Don't Go Out In The Woods Today

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sunday morning

I’d dressed especially for a long walk out, wearing my hiking boots with a thick pair of socks, thick jumper, coat and mittens. It was about nine o’clock in the morning; Jack Frost had paid us a visit during the night leaving outside ice cold. The leaves on the forest floor had been turned white by a layer of white frost. As I breathed a cloud of fog formed then dissolved into the atmosphere. I had my headphones in listening to music that made me into a deep daydream as I strolled through the cold woods near to the church. After fifteen minutes of wandering aimlessly in the corner of my eye I saw the black shadow, I pulled the headphones from my ears and looked beside me. There a step behind me was the large black wolf happily trotting behind me, my pace slowed allowing him to walk directly beside me. We walked in silence for a few minutes before we came to Canem fall, a lake split the forest in two until it came to the thirty foot drop and the water plummeted to pool below. A large ancient chestnut tree stood watching over the lake I gently sat down underneath resting on the large roots. The wolf went round in a circle before sitting down beside me like the way a pet dog would sit beside its owner on the sofa.

It looked at me with its ice grey eyes, only now did I think of Jared and how his eyes are so similar almost identically I would say. He wore the necklace I’d given him round his left paw, which was the opposite I had put it on.

“I don’t know what to do,” I sighed depressingly “I spent Friday round Jared’s, you know Jared, I swear I’ve told you about him. Anyway he’s so thoughtful, kind and oh I didn’t tell you about my stitches did I?”

I reached up and started stroking his fur “Well there was a bit of an accident on Friday that involved my head and the floor so I ended up going to hospital. It was only a few stitches so it wasn’t too bad, I felt really ill though so Jared was so kind to let me stay over.”

He rested his head on his paws so I could tell my petting was relaxing him. I spent a moment composing myself before turning my head to the right and looking at the top of his head, my eyes skimmed the thick back fur still stroking him. My eyes had travelled from his head and down to his neck.

A very small streak of bright pink hid under a thick layer of fur.

It felt like I’d been stabbed in the heart with a knife. I didn’t actually think it was going to work! Oh my Jesus what the hell am I going to do now? Stay calm! I mentally slapped myself. You need to force the truth out of him, but how? I thought about how protective he was of me; maybe I could use it to my advantage? It was the weirdest feeling knowing that I was actually sitting next to Jared. I stopped playing with his fur and used my hands to get up to my feet. It still sat under the tree but raised its head as if to say ‘where are you going?’

I went to stand at the edge of the cliff and peered down, I remembered the first time I jumped from here with Lizzy waiting below. Funnily enough now it’s the end of November the water doesn’t seem as appealing as it does in the summer. I removed one of my mittens and walked over to the river.