The Ancient Woods
Long time, no poem. Sorry, but you'll have to wait longer. This isn't a poem, but it's a short story, and I thought I'd just put it on this blog (^_^). Some of you might recognize this story... it was originally called "The Haunted Ancient Forest", but I thought this title was better since in the story I never say "Ancient Forest". I also did some text changes, so you could get a better... description of what's going on.
I wrote this for a school project and also entered it in the local library contest. It was the Tales of Terror contest for students grades 7-12, and since I loved my story so much, I decided to enter. Ok, I just read the winner of the 8th grade.... damn, it was good, and it was the SAME guy who won 7th grade LAST year (ugh!!!). And you know what else? The runner-up's story SUCKS (here)!!! Now go ahead and read my story:
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
Tales have been told of the Ancient Woods. A place haunted by dangerous creatures. The stories were first told by the few who claimed to have escaped the clutches of the monsters. Their comrades who went in with them perished.
It was Halloween on a cold night, complete with a full moon. I walked along the street with my friend Jerry by my side. We lived in the same neighborhood next to the Ancient Woods. Walking home from a Halloween party, I saw something move in the corner of my eye. Standing there was a black cat with bright yellow eyes. I recognized it immediately.
“Shadow!” I yelled. “What are you doing here?”
I walked over to her, but she disappeared into the sea of darkness. Following her, I squinted, hoping to find her dark figure. A hand grabbed my arm, making me jump.
“Rachel, you’re not planning to go in there, right?” I heard Jerry say behind me. “That’s the Ancient Woods.”
“No, I’m going in. Shadow went in there.”
“I know you love your cat, but it can find its way back home. Do you know what’s in there?”
“I’ve heard stories and that’s what they are; stories. You’re getting soft, Jerry. Besides, what if Shadow wants to show me something?” I said in a confident voice.
Jerry sighed. “Okay… but I’m coming too.”
In the forest, the air felt damp and cold, like on foggy mornings. Even though it felt colder in the woods than on the street, the trees blocked the wind. It gave me the sense that the whole forest was dead.
I could feel Jerry’s presence behind me and could hear his heavy breathing. At least I hoped it was him. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I was scared too.
“Rachel,” he said, uneasy.
“What?” I whispered back, somewhat relieved.
“I can see a pair of eyes.”
“Where?” I said, squinting. The glaring eyes stared at us. “It’s Shadow. Come here, girl.”
The pair of eyes came towards me and I bent down to pet her. Suddenly, I got the feeling I was being watched, but it wasn’t coming from Jerry’s direction. Looking up, I saw a pair of red glowing eyes staring back at me from the darkness. They looked like the color of blood, piercing my heart. Turning my head, I saw more red eyes.
“Jerry,” I frantically whispered while putting Shadow in my arms. “Jerry?” I turned around, realizing I couldn’t feel his presence anymore. “Jerry?!” I yelled.
In the tales, survivors told of glowing red eyes watching them before they ran out of the forest. I realized that this was the furthest anyone had got into the forest and lived to tell the tale. The blood-red eyes grew in numbers, filling the bushes and tree branches above. My loss of direction got me to this point.
I ran in the direction I thought best, as the sound of howling filled the air. Shadow meowed putting her claws in my hand. Out of breath, I stopped, gasping for air. My ears perked up when the howling died and I could hear the crunching of leaves.
Fear filled me. The urge to survive made me able to move on. I let go of Shadow and she ran off. Thinking the cat knew where to go for safety, I followed her. As I went, dead blackberry thorns scraped my skin. Ahead I could see a clearing in the forest, the bright moonlight temporarily blinded me. I stood still, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.
Two pairs of strong hands grabbed my arms, holding me in place. I could feel my heart in my throat, pounding hard. Then I saw, in the moonlight, Shadow. I called her name, but she didn’t respond. The cat held its head up, her yellow eyes seemed to glow in the light of the full moon.
