Wandering Spirits

Chapter 5

Storm scratched his tousled red hair as he watched the girl frantically digging for more mushrooms under the old oak trees. She flinched every time she found one and threw it into her mouth with a desperate joy as if each bite was pure survival. He stood there, feeling his heart beat faster. Should he really just ignore this?

'Maybe she's some kind of modern mushroom elf?' he thought with a hint of humor, even though the situation was obviously not funny. His blue eyes nervously followed her. 'Or maybe she has escaped from something... or someone.'

He knew he should do something. That was what any responsible adult would do. But Storm wasn't entirely sure if he could be considered as a responsible adult yet. The clock on his mobile phone showed 14:32, and he had already forgotten why he had actually gone out into the woods to find her. Was it initially because of concern?

"Come on, think!" He muttered to himself, taking a deep breath. He was known for diving into adventures without looking first, but this was new territory even for him.

'Should I call the police? Or an ambulance?' The thought of involving the authorities made him hesitate. 'What if she's just a strange mushroom collector who loves the freedom of nature in a slightly too intense way?' He smiled wryly at the thought, but the smile quickly faded.

"No, no," he said to himself. Encountering a wild and confused girl alone in the forest was not something one came across every day. And it was definitely not a scenario to be taken lightly - not even by a distracted soul like him.

"Okay, it's decided." He nodded to himself, as if he needed his own approval before acting. "I have to take responsibility here." But his hands were not as convinced, and he stood there for a moment longer, observing the unusual scene in front of him, unsure of what his next move should be. He almost had to act, and quickly!

Storm's index finger wavered over the mobile screen, and with each press of the digital keys, his doubt grew. He knew he had to do it, but something about the quiet forest, hidden from the city's noise, made him hesitate for a second too long. The phone was as restless in his hand as his determination; it glowed with the potential for salvation or betrayal.

"911," lit up on the screen, ready to bring help to the strange girl who was still eagerly chewing on what she had found under the leaves while looking at him with an intense gaze.

"No, don't do it!" The sharp voice broke the silence and Storm's stream of thoughts like a stone through glass. The girl was suddenly anything but passive, as if she had been awakened from a trance. With a speed that caught him off guard, she sprinted towards him, eyes wide open and arms outstretched.

Storm made an instinctive leap backwards, holding the phone up like a trophy above his head. His red hair fluttered around his face as he tried to balance on the uneven forest floor. "So you can talk?" he said, and a half smile appeared, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Her breath was heavy and her hands grasped at the empty air where the phone had been a second earlier. Interesting, yes, thought Storm. She was not just a shadow in the woods, but a mystery that now had a voice.

The girl stared at his phone, as if it were a poisoned apple - desirable and dangerous at the same time. Storm's smile still lingered in the air between them, unsure if it should fade or grow.

He gently lowered the phone. There was something about the desperate look in the girl's eyes that made him hesitate. "Okay," he said in a calm voice, the kind one uses to soothe nervous horses or small children. "I promise, no police - if you answer a few questions."

She regarded him skeptically, her eyes narrow like lines in a face painted with mistrust. Then she slowly folded her legs underneath her and sank down onto the forest floor, the leaves creating a soft rustling sound beneath her. Storm mirrored her actions, allowed himself to sink down in front of her, legs crossed in an alienated imitation.