088: Be Careful in the Woods
The spruces stand tall and dense on either side of the path. Branches knit together, filling the space between the stems with a darkness that the sunlight can't pierce through. Only along the path do green buds shoot into the sunlight like fireflies in a black field. Roots twist across the path, making uneven steps cushioned with dry needles.
I had hoped to have seen a sign to the mountain top by now.
Silence clots my ears, broken only by a rhythmic pulse and my own breath. And footsteps.
A hiker comes down the path. Dressed in brown and grey, he has a bundle on his back, a staff in his hand, and a bounce in his step. He whistles as he walks, lost in his own bubble.
I stop and greet him. "How far to the top?" I ask.
He looks at me and frowns, as though he is surprised to see me. "The top?" Recognition flashes in his eyes. "That way." He leans on his staff and gestures to where he came from. "Up the hill, down on the other side and up the next, then take the left-turn. Another five hundred meters."
"Not too far, then." I smile. "Thank you."
He regards me. "You don't often go here, do you?"
"It's the first time."
"Well!" He straightens with a smile. "Better take care, then. There's a lot of strange things where people don't go." He sets off again, passing me. "Good luck," he says over his shoulder.
"You too," I reply.
Soon he disappears around a bend, and I am left with the sound of silence, my breath and heartbeat, and a growing dread that I just spoke to something not entirely human.
Written by: Katrine H. (@katrinehjulstad)
I had hoped to have seen a sign to the mountain top by now.
Silence clots my ears, broken only by a rhythmic pulse and my own breath. And footsteps.
A hiker comes down the path. Dressed in brown and grey, he has a bundle on his back, a staff in his hand, and a bounce in his step. He whistles as he walks, lost in his own bubble.
I stop and greet him. "How far to the top?" I ask.
He looks at me and frowns, as though he is surprised to see me. "The top?" Recognition flashes in his eyes. "That way." He leans on his staff and gestures to where he came from. "Up the hill, down on the other side and up the next, then take the left-turn. Another five hundred meters."
"Not too far, then." I smile. "Thank you."
He regards me. "You don't often go here, do you?"
"It's the first time."
"Well!" He straightens with a smile. "Better take care, then. There's a lot of strange things where people don't go." He sets off again, passing me. "Good luck," he says over his shoulder.
"You too," I reply.
Soon he disappears around a bend, and I am left with the sound of silence, my breath and heartbeat, and a growing dread that I just spoke to something not entirely human.
Written by: Katrine H. (@katrinehjulstad)
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