The deep deep wood

 

 

 

 

He left the bar as it closed, staggering a little and carrying a wine bottle that he had picked up from a table by the door. He took a few swigs from the bottle and headed off towards the village. The night was clear and cold with a bright moon casting peculiar shadows along the road. He climbed over the style and stumbled along the muddy path; a short cut through the woods to his cosy cottage nestled on the side of the hill.

He felt guilty now. A few drinks with friends had turned into an entire evening with the lads. There was football on the wide screen and the whole room was filled with enthusiastic fans. He found it impossible to get up and leave as he should have done, knowing his gentle new bride, Jenny, was alone at home, expecting him to arrive back for dinner. He had tried to phone her but the signal was bad. He texted a message saying ' sorry, got tied up with the lads and football and will be late'.

As he got deeper into the woods, the canopy of the trees blocked out the moonlight and it was difficult to follow the narrow path. He could hear the distant sound of traffic on the dual carriageway across the valley. He knew the route well in daylight and could just make out the familiar shape of the large oak tree by the stream.  He tripped over a stone and the wine bottle flew out of his hand to land some distance away with a clunk. He picked himself up, stuffed his cold hands into his pockets and carried on, humming to himself.

He began to feel much colder and his breath made tiny icy clouds. He shivered and looking around, disconcerted to find a thick billowing fog moving quickly towards him. The sounds of far off traffic could no longer be heard, and there was an ominous silence like a weight pressing down upon him. Normally a very confident person, he experienced a twinge of anxiety as he realised that he was now lost. He could make out his feet by using his mobile phone as a torch, but the light penetrated no further than a yard or so around him, so he turned it off to save the battery. He thought the best option was to find a sheltered spot under a tree, pull his warm coat around him and sit it out until the dawn light.

He struggled deeper into the dense wood until he felt soft moss under his feet. He sat down with his back to a wide tree trunk, pulled his collar up, trying to peer through the gloom and swirling mist. The false bravado of the alcohol now gone, he became aware for the first time in his life of fear. A soft whooshing noise passed him several times. Was it an owl perhaps? He considered calling for help but realistically knew that would be pointless. No-one would hear him. Faint lights seemed to flicker around him then disappear. He thought he was probably imagining them, but the more intently he tried to focus on them, the more uncertain he became.

He closed his eyes for awhile and dozed fitfully. Something touched his cheek and he woke with a terrified start. He could see nothing at first. He stood up and saw a glimmering light before his eyes, shifting and rotating, moving forward then coming back to him as if beckoning him to follow. As he tentatively took a few steps, the light drew him further and further into the depths of the woodland.

An opening appeared between the thorny bushes, a tunnel leading into a welcoming  light filled space. He bent his head to avoid the low branches and felt the path slope down. When he straightened up, he found himself in a warm cavern beneath the roots of the trees. Tangled roots twisted above his head with lanterns dangling from them.

 At the far end of the room was a table and chairs and seated on one of the chairs was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She was tall and slim with pale skin which shone with a pearly sheen. Her hair hung in golden tresses to her shoulders and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. She motioned to him to sit beside her, talking in a language that he did not understand with music in her voice. She smiled and began to feed him titbits of the most delicious food he had ever tasted. There were tiny fruit filled pies wrapped in beech leaves, sumptuous wild mushrooms in creamy sauce and goblets filled with a golden liquid that coated the mouth with honey. As he ate these wondrous foods, all memory of his past life left him and he became enthralled by the seductive wood nymph.

Jenny awoke as the grey dawn tried to push its way past the curtains. She turned over in bed and found the sheets next to her cold. He had not come home. Instinctively she knew that something terrible had happened and called the police. A huge search party was organized, with tracker dogs and volunteers from the village. They searched all day and into the night. Deep in the woods, an empty wine bottle was found and on testing, traces of his DNA were noted on the rim. No other clues ever came to light about the mysterious disappearance of the young man who strayed too far into the woods.