They sat out by the campfire, carefully taking in the still chill of the night and the crackling of the fire. She stood up to leave, her shadow dissipating into the dark void that encompassed the camp. Pale-skinned and autumn-eyed, her figure passed motionlessly from a warm glow to a chill departure. She had no money, no source of benefit to bereave from. She had only herself, and self could not be enough.
The others crawled into their tents, a sorry display mocking some ancient tribe of settlers long before their existence. Somewhere in the distance, a lone owl cried out, its voice echoing across the still wilderness before disappearing into the fog itself.
She found a somewhat restless night was ahead under October’s patterned sky. She lay on her back for a while, gazing up through the mesh at the wonder of a creator she could not understand. The campers eventually insisted on retiring and one by one they crept cautiously into the dark tents.
When the chill of the morning dew became apparent to her, she unzipped the tent and walked out towards a meadow. The light was barely cascading through the trees, a mixture of lavender and soft blue that was shadowed by deep trails of fog. She took off her shoes at the edge of the clearing and wandered, soundlessly, with aimless purpose into the tall grasses. Slowly, she made her way to the edge of the woods which still held a sinister darkness. She knew she might get lost, or fall prey to the woodland, but she found strength in her solitude. She crawled in to the woods, her features lost in the din. When she reached a clearing, she froze. Her breathing became strenuous as she tried to conceal herself. The snake was poised on a rock, carefully observing its staunchest critic and harshest victim. She stood, her feet spread, terrified of the potential damage that would await her.
And then, it happened.
handmade | illustrated | found | curated design