Crow Forest

Chapter One

It was a warm day; golden pools of sunlight spilled through the car window as it sped along the road. Parker's eyes were fixated on her phone. She was distracted, she didn't feel present in that moment. There was a part of her longing to receive a message on her phone. She wanted this all to be some sort of bad dream she could wake up from, but deep down, she knew that wouldn't happen. Parker breathed a heavy exasperated sigh as the service on her phone went blank.

Her dark hair fell forward and she quickly pushed the lock behind her ear. There was nothing Parker could do but hope she'd wake up from this nightmare. Her Mother had decided it was best to send Parker off to stay with her sister and husband. But of course, this would only be temporary, as Parker's Mother had promised she'd only be in the hospital for a short while.

Each day had been a struggle for the family of two. Parker had taken on so many odd jobs around the house to help her unwell Mother. This year was going to be strange; Parker's Mother had asked many of the relatives if they could look after Parker for a few months. Nobody was willing to take on the task, that was until Aunt Linda and Uncle Mark had came forward and offered to help out. Parker scoffed at the thought of the two pretending to be charitable.

Parker missed the city; she would have preferred to stay there instead of being sent out to a sleepy little town on the edge of the crow forest. A strange name indeed. Speaking of the city, Parker also preferred it as her Uncle and Aunt didn't live there. She'd never seen them try to help her Mother when she became sick. Her Mother also held a grudge against her sister Linda from when they were children. Parker never knew what that grudge was, but she would treat her uncle and Aunt coldly whenever she saw them.

'Well at least their house is pretty big, I can just avoid them' Parker hummed in thought, If the girl could help it, she'd avoid as much interactions as possible. Her Aunt and Uncle had no children and no pets. There wasn't much to do or see around their house. She was bored just thinking about it. Parker wondered how much would have changed in five years. She wondered if they would recognise her or even remember her. Perhaps not... her mind kept bubbling with thoughts, she could feel acid creeping up her throat.

This family dynamic was confusing at times. There were so many fights and grudges being held between all the relatives. Parker never questioned when her mother cut off contact between their relatives. She didn't argue with her Mum, she knew that there was always a reason to everything.  Parker shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts.

She sighed and slipped her phone back into her pocket. The anxious girl was worrying too much. Her Mother wouldn't send her away to complete strangers. A loud roar came from the engine as the car began to speed up again down the country road. Parker turned her head towards her window to take in the magnificent view of Crow Forest. She'd never stepped foot into the foreboding forest. It was a strange place. She felt as if there was an evil within the darkness, lurking between the trees and watching her.

The forest went by many strange names such as the changeling land because of the oddity of the season-changing trees. The trees would be flaming red one-week, deep orange the next, then overnight bright green, almost as if the forest was changing to a different season each day or sometimes week. No scientist could explain this strange phenomenon; it always weirded her out. The seasons seemed to have no effect the trees.

Right now, the forest was a burning fire of colours. The autumn trees zoomed by her window. In a way, it was strangely beautiful. When she was little, her mother told her stories about the forest, folklore, if you will. Her Mother used to say that the forest was full of magic, wonder and monsters. Creatures of the night that would follow the people who got lost in the woods and terrorise the dreams of each traveller that dared to step into its glory.

When Parker was younger, she was still in contact with her Uncle and Aunt. She used to stay at their house sometimes during the weekend, but that was a long time ago. She was always afraid of the stories her mother would tell her whenever the duo was visiting Linda and Mark. Now that she was older, she knew better.

All those stories and folklore were nonsense that her mother made up to keep Parker from wandering off. That's all they were, nothing else. The forest was beautiful and endless. It wasn't some magical or evil place, just a home to the animals. She rolled her eyes for being such a gullible child and believing in such fairy tale garbage.

Parker felt a sting of pain run through her as her heart throbbed violently in her chest. She wished her mother could be here with her. Deep down the girl knew that her mother would love the view. Perhaps when her mother was better, they could finally start exploring the world instead of always being stuck at home. She'd dreamed about the two going overseas or taking a cruise to see the northern lights. The sky was the limit once her mother was better.

Back in the city, Parker was always jealous of the kids that attended her school. They would have the most picture-perfect families. A Mother with a heart of gold, supportive in every way. Everyone in their family well, taking holidays like no tomorrow. She prayed that someday she'd have a life exactly the same. But she knew nothing was ever that simple, and you couldn't spend your whole life praying for the impossible.

Life is cruel. Parker was wholly lost in her thoughts; she didn't notice as the car turned into the entrance of the town. It was only when the tall skyscraper trees darkened the car with large green shadows, she realised that she was nearing her final destination. She blinked stunned by the sudden change in scenery. A sense of nostalgia washed over her.

Magnificent, grand, standing homes greeted the car as it entered civilisation. Each yard was so neatly kept with mown grass and colourful flowers. Every street was lined with the tallest, greenest trees you would ever see. They loomed high above the houses. These houses were known as traditional villa's, strongly built, yet still inviting. Golden rivers of light splattered the pavement. She felt sleepy at the inviting warm light.

Parker wanted to catch the falling light in her palms. The car began to slow down as they approached an intersection in the road, there was a large give way sign standing in front of them. Parker glanced up and caught the eyes of the driver gazing back at her through the mirror. She turned her head away not wanting to start a conversation. She hoped quietly that he hadn't noticed her. The car began to speed up once again as it crossed the road. She let out a small sigh and crossed her arms as she did.