Daughter of Luka (LGBT+)

Four 🌑

Would the rain ever stop? I thought to myself, as I continued to walk over tree branches and loose leaves. I would not fall, I assured myself as I narrowly avoided falling over. I should have brought a better pair of shoes, I thought glumly, as I ventured onward. I needed to not break my ankles. If I ever wanted the chance of exploring the forest again, I knew that I also had to prove a point to my father about being able to take care of myself. He had always been slightly over-protective, but I had recognised that matter had really seemed to kick in after mum's death. 

As I wandered under a tree, a great fat droplet of rain splashed against my forehead. I winced at the sudden cold feeling of it, but carried myself forward. A little rain had never killed anyone. At least, not to my knowledge. 

The sun was beginning to set. Somehow, the rain continued even while the sun was out. If it had occurred any earlier in the day, then there probably would have been a rainbow. Instead, the sky was still grey, in parts, and there was a chill in the air. I pulled my jacket closer to my body a little, as if doing so would suddenly make me warmer. It almost worked. 

The path forward became a little less deadly, that is to say that the path was becoming a little less crowded by loose branches and decaying leaves- leaves that made a satisfying crunch as my footsteps fell upon them. 

My eyes glanced skyward for a moment and I realised just how dark the atmosphere around me had grown. 

I wondered, momentarily, whether there would be another full moon tonight. Oddly enough, there had been a full moon for the past three evenings. It didn't make sense to me. I had owned a phases of the moon poster at one point- my astrology-obsessed friend had loaned me it- but I had never thought that a full moon would last for more than one evening in a row. I had to acknowledge that this was strange, but then my heart sank when I heard a peculiar howl nearby. It was probably just a wolf, I established, but then again- since when did wolves live in these parts? 

It was a stupid thought. My stomach grumbled at me. Perhaps I was simply having hunger-related auditory hallucinations. It was a possibility that I couldn't overlook. I stepped forward. 

I could forget about my hunger pangs because for the most part, I was happy. I had wanted to explore the forest for a long time and I was finally doing so, and I had to admit even though it was a little darker now (I thanked my phone battery for not being completely flat, so I could use my torch), it was beautiful. 

Sure enough, just like a great pearl in the sky, the full moon soon became apparent in the now pitch-black sky. How was this possible? Maybe my hunger-based illusions had led me to imagining entire astronomical bodies. 

I pushed the thought away. At least the moon provided enough light for me to see a log placed in the way, which I carefully stepped over. Now was not the time to crack my neck, as if there was ever a good time for that. 

Apart from my hunger, I was having fun. 

I looked up into one of the nearby trees and spotted the golden sun-like eyes of an owl, staring at me. A little odd. It didn't take its eyes off me for a single moment, all the while I passed by it and into the depth of even more trees. 

I hoped I would be able to find my way back. This place was dark and I had watched enough true-crime documentaries in my time to have a little unease about the possible presence of murderers and molesters. 

It was at that thought I decided I would return home soon, but for now I was going to enjoy my time in the quiet. 

Maths had totally sucked today. It sucked most days, in all honesty, but I was glad that I now had the surroundings of the forest to distract my mind from that fact. 

I was definitely going to have to come back in the day time and get some painting done. I was certain that the forests must look much, much better, especially when you could actually see all the different varieties of flower and tree. 

A more defined path became apparent in the woods, then, as though it had been constructed by someone- or many people, for that matter. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I wasn't a scaredy cat, I walked down the path until my body bumped into some stone. I took a step back and moved my torch over the barrier in front of me. I soon discovered that it must be some sort of door. At least, it looked like one. 

"Excuse me," a voice spoke behind me, causing my heart to almost leap out of my chest at full speed. 

I would have been more frightened, if I hadn't turned and found that the voice belonged to an adolescent boy. He looked a few years younger than me, at least. 

He placed an arm to his brow and winced at the torchlight. 

"Sorry," I said swiftly, as I put the torch out. 

The boy was holding his own torch,  but this one was a lot more stone-age - literal fire on a stick. 

"Who are you?" he asked, as he cleared his throat. 

I managed to find my voice again to speak, despite my anxieties. 

The boy stood in front of me couldn't hurt me. He was about five-foot-seven and had the body composition of a piece of spaghetti. Okay, that may have been a little insulting, perhaps a packet of spaghetti was more appropriate. 

"Ophelia," I said, with a small smile, "And you are?" I asked, surprised at my confidence.