Whispers In The Night

The moon shone down, full and bright. It was the only source of light in the midst of the dense forest. The sky was not a clear one. Clouds flitted past, trying to blot out the moonlight, but it was determined not to be hidden. It shone even brighter. Not a single star could be seen.

Everything in the forest was asleep. The gentle sounds of rustling of feathers as birds settled into their nests, of rabbits and moles squeaking as they hurried into their burrows, of owls hooting to show they were awake, all were muffled because of the closeness of the trees. Their canopy was so thick, branches intertwined so they became one, that the light of the moon could barely reach the ground. It cast shadows of leaves on the forest floor, giving the impression of creatures crawling.

A lone girl walked along an invisible path, one that only she knew. She had no fear of what the shadows could hide. A wolf howled its sorrow. The girl went on. She pondered on how miserable her life had been so far.

People who pretended to be her friends but left her helpless and alone when she most needed the warmth of a close one, a family who could not understand her, abused her. The darkness of the forest was the place she could seek refuge. She felt at peace there.

She stopped and looked at her arm. It was bleeding, as it had been for over twenty minutes. She had cut herself too deep. The howl of the wolf was closer, and there was more than one. They had smelled her blood from a long way off. She stood under a tree. A thick cloud passed over the moon. It accepted defeat. The forest grew darker than ever. The girl could not see her hands. A bush behind her quivered. She could not move for fear of tripping. Footsteps sounded all around her. Snarling from every direction. The distant sound of her father calling out to her. Or was that an illusion? A wolf leapt at her from behind. Pinned her down. She looked into it's eyes, they were darker than the forest around. She saw her death in them.

Let this go painlessly, she thought. The wolf bit into her neck. She felt the life seeping out of her quickly. There was a gunshot. The wolves yelped and ran away, frightened. Her father bent over her, taking her head in his hands. She smiled feebly as she took her last breath.

Someone had loved her enough to find her.