Heartless - Chapter 3：The Forest

]It was a Saturday today, a Saturday that held no meaning during Summer Vacation. Though perhaps it does when there’s only 2 weeks left to it. In any case, the sun had long started its trip towards Earth and yet I haven’t even gotten a step closer to home.

I spent another day by the bridge yet again. Though, the sound of birds were slightly overshadowed by the vehicles zooming to my right. To my right was a dense forest, a forest that scared people into leaving it alone. It wasn’t anything much, it was simply that anyone who cut or damaged a tree seemed to be found dead the next day.

All I remember of that time is how determined they were to cut down the forest, ‘to avenge their friends’ the superstitious ones would say. Others however, simply felt that dying because of cutting some trees was simply outrageous. They all died though, their attempts were futile and the government made the area protected so that no stupid company would try to clear the forest.

Not that they would try, the news became widespread and it didn’t help that nothing interesting spiked the journalists interest before then.

Many wrote books based on the forest, and daredevils dared each other into going into the forest. And so the tourism in this small city grew, but the population didn’t. In fact, it decreased, as many didn’t want to lived near a ‘cursed’ forest.

Soon, parents warned their children not to enter the forest, for those that did never found their way out. Others that simply didn’t believe that death follows you the moment they damaged the tree, damaged them just to spite people. They all died of course, not surprising really.

And so years have passed since that incident, and the tourism started to trickle away. Some, unwilling to think that the forest was cursed, settled down here, taking the places of the old. Soon, the forest was left alone again. After all, they still can’t helps but fear places that smelled like death now can they?

And so here I was, by the bridge, the only entrance to the forest. It was peaceful here for many simply pretended not to see me.

“It’s her again, mommy,” a little girl said to her mother.

“Pretend you don’t see her,” the mother said.

“Why? Aren’t we going to give her money? You always said ‘you should give people kindness and the money is the greatest kindness you could ever give’,” the girl said, doing her best to imitate her mother.

“Dead people don’t need money,” the mother whispered to her child.

“She’s a ghost?” the child asked, gaining the eyes of people passing.

“Shhhh, she’s the ghost that guards the forest and if you enter it, she’ll find you and eat you.”

Truth be told, the power of rumors were surprising. I’ve only been here for a few months yet I had already evolved into a ghost.

When the sun dipped below the horizon…. I reopened my eyes and stood up. Perhaps I’ll get a steamed bun on my way home.