A VERY DARK tale (#Wattys2016)

Prologue.

It was the first night of November, as if on purpose, it was the coldest night of the whole week. Sitting in those bushes - to put it lightly, was anything but comfortable.

I swallowed lightly, trying to keep my labored breathing from being heard. I pulled my knees to my chest and sat still listening to my surroundings. The chilly moist air clung to my skin causing goose flesh to erupt over my entire body. At this point I was violently shaking, the cold and damp air taking its toll on my body.

I bit my knee, holding in the urge to cough. My dirty, sweaty, mess of hair fell onto my face causing me to wrinkle my nose in disgust. How long had it been since I had taken a nice hot shower? One month? Two months? I couldn't be sure, but what I was sure of was, there was a foul odor mixing into the fresh piney scent of the forest, and it was coming from me. Right now I had to focus on Dawn. In three hours dawn would approach - then I could run.

To survive all I needed was to cross the border with South Dakota to the territory of local Indians. Their land was protected by the powerful spells preventing evil spirits from invading their inhabitants. Ironically, only five months ago, I believed in nothing. Even Sunday Church days had existed for me just to show my good face to the public as an exemplary young lady with the outstanding reputation.

My mother was a member of a local Female Tea Club in our hometown community. According to her, I needed to know only two things: how to bake and be pretty for the men. And that's what I've been doing for the biggest part of my life. Stacy Ann Jenkins with all those features was destined to become a Mrs. to some accountant or a doctor if I would be lucky enough.

Right now, sitting in the darkness listening to the noises from the forest made me wondering if any of my worldviews were sufficient enough. Five months ago I was a naïve society puppet who didn't know what was really going on.

Something made a screech in the distance sending an echo through the still night air. I caught my breath and began listening. I stopped fearing darkness knowing that there were much scarier things that lurked at night, but my heart sunk in, anyway.

My entire posture tensed and slowly I reached for a sharp stick I made only a few hours ago. What a pity! I will have to make another one and in complete darkness that was a task with obstacles.

A shuffle reached my hideaway place. Holding the stick ready I leaned on the tree behind and stopped breathing. In the distance I noticed several more crunches moving closer. This was the moment I needed to decide if I was to attack or to run. My hand dived into the leaves of the bush I was sitting behind and carefully I opened the view into the clearing. My heart reacted with a shrug. I yelped and winced jamming myself into the tree trunk.

"Stupid deer," I muttered restarting my breathing.

Right next to me stood a herd of deer. My cry spook them. I heard them shifting away. It wasn't the first time I've met some wild animals roaming about the forest, but this was the first time when I haven't used my stick. "Crap," I huffed feeling stupid, but when the thickness of the air suddenly changed turning into dry form, a panic rose in my chest. They were getting closer, and I needed to move now if I wanted to reach the border with the protected land.

I stepped out of the bushes, hoping to find where the deer went to follow them. The animals are smart. Their senses told them that They were close by and on instinct they followed the direction to the safer place. I closed my eyes listening again. To my left, I heard several crunches, and without hesitation sprinted through the trees, keeping several paces away from the deer route. In this state of being, I knew full well that right this moment I resembled the same deer. Wild and dirty, running for my life away from the danger, holding my wooden weapon tight in my hand.