I broke through dense forest to muggy air and swampy ground. A slow moving river divided the land, and the rest of the clearing disappeared into the distance. Moonlight created whitecaps in the current, stars reflected between the waves, and the misty rain disappeared with the forest. I couldn't see the other side of the clearing.
The tips of my fingers tingled, life returning once the frost began to leave. All around me marshy fields were dotted with tall mossy pines. Wide tapered roots shot strait into the ground, a sturdy base for the swamp dwelling giants.
A pier similar to the one at my grandparent's house jutted out into the river. Cracks left black, jagged lines in the gray weathered wood. An empty rowboat rocked in the water, and a moldy rope tied around one post kept it from floating away. Green algae gathered around the posts and crawled up one side of the boat. The area still held a hint of decay, the grass short and brown. Mud oozed around my shoes and tried to suck them down into the earth.
Rotten plants mixed with old water, the foul scent clinging to the river despite the steady current. My reflection stared back pale and dirty. Mud smeared one cheek, and twigs and leaves were scattered through my hair. Moonlight bleached the color from my sink and a gray mist glided through the water like smoke.
The shape was human, the expression blank, the eyes hollowed. More followed, their mouths open, moving but silent, and others simply slack.
One opened its eyes, staring right at me. A hand lifted from the water, a translucent cloud barely holding its shape. I scuttled back, the tips of the frail fingers just missing me. The current carried it out of sight.
Crossing the river was a no go, it was moving too fast, and I had no idea what those things would do if they touched me.
Following it was the better choice. Dad used to say it was a good way to find people if I got lost.
It was harder to walk, the ground uneven, and I stumbled on small mounds. Mud stuck tight to my shoes, each sloshing step a blaring signal telling the monsters how to find me.
The river curved towards the left and a wide gravel path emerged from behind dangling moss. It snaked off into the distance, leaving the river behind.
I bit my lip and headed to the path. Pushing aside branches and moss, I stopped at the edge. Packed bits of rock created a wide flat surface. Clean lines separated the path from the swamp, the grass at the boundary trimmed as if done by machine.
I balled up my fist. It could lead me back to the woods, or disappear into another section, taking me further away from my goal. I didn't know the Dead Woods' secrets yet. I was just scraping the surface and could barely see through the mirage.
I glanced at the river behind me. The choice was the same.
Nails digging into my palms, I stepped onto the path. Nothing changed. The river continued to flow along behind me. The world didn't shift when I started walking. My fingers uncurled.
Tree limbs dangled over, skeletal fingers trailing through mossy hair. Sweat broke out on my brow, along my lip, and dripped down my back. The wet air kept my clothes damp, leaving behind a musty heat. I stopped and stripped off my jackets, stuffing them into my backpack. It helped some, but it made the backpack heavier, and it rested like a sack of bricks against my back.
The river peeked through the giants, a burbling companion off to my right. The road turned into a lazy bend, heading right, the large moon overhead breaking through the crawling shadows.
Up ahead, the path split into two parts. One part ran towards the river, the left leading towards a large structure, just rising over the horizon.
Taking a chance, I headed toward it. The shape rose, a towering monolith of smooth stone and sharp edges. The walls spread out, the ends disappearing into the distance.
Dark metal vines decorated with blooming flowers and dense leaves sunk into the sides. The pattern trailed along the wall, a lily at one point, a rose higher up, delicate and strong, lessening the harsh lines. Tiny details--veins in leaves, the bend of a petal--gave the ornament a feeling of life. No rust touched the metal, looking as if the artist had just finished the final piece.
I followed the road, sticking to the center. A massive gate connected both halves of the wall.
Two trees spanning the width of the stone stretched their branches out to meet like joined hands in the middle. Vines and flowers flowed towards the gate forming hinges and merging into branches and trunks of the trees. A lock kept the gate shut.
Cracked and crumbled headstones lay scattered along narrow paths. Mold covered stone angels, frozen in mournful poses, watched over those who resided behind the walls.
A massive tree stood watch towards the middle of the graveyard. Its trunk was straight, its branches sheltering the graves. Vibrant green leaves sparkled in the moonlight, no hint of moss on any of its branches. I stepped up to the gate, my hand ghosting over the bars. Sharp, stinging pain shot through my hand and I jerked it back, shaking the feeling from my fingers. Red lines trailed over the tips, a mirror of the metal branches of the gate.
"You can't come in there. You need the Keeper's permission, and the residence don't like your kind."
I stumbled, overbalanced, and landed hard on the gravel. Tiny shards dug into my back and hands.
The ghost sneered at me from behind the wall, narrowed eyes glaring, hair swept back in a bun. She wore a blue dress, old but neatly pressed. She wagged one translucent finger at me.
