@secretaryofstrength / i always feel bad for dropping our threads I’m sorry ;3;
The towns surrounding the forest all knew of it. Something was living inside of it, and it wasn’t human. Some believed it to be a deity of the forest, some believed it to be the forest’s very soul embodied. Some just thought it was a myth. A lot of them, if not most, respected the forest and treated it well. They believed whoever didn’t would be cursed.
Some wood cutters reported pained screams when they tried to cut down a tree. That animals would try to attack them until they left. They said the forest grew darker, seemed denser. Animals looked at them with murderous intends. They never stepped back into the forest.
Some children say that they got lost in the forest, but some animals lead them out of it again. Some say they saw a person smiling at them. A few even claimed they had talked to this person, who had branches like a tree growing out of their head.
The forest was sacred to many. People prayed to whatever spirit lived in it, and in return received its blessings. Or so they say. A lot of people offer little gifts to the forest, which they say are always gone when they look again. People ask the forest for advice, for help, and often will receive an answer.
The forest was breathing with life, thriving. Leafs green in the sun, birds singing their songs, animals living in peace. It was a wonderful place, through which many traveled safely.
Agnes was going on a walk through the woods that weekend. She was dressed for walking, looking a bit dorky in her glasses with a connector on them.
As she walked through the forest, she looked around at all the animals, wondering to herself what the ‘spirit’ found as offensive. She couldn’t cut down trees, or hurt any of the animals, but she was still worried. She didn’t consider herself superstitious, but if a whole town held this tale, she was inclined to think that something was going on.
She wasn’t looking where she was going, unfortunately, and tripped over a tree root, faceplanting into the ground right in front of a snake. She went into a silent panic as she held perfectly still, hoping it didn’t attack. If it did, she didn’t have any service and couldn’t call anyone. She’d die from poisoning.
The snake looked at Agnes for a few seconds, silence hanging heavily in the air. And then it just continued on its way, not bothering her. It had no reason to hurt Agnes, and it was said the spirit kept travelers safe, unless they didn’t deserve such kindness.
The forest’s spirit was aware that someone was in the forest. Of course he was, as he was the forest, and the forest was him. But he never let people see him, except a few children. Sometimes someone lost may have seen him as well, as he tried to help whoever was here.
emptynarration 