causes a branch to grow in any direction, anyway? Sunlight? Obstructions? Animals? Other plants? It got weirder as I continued to inspect it. I was assuming it was a regular branch, but when I traced its growth back towards the trunk, it gradually got thicker until it morphed into a limb. This odd branch didn’t even have any leaves.

With the other branches growing upwards, they appeared to make up the head of the tree, while the trunk was the body. Looking at the odd branch, it was easy to imagine it as the arm of the tree. I mean once I noticed it, I couldn’t unsee it.

Welp.

I decided to give up on my little investigation, and move past it. I won’t figure it out today. I mean, I could, it’s not like I have anywhere to be, but I honestly don’t care anymore. Figuring out that weird tree wasn’t gonna help me, and I just wanna shake this this nervous feeling.

Maybe if I had my damn pants on, I wouldn’t be so nervous about everything. I started to jog back in order to hasten the search for my pants, and get rid of this gross feeling. Of course I could actually move freely, but this feeling gave my limbs a sense of stiffness, like I was wrapped in heavy chains. I still couldn’t remember where I dropped the pants, so I was quickly scanning the forest floor while I moved.

I worried if an animal had moved them, but I actually haven’t seen any animals in a while. I wonder if they’re all asleep? It is getting kind of dark. It was that eerie time of the day, where the sky was still blue but the sun was gone.

I heard the branches move again and I couldn’t help but glance back, again. Even so, right after, I had to snap my head back down, worried that I might step over the pants without realizing it. I was pulling myself apart trying to figure everything out, when the only thing I really needed to figure out was a way out of here.

It was actually getting really hard to see at this point. Everything was darkened with a faint shade of blue, and I worried that I might miss the pants. I leaned my head further down to get a closer look at the ground, while I searched. I heard another noise, probably another nut falling, but again I couldn’t help myself from looking back. It was harder to do this time, as I turned my body back, mid-trot, just to throw another paranoid glance around this blindingly dark forest. I didn’t see anything, but the feeling that someone was staring just wouldn’t go away. I made another wild glance around, hoping to notice something that would put me at ease, but it was too dark.

I couldn’t even bother to put my head down anymore, but I also didn’t want to stop moving. The jog was turning into a full on sprint. I wasn’t sure where I was headed, but I didn’t wanna stop running, and I just kept glancing around.

I eventually stumbled over a random tree root. I still didn’t want to stop, but when I stumbled, it slowed me down enough to freeze me in place. My legs were too busy shaking for me to take control of them. I was scared stiff, like dozens of heavy chains were suddenly thrown over me. My focus shifted from running, to frantically glancing around.

I was absolutely terrified. My body knows something is there, even if my brain couldn’t figure it out. I could feel every hair on my body standing, as if they themselves were reaching out in search of it. My eyes continued to jumped all over the place, looking for whatever it was. Every time I looked in one direction, I worried that I’d miss something coming from another. I could feel my heart beating against the inside of my ear, and then I felt something touch me.

It tickled my legs, brushed my entire backside, and even tapped me on the head. It sort of felt like a rope. I immediately swatted at it while turning around, but I only managed to get it further wrapped around my arm. I panicked and continued to manically look around, while I used my free hand to help get my arm loose. I soon realized they were just vines, but while I was getting my arm free, I finally locked eyes with something in the darkness.

I was completely frozen in fear. I stopped trying to shake the vines, and just focused on what I saw. I couldn’t hear anything but my own nervous breathing, and the wild beating of my heart picking up it’s pace against my ears again. The eyes felt giant, and despite how dark it was, I knew what I was seeing. I couldn’t really tell how far or close they were. I mean, each eyeball looked as if it was the size of a soccer ball. I couldn’t even make out a face, but whatever light was left in the sky, was reflecting off the moist texture of the eyes and made me sure of what I was looking at. I didn’t dare to look away for a second, and I dreaded the moment I had to blink.

I was terrified of losing sight of them. I had too many questions and fears all at once. With my arm still suck, I tried to step around and get a better look at it, and it’s body. I watched closely to see if they’d follow me, but the vines still had me tied up so I couldn’t move too far. I yanked at them, and saw the glisten of the eyes briefly disappear with a blink. There was no mistaking it now, I took another step but found myself starting to slip into a whole ravine.

I was stunned. I should’ve noticed it. I turnt around and tried to use the vines to my advantage, before I could slip any further, but they suddenly loosened and I was falling back, headfirst, into the ravine. There was nothing left to grab onto, and in a desperate attempt to save myself from head trauma, I kicked off to readjust my landing. Luckily the ravine wasn’t too wide, and I landed on the other side, able to pull myself up.

I had saved myself in the moment, but it wasn’t over.

I completely lost sight of the eyes. Whatever thing those eyes belonged too, must’ve moved. It wasn’t just curiosity and paranoia making me like this. It was something real, something I should be afraid of, and something that was clearly after me. I was desperately looking around again, and completely unhinged now. I couldn’t believe what I saw, but they were real, and even blinked when I moved.

It was too dark to see anything but I was looking for any giant shape to match the size of the eyes. The thought of running away passed through my mind again and again, while I was rapidly searching. I didn’t even care to blink anymore, and my breathing was so deep, my chest was beginning to brush against my chin with every breath. The tinted blue of the darkness had slowly faded away, and the trees covering the night sky had cast an impossibly dark shadow over the whole forest. Searching in this darkness felt utterly pointless. I don’t even know what I’ll do, once I find the thing. It’s gonna find me.

I started running again. I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know where I’m going. I just can’t stop. I didn’t care what the eyes belonged to anymore. I just needed to get away.

As I desperately ran through the darkness, I found myself dodging all sorts of obstacles. The limbs and branches of these trees definitely grow as if they’re trying to grab you. The vines are so easy to get caught in, I’ve just been ripping through them, at this point. And the roots of these trees keep trying to trip me up, while I narrowly dodge some oddly placed ravines.

It’s as if everything in this forest is seriously out to get me!

I turned my head and looked back at the trees, stumbling over another root in that moment. I looked down, and could swear I saw it shrink back into the ground. My eyes could’ve been playing tricks due to the darkness, and it could’ve just been the root moving from when my foot bumped into it. I just couldn’t be sure anymore.

I didn’t wanna find out what those eyes belonged to, but it’s just me and that thing in this strange forest. All I could feel was fear, like a helpless animal, as I tried to imagine it. I’d give anything to find a way out of this forest right now.

I watched my feet and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, as fast as I could. There was nothing else I could do except focus on this run, and so my mind began to wander. I thought about what I saw.

I couldn’t make sense of them, they just hung in the darkness. They didn’t rise or sink. They didn’t even give me time to think, they just hung there without a link.

Unless I’m going crazy, this forest is trying to take me. When I glance around, I see the branches reaching out to me, the vines trying to wrap around me, and the roots trying to slow me.

This forest must want me to stay. The trees must be shifting so I’ll never find my way. If I can just make it through today. If I can just make it through today. If I can just make it, what will I do the next day?

I spent so much time looking back, I stumbled forward and slammed into something hard and flat. It was blindingly dark and tall. I couldn’t run anymore, so I relaxed into my fall. It was a giant boulder, so I turned and sat against it, unaware that another boulder had slipped off its shoulder. Now, all I can see is red, the boulder slammed onto me and I’ve been squished dead.

This forest is truly soothing, it just needed me to stop moving.

I published the next 2 parts on a separate site. I added the concept of a man who brings everything to life with a touch, ending with him feeling forced to eat himself.