Press the Keys

Part 3

           Entering the forest wasn't as awful as I was told. The trees didn't lean down and consume me, no demons came to capture me, and no vengeful spirits appeared from the darkness to possess me. This place was as a normal forest was supposed to be. The trees were broad and the leaves were a dark shade of jade, but no claw marks were showing on their bark. The grass was long and unkept, but not stained with dried blood or littered with old bones. There were even a few small flowers sprouting from the ground. This place was so ordinary, but it felt so dreadful.

          As soon as I broke through the treeline, that pit in my stomach multiplied by ten, making me feel like I had swallowed a boulder. There were goosebumps all over my arms and legs, but it wasn't cold at all. I shivered as the breeze rustled the leaves above me. Although the forest appeared to be completely visually fine, the energy I was feeling was quite the opposite. Being raised with two magical parents teaches you a lot about what is happening around you. Certain spells or potions or even being around some ingredients can heighten your senses to help you see, feel, or hear what is happening around you. It's a temporary side effect of being exposed to certain magic elements, but it makes everything so much more detectable.

          My father was on his way to work one day when he was approached by our neighbor from across the street. Our neighbor, Mr. E, wanted to speak to my father regarding his, well, my, incident with water weaving. I had accidentally flooded his yard and he wanted to make sure his flowers weren't going to be negatively affected by my spell. Well, my father is human and Mr. E is a thunder golem. He is made of rock, but he is powered by electricity, lightning to be more exact. Every time Mr. E approaches or is near my father, his electric energy makes my father's hair stand up and his clothes to get filled with static with the energy Mr. E gives off. It's kind of like that, but I was feeling more negative energy.

          I felt dread and anxiety, but I didn't feel straight terror. I wasn't scared, but I was on high alert as I was feeling all of the negative power coursing through my body. I paused where I was and took a close look at the environment that surrounded me on all sides. Everything appeared to be visually fine,  but I knew by the pit in my stomach that there was something way off. I looked at the forest floor and saw the trail of paper leading further into the wilderness, my mind getting back on track. I exhaled and proceeded into the forest, pushing past hanging vines and scooting around mushroom patches.

          As I walked, it came to my attention that the trail of textbook pieces seemed to fade gradually, the trail I was following was getting smaller. I sighed and pressed on, climbing over fallen oak trees and ducking under low hanging moss. I rubbed my eyes, running out of energy quick. It felt like something was draining me of my energy, sucking the life out of me. I felt increasingly tired, my body getting heavier with every step I took. I was exhausted when I got to the forest, thanks to school being rough and then cleaning Miss Fragur's hut, so I didn't want to do anything else but go home and sleep. The more I pressed on, the more tired I seemed to get. The more steps I took, the more it made the green grass below me look like an appealing bed. I didn't like this feeling. Something inside of me snapped and I was full with adrenaline. I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, pushing the dream of sleeping to the very back of my mind.

          I heard something then, something soft. It was a soft whisper being carried by the wind, as if a feather was floating about aimlessly, no plan to where it was heading. I froze in my spot, pausing, listening closely. It sounded quiet, but it was beautiful. I reached up and cupped my ear with my hand, trying to get a clear listen to whatever was creating the sounds. I even closed my eyes, shutting off one of my senses in an attempt to heighten the other ones, especially my hearing. I held my breath as well, trying to silence any noises I'm making to really focus on what was sounding around me.