The Spawns

The Spawns | Chapter XXXIII -- Postponing the Inevitable

THE SPAWNS

Postponing the Inevitable

Chapter XXXIII—Lilibeth

© DarknessAndLight

"We're lost."

"We're not lost, we're exploring," Nikki answered enthusiastically.

"We're definitely lost," I repeated.

"O ye of little faith," she told me in a chuckle.

Nikki had been adamant about going for a walk in the woods behind her house. Apparently she knew the trails like the back of her hand.

Clearly she had no idea what was behind her hand, because we were definitely lost. We'd been going around in what felt like circles for about an hour. I was sure I had seen these specific trees a few times already and that we were trekking on the same path we had earlier.

Sure, it wasn't exactly the end of the world. There were worst places to get lost in. The forest was beautiful and kind of soothing. And even if we were lost, this patch of wood land wasn't that enormous. We would end up on a street at one point.

I didn't stop me from telling my cousin, "If we get killed by wild animals, I'll come back as an angry spirit, I can assure you that."

Nikki laughed, still leading the way confidently, "I like that kind of quiet rage. Really healthy."

"Thank you. You won't distract me from the fact that we're lost."

She waved the matter away, bending a little to walk under a low branch that was in our way. We'd cross that particular tree three times. I was sure of it. "We're not lost. We're just postponing the inevitable."

"The inevitable being yelling for help?"

"Nah, the inevitable is going back to the sad monotony of everyday life instead of being surrounded by the simple magic that forests offer you."

I shook my head, chuckling. My cousin truly had a peculiar way of thinking. It was really refreshing, I couldn't deny it. "You think forests are magic?"

She stopped in her path, and turned around gapping at me in faux-outrage. "You don't?"

"Well, I think there's magic in books, but I don't think it's real. You're talking about real magic, right?" I shrugged one shoulder.

Nikki narrowed her eyes at me. "You know, for being from the artistic part of our family, I really don't understand how you can be so literal sometimes, so pragmatic." She waved her finger at me. "You think magic isn't real because you can't wave a wand around and make people disappear?"

I made an apologetic grimace. "I guess..."

"And this whole concept of what is real and what isn't, it's always bothered me," she claimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Reality is something very subjective. What's real for some people can be unreal for many others. What's obviously factual and existing can be a lie to others. Reality isn't real either. It's just a concept you've made up in your mind."

I rolled my eyes, huffing in disbelief. "Oh my god, how lost are we really?"

Nikki laughed at my outburst. "I'm being serious here. You really have issues about things being real, like just the way you question Cole's feelings and the legitimacy of your own."

I didn't like where this conversation was going. I preferred focussing on the whole being-lost predicament. "There's nothing wrong with questioning everything," I pointed out.