Drowning(Hiatus)

Chapter 3

The darkness hit after the sunset almost like turning a switch and my trek through the woods was beginning to seem endless although it had only been 5 minutes since I changed directions.

I couldn't possibly be lost, could I?

Of course not. Nothing good would come out of scaring myself, I figured, I should just keep moving. I strolled here and there barely keeping track of the path. Didn't I pass that tree before? Or not. I couldn't be sure. All the trees looked the same around this time. I came to a halt once a familiar figure came into my line of sight. A short stumped oak. I remembered sitting across it and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God, I thought I was lost."

The distant howling I heard was constantly adding to my unease and I was beginning to wonder if coming here at this time was such a wise idea. This place had a pretty weak network coverage and considering I had the survival skills of a potato on fire, I would pretty much be animal fodder if I had actually managed getting myself lost. I grabbed a sharp rock from the ground and held onto it. Survival skills or not, I'm not going to get myself eaten without a fight.

The familiar scent of honeysuckle and the sound of running water greeted me as I stepped into the clearing. I walked over in the direction of running water and as I went, along the way the darkness was illuminated by the dim flicker of fireflies. It felt like I had stepped into a world that had it's own reality, a world which comes with a mysterious charm and I found myself gravitating more and more towards it.

With the tender gleam from the fireflies accompanied by the moon light above me, I eventually found myself next to the pond where I had met the stranger.

Without meaning to, my heart beat picked up at the sight. I would probably never get used to how beautiful this place gets. The scent of the trees, the gentle waft, the moon reflected across the clear waters and the magnificent panorama of the rocky hills enveloping the entire structure as if to protect it's secrecy.

Everything about here felt alive and more uplifting than any of the places I had visited with Edvin.

It charged me with a strange sense of calmness yet excitement at the same time. I wanted to capture this moment somehow, rummaging my purse for my phone to snap a shot but the shot came out blurred and too dark to do this wonder much justice. I shoved my phone back in the purse, frustrated.

Here I was blaming the darkness for the poor quality of my phone's camera yet the darkness was what made the strange glow coming from the water, the stars, the fireflies stand out, giving it a touch of magic.

But my disappointment didn't last long because somewhere in the dark I managed to spot movement from the corner of my eyes and wondered if perhaps it was him. There was a slight pause in which I hesitated moving towards the sound mostly out of fright but then the vines rustled and from the darkness behind stepped out a man. That man. Still butt-naked and still as beautiful and ethereal as ever.

The rock in my hand fell soundlessly to the ground.

He looked at me with raw interest, his emerald eyes glowing with fascination and he wasn't the only one. We both just stood there not caring that we were both strangers without an inkling of who the other was yet we stared at each other like the rest of the world didn't exist.

His allure was undeniable, his dark long hair cascading down his back and gathering at his feet, his spotless porcelain skin, his sharp features and those beautiful green eyes. He was so perfect that I felt like crying just looking at him.

No doubt I felt attracted towards him but it was the kind of attraction that had nothing to do with romanticism or passion. It was just intrigue. I could see it in his eyes, he felt the same way.