"And don't touch the gate," she said.
"Why?" I asked, cradling my hand.
"It's there to keep out unwanted guest," she said, "as well as to protect those of use who live here. You're just as much a part of this world as I am, so you can't touch it either."
"But what's it made of?" I blew across the reddened skin, the burns fading to a light pink.
"Iron. Now get lost," she said. "You're upsetting the others."
"I'm sorry." I scrambled to my feet, dusting the pebbles from my clothes. Gravel fell from my palm, tiny craters left behind, my skin looking like the surface of the moon. Grass clung to my fingers and hands and dust sunk into the crevasses, darkening lines and spreading shadows over the skin.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?"
The ghost slunk back, lips pressed into a thin line. "What?"
"How do I get back to the Dead Woods?"
"This is the Dead Woods." She snorted. "Some Guardian you are. I'd wager the Dead Ones will be feasting on you soon."
"I just want to go home."
"Then you shouldn't have come here." The ghost vanished.
"Thanks a lot."
I sagged to the ground, hands cover my face. Tears drew hot trails down my cheeks, air lodged in my throat. My shoulders shook, and I curled forward, the screaming in my head echoing as my heart shattered.
I wanted to go home. I wanted this place to be a bad dream, and to wake up in my bed, safe and warm. I wanted Toady to be okay.
I sat there, just breathing one shuddering breath after another. Rough fabric scraped across my cheeks and the screams quieted. The ghost was right. I couldn't just stay here. Standing, I turned, trudging along the path, feet dragging lines into the gravel.
"Stupid Guardian, you're going the wrong way." The ghost peeked out again.
I stopped and glanced back. "What do you care?"
"I don't want you hanging around longer than you have to," the ghost said. "You need to go back to the river." She pointed, careful not to touch the bars.
"I can find my own way."
"The Dead Woods are gonna eat you alive." The ghost snorted.
"Why should I be listening to you?" I asked. The black eyes of Annabelle and Amelia danced in my memory, their voices ringing in my ears.
"I wonder, do his bones crunch too?"
Was this ghost like them?
"Why should I be listening to you?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't know," the ghost said rolling her eyes. "I just live here."
"You could be sending me into a trap." I crossed my arms and glared. "I've met ghost here."
"I'm not a Black-Eyed One," she said with a huff. She ran her hands down her dress, straightening out wrinkles. "I'm a proper ghost. I never forgot, or gave up any part of myself."
"Can you tell me how to find an exit?"
She leaned against the wall mimicking my posture. "The Archive has the only exit I know of and it's that way." She waved towards the river.
"How do you know about it?" I asked.
"The Keepers used to visit all the time," she said with a shrug. "Then the Dead Ones got greedy, and the Black-Eyed Ones showed up. The Keepers stopped coming around and the Dead Ones took over the forest. Went and built that dreadful city, and all we ghost got was this swamp."
"What about the Guardians?"
"They's all left too," she said. "Just locked the doors behind them and left us all to fend for ourselves." She curled her lip.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"It's okay, Little One," she said, softening. "I'm Sally."
"Nice to meet you." I smiled and walked forward. "I'm AJ."
She brightened then, and waved her hand. "You're the first Guardian to come here in a long time. Now you get going and take care of them Dead Ones. Been getting uppity they have."
"I don't know how."
Sally rolled her eyes, any hints of friendliness slipping away, and stepped away from the wall. Her skirt brushed the ground, but left to trail. "Stupid little Guardian. What good are you then?"
"Hey!" I clenched my fist. "I didn't even know this place existed until I got lost here."
"Then you better be heading back towards the river," she said. "Turn left, and head away from here."
"Then what?"
"You use that fancy sight of yours to find the path." Sally disappeared.
Seconds crawled by, the few options left twisting my stomach. The Dead Woods guarded its secrets, and I hadn't cracked its code.
But maybe...
"Fine. Stupid ghost."
I followed the ghost's directions. The river and the peer came into sight as the graveyard sank down into the horizon.
A shiver rattled through my bones, breath misting in the humid air. I stumbled to a halt, a wall of ice pouring through me.
Giggles whispered along the wind, the false tone etched into my brain.
"Poor sweet, Alice," Annabelle sang, drifting into sight. Amelia followed on her left.
"He's lost his way," Amelia said.
They took each other's hands. "Maybe we should have let him follow the white rabbit instead of eating it."
Fire rose, unfurling from inside like a snake looking to strike, burning the cold away and chasing off the fear. I straightened my shoulders and took a step forward. Their black eyes gleamed, their grins feral.
