Twisted Tales

A Twisted Tale

         An hour and a half later, I found myself still wandering the forest. I was on the verge of panic now; the fact that I was lost in a deadly forest at night alone, and the knowledge that I had just killed Rumpelstiltskin before he could save the miller's daughters life were driving me to the brink. I was a murderer, a murderer! And somebody else was going to suffer, maybe even die, as a result.

         I stumbled around blindly, trying not to hyperventilate, tripping over tree roots and bushes in the dark. Every rustle in the trees, every crack of a twig made me jump almost out of my skin and set my heart pounding. I was sure the shadows were monsters waiting for me to turn my back so they could eat me, I was sure the terrible wolves that nearly killed me that first day were stalking me at that very moment.

         I silently cursed that goddamned Book. I was only in this mess because of it. Everything would have been fine if it hadn't sucked me into this stupid fairy-tale world... 

         I continued to spiral into a bottomless pit of despair, allowing myself to feel utterly miserable without shame for the first time.

         Then, I suddenly heard a branch break somewhere behind me. I froze in place, listening hard for any other sounds. I wanted to pass it off as nothing important, a small animal maybe, surely nothing threatening, but something in the back of my mind wouldn't let me.

         I stood stock still, fear constricting my throat in case I got any wise ideas about screaming for help.

         For a moment or two there was silence, but then another crack and a rustle made me whirl around in a circle, trying to pinpoint the direction they had come from. Somewhere to my right, something was making its slow but steady way toward me, pushing through the forest with no regard to the amount of noise it made. I swallowed with some difficulty, my throat very dry. If whatever it was was big enough, strong enough, or reckless enough to crash through the dangerous woods like that, I was sure I didn't want to come face-to-face with it.

         Unfortunately for me, the thing in question seemed to have other plans. It was heading straight for me, and it seemed to be coming faster now. I looked wildly around, trying to decide where to run. I didn't want to make too much noise and draw any further attention to myself, but if I didn't move now, the thing would be in my face at any second...

         Too late. With one final crash, a large, dark shape came stumbling from the darkness, nearly colliding with me. I barely managed to leap out of the way in time, and I watched in terrified silence as it collapsed to the forest floor, shaking slightly. I could hear its labored breathing, and saw it try to push itself up to a sitting position. It failed, and fell back down. Against my better judgment, a twinge of pity stirred in my chest, and I edged cautiously towards the dark figure.

         "Um... are you... okay?" I asked. Well, squeaked, more like. My voice was about five octaves higher than it usually was, and was strained with fear. The thing shifted suddenly at the sound of my voice, and I scurried backwards swiftly.

         "Rrrr...Rebecca? R... Risa? Rikki? Rikki--that was it! Rikki?" it croaked, its voice hoarse and cracked. 

         I froze on the spot, blinking confusedly. How did it know my name? 

         "Rikki, is that you?" it said again.

         It managed to push itself up, though I still couldn't see it in the shadows. What looked like an arm reached out for me, grasping at my leg. I shuffled away, out of its reach, confusion beginning to dominate the fear I felt.

         "Well, don't just stand there, help me, you stupid girl!" it croaked, sounding distinctly annoyed. 

         I paused, thinking hard. Then it clicked into place. "Erik? Erik, is that you?" I said.