I heard a scream in the distance. I noticed the hands of my captors resembled paws, covered in green and gray fur. I tried to get out of their grasp, but doing so the sharp claws cut deep into my skin. It was then I heard Shadow making high-pitched noises. Out of the moonlight, the pointy red eyes appeared. They slowly moved closer, the light shining on the creatures. They were covered in the same fur as my captors’ paws. They looked like wolves, on all four legs. With long, white teeth bared and blood red, pupil-less eyes. I figured two of them were keeping me in place, but somehow, on their hind legs.
Shadow looked at me, her eyes no longer glowing, and gave a short high-pitched sound. The paws let go of me, yet I could still feel their claws poking my skin. I turned around to find the mutant wolves gone. I looked back at Shadow, wondering if I should run. But in Shadow’s spot wasn’t a cute kitten, but a black mutant wolf with yellow eyes.
I ran back into the dark forest, knowing it was the only way to survive. Heart now pounding in my head, I ran towards the light ahead of me. I would be safe once I got out of the forest, according to the tales. Using the last of my energy, I got out into the opening and collapsed to my knees.
I looked in front of me to find I was on the edge of a cliff, a sea of trees below me. My heart quickly filled with fear again. I was still in the Ancient Woods, unprotected, with no way out. Turning around, I saw the mutant wolves with Shadow in the front, slowly creeping towards me. Covered in dirt and grime, I started to cry. Completely exhausted, I fell down to the ground, blacking out.
They say the Ancient Woods are haunted, full of terrible monsters. The story had been retold so many times it became a myth. Though a myth it might be, I believe all the versions told are true.
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
I noticed I had a few grammar issues, but I hope I fixed them all. My mom thinks I didn't win because everyone doesn't read and write as much as I do, and the story would be too sophisticated for them. But I like how I left it open for many possibilites... like Rachel (main chara.) dies, but you might have not caught that. The scream in the distance before the revealing of the mutant wolves, is SUPPOSED to be Jerry screaming... in other words, he's dead.... also might have not caught that. Oh, and all the versions of the myth are true.... well, Rachel didn't want to believe that they were even the slightest true, and since it's a myth, there's been outrageous stories.... and since Rachel was proven wrong, the so many stories that she didn't believe came to life. You might have gathered information that Rachel died, because no one who has seen the mutant wolves has live to tell of them, so obviously, Rachel's dead. ^_^ hope you enjoyed!!
I wrote this for a school project and also entered it in the local library contest. It was the Tales of Terror contest for students grades 7-12, and since I loved my story so much, I decided to enter. Ok, I just read the winner of the 8th grade.... damn, it was good, and it was the SAME guy who won 7th grade LAST year (ugh!!!). And you know what else? The runner-up's story SUCKS (here)!!! Now go ahead and read my story:
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
Tales have been told of the Ancient Woods. A place haunted by dangerous creatures. The stories were first told by the few who claimed to have escaped the clutches of the monsters. Their comrades who went in with them perished.
It was Halloween on a cold night, complete with a full moon. I walked along the street with my friend Jerry by my side. We lived in the same neighborhood next to the Ancient Woods. Walking home from a Halloween party, I saw something move in the corner of my eye. Standing there was a black cat with bright yellow eyes. I recognized it immediately.
“Shadow!” I yelled. “What are you doing here?”
I walked over to her, but she disappeared into the sea of darkness. Following her, I squinted, hoping to find her dark figure. A hand grabbed my arm, making me jump.
“Rachel, you’re not planning to go in there, right?” I heard Jerry say behind me. “That’s the Ancient Woods.”
“No, I’m going in. Shadow went in there.”
“I know you love your cat, but it can find its way back home. Do you know what’s in there?”
“I’ve heard stories and that’s what they are; stories. You’re getting soft, Jerry. Besides, what if Shadow wants to show me something?” I said in a confident voice.
Jerry sighed. “Okay… but I’m coming too.”
In the forest, the air felt damp and cold, like on foggy mornings. Even though it felt colder in the woods than on the street, the trees blocked the wind. It gave me the sense that the whole forest was dead.
I could feel Jerry’s presence behind me and could hear his heavy breathing. At least I hoped it was him. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I was scared too.
“Rachel,” he said, uneasy.
“What?” I whispered back, somewhat relieved.
