With Love from the Stars

the men

I woke up to a little sparrow hopping around on the branch next to me, warbling happily to itself. The air was fresh and cool from the night and my breathing formed small, delicate clouds. With care, I freed myself from my safety devices and stuffed the ropes and my sleeping bag into my rucksack. Then I climbed onto one of the lower branches. 

It was still high enough that no one could reach me directly and had dense foliage to protect me from prying eyes for the time being. And then I waited. Soon it would be time. One of the men must have discovered the trail late last night and soon they would come. And hopefully fall into my trap. I didn't know exactly what I would do then, but thinking about it was a luxury I didn't have at the moment.

Maybe two hours later I felt it. The forest became quieter as the animals fell silent and even the wind became still. I held my breath. 

It was the man I had seen a few days ago. He moved through the forest like a predator. Despite his tall stature, he moved very quietly and kept stopping to spot my clues. Just before my tree he knelt down and looked at the bush. 

I had hung three hairs of mine on a two. The man now touched these carefully and.... brought them to his nose to smell them? Had I just imagined that? No, he really did. He took a very deep breath and then straightened up again. As if he was taking in the scent. But that was impossible, wasn't it? 

He stretched his nose in all directions and finally stopped at my tree. My breath quickened. The man came closer to my tree and I pressed myself tightly against the trunk. He took a few steps back, presumably to get a better view of the tree in its entirety. 

He was standing just before my trap. I held my breath tensely. He took another step backwards. My eyes were fixed on this tall, broad figure. He seemed to be made of pure muscle mass, a bit like the men who had worked out in so-called fitness studios back when they still existed. Although, no, not quite. He seemed to me, strangely enough, as if he looked like that because he needed it in everyday life.

And that sent a shiver down my spine twice. Firstly, because it meant that he was probably highly trained for physical confrontations - and secondly, because... No, I couldn't admit it to myself, it was just inappropriate in the current situation. The way the tight-fitting shirt tightened around his arms and... I watched his neck as he tilted his head. 

And took another step back. Right into my trap.

With a tug, the net snapped shut and the man hovered about half a metre above the ground. It probably wouldn't last quite as long as I would have thought, given his size and weight. 

The man began to curse. It was too quiet for me, I didn't understand it, but I could feel the intensity and almost had to stifle a smile at the way he was squatting there like that in the net, his arms and legs tangled. His attempts to get out of it now made it worse.

"I know you're there." I almost lost my footing in my tree, I was so startled. The man was now looking directly at my tree and even about where I was sitting."Why don't you come out and show yourself if you dare?"

I had to snort loudly. As if I would fall for something like that. Oh no, that was probably too loud.

"Are you laughing at me now too? That is so not polite." Now his eyes were really on the branch in front of me.

 I was getting scared. I had to get out of here. I quickly slung my backpack on my back and began to climb down the tree. If I was quick now, I might manage to get away from him. I took two steps in the opposite direction.