Small Mistake

 “This is a depression bear,” Kiya said while holding up a blue stuffed care bear carrying a sour expression on its face, then handing the bear to her friend. 

“Aww he’s so cute” Eden cooed at the stuffed plush.

“Kind of ugly though” was a follow up

“He is honest,” Kiya snickered.

A small shared giggle was met between them, ending abruptly when a middle-aged woman bumped into both of them. Both of the kids looked at the back of the women in confusion after the small collision. Then they see that a piece of paper fell out of her hand. Eden reaches out for the scrap and reads what it said,

Follow me

“What is it?” Kiya asked.

“Just a note saying Follow me” Eden replied.

“We should go!”

“Why, what if something bad happens, it is very bizarre for a random lady to just tell us to follow her?”

“What if something cool is there, it’s not like we have anything to do anyway?”

“But-” 

Before he got to finish his sentence he felt Kiya grasping his wrist, pulling him along with her. 

“Hurry up we’re going to lose her!” 

Eden reluctantly followed as they ran on the hard concrete path to catch up with the odd lady. The children followed, and followed, and followed. After a short while, the lady walked into a dense forest where the concrete stopped and now the kids were faced with the thickly wooded area with a small dirt road. This dirt road was barely noticeable from the insides of the woods, with all the overgrown plants and moss consuming the surface. 

“I don't think we should go in there Kiya,”

“Why are you scared?”

“Um yeah? Of course, I am, any sane person would. What if we get lost, what if we lose each other?”

“That’s not going to happen, if you’re that scared, would you like to hold on to my hand, you that make you feel better?” She said mockingly 

“I still don't have a good feeling about this,”

“It’ll be fine, we can always run if anything goes wrong,”

“Whatever you say I guess,” 

And so they both venture off to the dark deep depths of the woods. The swaying trees told them to go further, wind whispering in their ears to turn back, the sun resting down into the sky and meek noises from animals around them. The lady’s silhouette is now lost in the shrubs and vegetation. Both can hear each other's breaths picking up while they step slowly through the terrain. Eden clutch the bear tights with every step they make. 

I knew this wasn't a good idea

He thought to himself. Suddenly he felt some hands touching him by the waist. Startled, he let out a scream.

“Gosh, Kiya don't do that,”

He turned to face her, but

Kiya felt her back tingle at the quiet sound of the area around her. And her breath quickened too.

I think he was right about this

She doesn’t even think Eden was right, she knows it. The dark whispers of the woods tell everything she needs to know.

“Hey Eden, I think you’re right about this, we should turn back,” she said defeatedly 

“Eden, um, I know you’re scared so why don't we go back now, maybe to my house?”

“Eden please talk to me, I know you might be mad at me for not listening to you earlier, how about an I’m sorry from me?”

“Eden, don’t give me the silent treatment please, let's just-”

Before she finishes, there was the blue stuffed bear Eden was clutching, laying on the ground. And before she can even apprehend anything, she can hear a scream. A scream that sounded like Eden, a scream that was from Eden. Hysterical shouts and cries from her best friend. She rushed to the source of the noises, running through the thorns and trees, not caring about her clothing being snagged and ripped from them.

She saw him. Him, Eden, being forced to endure so much pain. His skin trickled out blood from various cuts and with sticks and thorns sticking out of him. One of the arms was twisting backward awkwardly, a leg practically being amputated from the knee facing upwards, some of the bone poking out through the skin. Everywhere, to his clothes and skin, all battered, bruised and stained with blood. Seeming like he was dragged all the way there. Even missing patches of skin throughout his arms and legs. Seeing his head, almost the worst part of what has been done to him. It seems that all the skin there was melting off and burn marks scattered throughout those parts. Eyes bulging out of its sockets, one almost hanging off. His blood splattered on his melting skin. His once beautiful smile, now reduced to broken teeth around his body and swollen violet and red lips. His face was so mutilated, you couldn’t even recognize him anymore. This isn't even the worst part. Her eyes moved down to his torso. It looked like something tried eating him. With organs spilling out of the chest cavity, in pools of blood around them. His heart was to a bush near them, along with other organs scattered around his body. Kiya couldn’t even take a breath, too scared to cry, it was too much to look at again.  

She just stood there, her mind couldn’t even comprehend what was there. Her friend was laying there dead, and it was her fault. All hers. She dropped down onto her knees with warm tears starting to bloom in her eyes. But there, there she sees a piece of paper placed on the blue bear? Laying on his mangled chest. Reaching out for the scrap, and placing it in her hands. Could barely read it with how foggy everything looked with her tears bubbling and drooping from her eyes. But she can just make out what it says, there was only one word.

“Curious?”

 

Summit House-WCS

VT

YWP Instructor