THE BEAST

3: Into the Woods

The closer I got to the woods, the more awake I've felt in a long time.

"Please be careful," my mother warned us from the back porch. She wrung her hands with anxiety as she watched us walk to the perimeter line of the grass. "You know how I feel about those woods."

"Yes, Sarah, we all know how you feel about anything that isn't set on a concrete block."

I cover my hand over my mouth to stop my laughter from ringing into the air. My mother shook her head in annoyance, her eyes darting momentarily to me before walking back inside the house, leaving the door slamming shut.

"You two could at least try to get along this summer," I negotiate with the white hair old woman. We do only see each other once a year. I hate the fact that the two most important women in my life can't be in the same room for too long without clawing at each other's throat over the silliest of things.

"Come on, dear. Let's collect these berries before the sun goes down." Grandmother handed me my own basket to collect the berries for her delicious desserts she makes, ignoring me like usual whenever I bring up their relationship.

We headed into the woods, first my grandmother then me. I stayed close by because even though they looked inviting from the outside, the inside of the forest is rather dark. It looked like a picture. Just how I remembered it as a child.

"They are usually right when you walk in on those bushes over there," Gran explained with a creased brow. "I swear my old age isn't getting the better of me yet, Poppy, but..." She looked around in circles, "I don't see them."

"Maybe the lighting makes a difference, Gran," I said stepping over an overgrown tree root. "The clouds have covered the sun some. Maybe they are further back than you think. They're purple, right?"

"Yes. About the size of a coin." She bent down to look at a bush but stood up again when the berries were red instead of her desired purple. "I'll go over here to search for them and you go over there. I would really like to pick some before the sun goes down so I can bake a batch of scones up for the Andrews. Their son just past last week." She tisked while shaking her head.

I froze. "Dalton Andrews?" I questioned, my stomach dropping in horror. Gran nodded her head sadly. He wasn't much older than me. He used to play with me down in the pond on the edge of Gran's and his parent's property when we were little.

"How?" I choked out in horror. Did I really want to know? I was never very good with death but there is something chillingly peaking about someone you know dying.

"Animal attack."

I had a hard time moving my feet forward. My eyes scanned our surroundings. "Animal Attack?" Gran moved further away from me and my heartrate picked up with every meter she walked. "What kind of animal attack?"

"They suspect a bear. Though I think that's a bunch of bullocks if you ask me."

I bite my tongue harsh enough to taste blood. "And why is that, Gran?"