Quote:
Trees stretch in every direction, tall and dark and full of unfriendly shadows. Nothing about the area seems safe, and there is a darkness in the forest. If you travel into the forest, you will find that no matter what path you take, the village is always within sight behind you. Any direction, any distance, any time you spend--the village will always be within sight. There is no barrier to stop you, just a strange, infinitely looping forest. Within the forest you find no recognizable trees or landmarks.
Daisy could only be sure it was morning because the light seeping through the little window of the house where she was sheltering was a little brighter. And the noises of whatever beast prowled the darkness had vanished. Of course, it might just be smart enough to stay quiet and ambush, but she didn’t think that was the case. She’d been here long enough to pick up on the pattern. Monster showed up at darkness and left when morning came. Granted, she hadn’t been here all that long. Just long enough.
Sighing a little, she forced herself to get up and move. She wanted to explore the forest outside and see if she could find some clue as to what was going on. Or see if she could find a way out.
That would be nice.
Stumbled into the primitive bathroom, she splashed tepid water across her face before patting it dry with the hem of her shirt. Snagging a handful of dried meat on her way out the door, she munched on the stuff before shoving what was left into the pocket of her pajama pants. No sense in wasting it, after all.
Picking a direction at random, Daisy set off as briskly as she could under the circumstances. Hardly anyone else was out, but she waved to those who were. Even if she could tell that they were ******** Negaverse puppets. They’d been behaving themselves for the most part and since she couldn’t power up, there was no point in antagonizing them. As she ventured further into the trees, she kept glancing back, a little puzzled that the village didn’t seem to shrink or vanish. As thick as the trees seemed, it really should have been more difficult to see. Instead, it stood behind her, clearly visible through the trees.
Acting on an impulse, Daisy picked a direction that created a sharp angle with the path she’d originally chosen. That should have kept the village just off to her side. After about half an hour’s hike, she paused to look around and once more, the village was just behind her and still quite visible.
“That shouldn’t be possible,” she muttered to herself. “There is no way in hell that’s possible.”
She was no girl scout, but she still knew how distance and perspective were supposed to work.
Picking another path, she trudged along, determined to go as far as safely possible. As she walked, she kept an eye on how the thin light moved and only stopped once the shadows indicated that it was close to whatever passed for noon in this place. This time she was certain that she’d gotten out of sight of the village and was ready to chalk the first two instances up to her not walking far enough.
Turning around, she felt her jaw drop. There stood the village, perfectly within running distance and perfectly visible. Feeling her legs give out under her, she slumped to the ground and screamed out her frustration. None of this should be possible, but there it was. They were all well and truly trapped here.
(Word Count: 518)