"Go away," I said. The fire burned faster, sparking along the edge of my vision. The hair on my arms stood, and the world brightened. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
They hissed and drew back. Their shoulders hunched inward, fingers clawed, and shadows swirling around them, rippling beneath their skin, chasing the light away, and leaping along the ground. Cracks appeared, skeletal fingers reaching to drag down anything they touched.
"You're being mean." Annabelle inched closer.
"We don't like that." Amelia stomped her foot, and a crash of thunder echoed. The ground ripped open between my feet. Dirt and gravel crumbled, shadows tearing at the edges.
"We just wanted to sing and have tea parties, and cake," Annabelle said, form rippling.
"But Alice ran away," Amelia snarled, lips curled back, teeth bared.
Anger added fuel to the fire and it sparked along my skin, bright arcs of light slicing through the dark. "Leave, now."
The flames surged in a wave, burning through my skin. Bright sunburst bleached my sight, and thunder exploded in my ears. When the ringing stopped I was sitting down, the brittle grass crushed beneath me.
Annabelle and Amelia were gone, the shadows inched back into their place, and the cracks in the ground healed.
All was quiet.
"What was that?" I asked, swaying with my words. No answers came, just the high pitched ring blocking sound.
I shook my head, but the world refused to stay still. It lurched and spun like a rollercoaster I couldn't get off.
A twig snapped, and I tried to scramble to my feet. I toppled over, legs as wobbly as a baby deer's. The tall pines were too scattered to offer much of a hiding place and I didn't dare go into the water.
I held my breath and waited. The strike of a match echoed and light flooded the area. An antique lantern appeared before Toady stepped out of nothing, the world parting around him. A hole exposed frayed threads in the shoulder of his jacket, and buttons were missing from his shirt. Scratches left rips in wrinkled skin along his chest and neck. Raggedy fabric wrapped around his left hand, only the tips of his fingers visible. He was missing two nails.
"You made it."
He reached into a bag slung over his shoulders and pulled out a blanket, careful not to move his left hand too much. He wrapped it around my shoulders and I hugged it tight. It smelt like dust, and woods, like Toady.
"How'd you find me?" I sniffed and wiped at my cheek. "I left the path."
"Ol' Toady just followed your light."
"What happened to the other one?"
"I stopped him. He won't bother ya' again," Toady said. He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and we settled back on the grass.
"Toady," I said, hesitant, a yawn slipping free.
"Yes?"
"What is this place?"
"This is the Underside of the Graveyard. The souls of the dead pass through this section," he said.
"All of them?" I couldn't get the picture of the specters out of my head. Did they have names? Did anyone back home miss them? Was dad out there too?
"Tis only those who have trouble letting go. Though, some are happy to stay." An undercurrent of grief gave weight to his words. It was familiar, the same kind I carried with me.
"Oh." I yawned again, limbs heavy and head aching.
"We can't stay here for too long." Toady helped me stand, spindly arm wrapped around my shoulder. The world blurred and cold settled into my lungs. The bright moon blinked out, replaced by misty rain and soggy forest.
We climbed up the embankment, Toady leading me to a depression in the road. I sagged into the mud, not caring about the wet seeping back into my clothes. Toady settled down beside me.
He reached into the pockets of his coat and handed me a bag. Inside was some chopped up carrots.
"Eat," Toady said. "These are okay for Live Ones. I made sure to bring only the best for Little Friend."
I settled back against a tree. The rough bark caught on the jacket and it dug into my back. I didn't care. I was far from home, but at least I wasn't alone.
"Thanks," I said, taking a bite. "You know, for finding me."
Toady smiled, stretching his wrinkled skin. The scratches stretched, torn muscle peeking through. No blood swelled up to fill the opening. The wound remained dry.
"Your light lit up the Dead Woods," he said. "It was warmth, and hope, something this place has been missing for a long time."
"I made two ghosts disappear." I blinked and shook my head, eyes drooping.
"No wonder you are tired," Toady said. He reached out and adjusted the blanket higher on my shoulders. "Ya' haven't mastered the little magic yet, and there ya' go performing the big magic."
"Did I kill them?" I glanced up at Toady, a different kind of fear stealing strength.
Toady shook his head. "No, just sent them away."
"Good."
The fear vanished and I sagged. A breeze blew, rustling the leaves and a few wispy strands of his white hair. Drops of water splattered across my nose and hands. I finished the last of the carrots, and crumpled up the bag, stuffing it into my pocket.
He took my backpack, reached in and handed me some water.
"Drink."
I did as told, the water sweeping away the taste of the carrots.
He took the bottle when I was done, tucking it away again, and placing the backpack on the ground.
"AJ needs to rest now," Toady said patting the rough material. " Ol' Toady will keep watch."
Tears pricked my eyes. Flowers and laundry detergent mixed with the scent of mud and trees. Somehow, despite the dirt, my bag still smelt like home.