The fir needles covered the ground, layering the trail with the fine brown lines of the bunches of leaves. The trees towered over me, multiple different species surrounding me,  the younger, smaller saplings still at my height. The bushes were everywhere, short wide branches trimmed to outline the path through the woods. The bushes, trees, and leaves made it difficult to see anything other than what was in front of me, especially any animal that might be camouflaged by them.

I trudged through the trail, navigating over the sharp cliffs that blocked the path. My sister was with me, but she wanted to go ahead anFear in the Forestd have some time for herself, so I was a decent way off of her. It was unlikely I would get lost, as there was only one way I could go, having already agreed to meet up with her at every fork in the road. So, I continued walking, taking in the scenery of the park, the calm serenity of being one with nature. But it was too calm-and that’s when the unease set in.

Almost instantaneously, I was struck with a feeling of unease and paranoia. It felt like the whole forest was watching me, eyeing my every move. I looked around worryingly, my senses heightened from this newfound fear. All of a sudden, I heard a loud ROAR of a car pass right behind me, scaring me until I looked around-and saw nothing. I heard a quiet rustling of the bushes-only to see nothing in it. The quiet and peaceful songs of the birds became an ominous chime of something much greater and frightening chasing me.

If you’ve ever been on the internet, you might’ve heard about the creepypastas all over about strange beings like Slenderman and more. Many of these stories took place inside the woods, the monsters striking their victims when they’re alone. Like them, I was also alone in the woods, and so I thought I would surely join that victim list, another casualty of those woodland creatures. 

So, being the scared eleven year old I was, I screamed and screamed and screamed. However, there was nobody there. It was just me and myself, the trees echoing my shouts and pleas for help. I heard nothing in response, even the birds were silent, quieted by my yelling. The deafening silence was soon broken however, this time by yet another rustle in the bushes, amplified by the crunch of a twig.

That’s when I ran. Luckily, the path was fairly straightforward, and so I didn’t trip or fall down from turning too fast. I soon caught up with my sister, who was confused by my pants and obvious exhaustion from running. However, I didn’t care. I was happy to be with her. At that moment I realized how much I depended on others, as well as how fortunate I was to have a supportive circle of friends and family. It really opened my eyes and made me super grateful for them.

Whenever someone asks me what I like to do (usually in an icebreaker), I’ve always told people that I liked to hike. And while I do truly love the woods, they do terrify me once in a while.