Go right

Crap, crap, crap. What do it do? I can’t tell whether Zayden is waiting left or right. If I stray on the wrong side, someone else can catch me. I want Zayden’s Samhain child, not someone else’s. Ugh, maybe it’s better if I just don’t stray at all. I would find Zayden tomorrow and we’ll get me pregnant then. We can exchange our necklaces then too. Our kid won’t actually be a Samhain child, but who knows, we could trick everyone into thinking it is. Yeah, that could work. As long as … Zayden doesn’t get caught by another girl, SHIT!

If I follow the path home, Zayden won’t know and he’ll be waiting for me. Knowing him, he might even get worried that I got caught by another guy. Ugh, I don’t want to stress him out like that. And if some other girl catches him, like Aislinn for example, they will want his baby and then I lose him forever.

Ok, if I don’t stray, I am certain to not get to Zayden tonight. So that is not an option. I can only reach him if I do stray. So, I have to risk it. I look to my left and then to my right. For some reason, I have a good feeling about my right side. I step over the rope and get into the men’s territory. Hopefully none of them are hiding on this side of the river. It doesn’t make much sense really. Better for them to be on the other side so they can watch us cross the river. So, I should be pretty safe.

I make sure to follow along the side of the river as best I can, but sometimes, the banks of the river are so overgrown with plants that it’s just not possible to go through. That is when I get further into the forest.

As I continue on, I make sure to look back every once in a while, in case someone has noticed me and is on my trail. Previous years, I would be excited if someone was chasing me, but those were years when I didn’t have a stable boyfriend. This time, I do. And just like that, this event became a lot more scary. Fortunately, nobody seems to be chasing me down. I am going to be so happy when I find Zayden. As soon as we touch each other, we’ll be safe. Then we can do it, and he can breed me, and we’ll get married and everything we’ve always wanted. Gee, just thinking about it is already getting me a little excited.

Then suddenly, I hear something behind me. I jerk around and scan the trees. I don’t see anybody. Is someone there? Are they hidden? Or did I just imagine it? I can’t take the risk. I need to get to Zayden before anyone catches me. I step up my pace and look behind myself more regularly. When I get to a straight bit and turn around and walk backwards. It is getting dark and harder to see. I can’t tell if someone is stalking me.

Suddenly, something snaps at my right leg and jerks at it hard. Almost enough to make me fall. At first I thought it was a guy who had somehow managed to catch up to me and snatch me by the leg, just above the ankle. But when I look around, there is nobody. I get a better look at my leg and notice it is just a rope. Oh fuck! I must have stepped in a trap. God dammit, you stupid hunters!

Well, I should be relieved it was just a rope catching me and not a guy. I sit down and reach for the rope to try and undo it. It is pretty hard to see where the knot is, though. I look up and I can’t see the moon at all. Damn clouds. I feel around the rope until I can feel where the knot is. Once I’ve found it, I try getting it loose. But no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to loosen it. Gagh! Why do these motherfuckers have to make their traps so tight. I need to get out of here. Every moment I sit here trying to get out of this trap is a moment another girl can catch Zayden. Or even worse, a moment one of the guys can catch me. I am so going to have to give Maire a piece of my mind next time I see her.