South

Something about the mysterious trees draws you in and yet set off towards them. You make your way deeper into the forest, following a loose track on the ground, though you can’t tell if it was made by man or animal. You are awestruck by the majesty of this place, the colours seem more vibrant and the air is simply intoxicating as you make your way through this new land, the sun warm against your back where it cuts through the breaks in the tree canopy.

Happily walking along, it feels as though the tension in your body is slipping away and any worries you had of this place or your life before simply melt away. The path ahead grows narrow and you have to squeeze between some bushes to continue forward, hazarding a look back, you can’t seem to make out the route that got you here so decide it best to keep pressing forward in hopes of finding someone or something that can tell you what’s going on.

You push yourself between the bushes, feeling the branches bend and catch on your clothing, small tears forming on the seams of your shirt and pants distract you as make a lurch forward to free yourself and feel nothing beneath your foot but open air. You hang a moment before the branches fully tear through your shirt, releasing you into a fall down a steep hill before you. No longer relaxed it’s as if you’ve just been awoken from a deep sleep by this imminent peril, however just before start to tumble down you feel a vine wrap round your leg holding you in place for a moment. Following the vine back to the bush you’re surprised to see two green eyes staring back at you, the faint outline of a woman seemingly immersed within leaves its hard to make out where the bush ends her body begins.

The vine begins to retract, pulling you towards this strange woman, it dawns on you that she might not be all friendly and that she may be responsible for the strange fugue state you’ve been in since entering the wood.