“I can see a pair of eyes.”
“Where?” I said, squinting. The glaring eyes stared at us. “It’s Shadow. Come here, girl.”
The pair of eyes came towards me and I bent down to pet her. Suddenly, I got the feeling I was being watched, but it wasn’t coming from Jerry’s direction. Looking up, I saw a pair of red glowing eyes staring back at me from the darkness. They looked like the color of blood, piercing my heart. Turning my head, I saw more red eyes.
“Jerry,” I frantically whispered while putting Shadow in my arms. “Jerry?” I turned around, realizing I couldn’t feel his presence anymore. “Jerry?!” I yelled.
In the tales, survivors told of glowing red eyes watching them before they ran out of the forest. I realized that this was the furthest anyone had got into the forest and lived to tell the tale. The blood-red eyes grew in numbers, filling the bushes and tree branches above. My loss of direction got me to this point.
I ran in the direction I thought best, as the sound of howling filled the air. Shadow meowed putting her claws in my hand. Out of breath, I stopped, gasping for air. My ears perked up when the howling died and I could hear the crunching of leaves.
Fear filled me. The urge to survive made me able to move on. I let go of Shadow and she ran off. Thinking the cat knew where to go for safety, I followed her. As I went, dead blackberry thorns scraped my skin. Ahead I could see a clearing in the forest, the bright moonlight temporarily blinded me. I stood still, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.
Two pairs of strong hands grabbed my arms, holding me in place. I could feel my heart in my throat, pounding hard. Then I saw, in the moonlight, Shadow. I called her name, but she didn’t respond. The cat held its head up, her yellow eyes seemed to glow in the light of the full moon.
I heard a scream in the distance. I noticed the hands of my captors resembled paws, covered in green and gray fur. I tried to get out of their grasp, but doing so the sharp claws cut deep into my skin. It was then I heard Shadow making high-pitched noises. Out of the moonlight, the pointy red eyes appeared. They slowly moved closer, the light shining on the creatures. They were covered in the same fur as my captors’ paws. They looked like wolves, on all four legs. With long, white teeth bared and blood red, pupil-less eyes. I figured two of them were keeping me in place, but somehow, on their hind legs.
Shadow looked at me, her eyes no longer glowing, and gave a short high-pitched sound. The paws let go of me, yet I could still feel their claws poking my skin. I turned around to find the mutant wolves gone. I looked back at Shadow, wondering if I should run. But in Shadow’s spot wasn’t a cute kitten, but a black mutant wolf with yellow eyes.
I ran back into the dark forest, knowing it was the only way to survive. Heart now pounding in my head, I ran towards the light ahead of me. I would be safe once I got out of the forest, according to the tales. Using the last of my energy, I got out into the opening and collapsed to my knees.
I looked in front of me to find I was on the edge of a cliff, a sea of trees below me. My heart quickly filled with fear again. I was still in the Ancient Woods, unprotected, with no way out. Turning around, I saw the mutant wolves with Shadow in the front, slowly creeping towards me. Covered in dirt and grime, I started to cry. Completely exhausted, I fell down to the ground, blacking out.
They say the Ancient Woods are haunted, full of terrible monsters. The story had been retold so many times it became a myth. Though a myth it might be, I believe all the versions told are true.
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
I noticed I had a few grammar issues, but I hope I fixed them all. My mom thinks I didn't win because everyone doesn't read and write as much as I do, and the story would be too sophisticated for them. But I like how I left it open for many possibilites... like Rachel (main chara.) dies, but you might have not caught that. The scream in the distance before the revealing of the mutant wolves, is SUPPOSED to be Jerry screaming... in other words, he's dead.... also might have not caught that. Oh, and all the versions of the myth are true.... well, Rachel didn't want to believe that they were even the slightest true, and since it's a myth, there's been outrageous stories.... and since Rachel was proven wrong, the so many stories that she didn't believe came to life. You might have gathered information that Rachel died, because no one who has seen the mutant wolves has live to tell of them, so obviously, Rachel's dead. ^_^ hope you enjoyed!!
posted by Megan at 5:35 PM
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