Just The Embrace

Lost in the woods no place to go, nowhere to hide

 

          Thin shafts of silvery light danced and flickered across the forest floor, a light breeze made the smaller branches sway. One of the shafts of light discovered Alice where she lay on the forest floor, almost peaceful and serene. Alice could feel it’s warmth on her face. Her fingers scrabbled about, feeling strange soft dampness all around. She didn’t want to open her eyes, slowly checking that she was all there, allowing the breeze to wash over her, keeping her thoughts at bay, keeping the world away.

          There was a crack.

          She sat bolt upright.

          Eyes wide.

          Heart pumping.

          Around her she could see the forest, vast and impenetrable. One of the shafts of silver light filtered through the branches, travelling right through her, like a dagger through her heart.

          There was another crack.

          She was up.

          Eyes darting this way and that.

          A bird cawed far away.

          She moved out of the shaft’s warmth, pressing tightly against the nearest tree. She could feel her own heartbeat against its trunk. She closed her eyes tight, willing her heart to slow, fearful that they would hear it.

          She murmured something under her breath.

          The trees branches swayed in the breeze, as if beckoning her further into the forest.

          Still her heart refused to slow.

          Another crack, this time closer.

          She took no chances and ran.

          The ground was uneven; she struggled to keep her balance. Running like a rag doll, being tossed and turned, crashing through branches, too scared to look behind. All the while her heartbeat was the loudest sound in the forest.

          Her foot caught on a root; she landed in a heap, her hands red raw as she tried to break her fall.

          She didn’t want tears, she could feel them coming, but she didn’t want them. She clenched her jaw until it hurt, trying to force them back.

          She forced herself to stand, tried to ignore the pain as she brushed herself down. Her white dress now grubby and streaked with mud. She noticed her arms were covered in tiny scratch marks, like a curious road map. Her knees were also grazed and red, a tiny tear tried to drop, but she wiped it away, she didn’t want them, couldn’t have them, wouldn’t give in to them.

          A bird cawed overhead; there was a noisy flap of wings, a frenzy of activity.

          She started gingerly at first, then broke into a run. Her body burned and ached, but she had to push on. They were nearby; they were close, so very close.

          Her chest heaved, her mouth hung wide, desperate to get air inside, things flashed by, shapes. She daren’t look, it could be them.

          Was that voices?

          She stopped suddenly, pressed hard against the nearest tree, its gnarly bark almost cutting into her skin. She held her breath and listened, listened hard for the voices.

          Everything was still; it was as if time had stopped.

          She started breathing with a gasp. Leaves rustled, the shafts of silver light flickered and danced, a bird cawed nearby.

          Time had restarted.

          Her hands lingered on the tree, it felt safe, secure. The scratches that covered her body didn’t seem to matter; the pain seemed dull, not as immediate.

          She let go of the tree.

          Everything flooded back.

          Rapid images bombarding her.

          Flashing through her brain.

          Wild things, all on fast forward.

          Were they real or imagined?

          They wouldn’t stop.

          Her head felt as if it would burst.

          Hands reached out and felt for the tree. Tough familiar bark.

          The images stopped.

          She found herself looking at the tree, looking up, seeing it disappear into heaven.

          It felt safe, secure.

          Her heart slowed.

          For the first time in god knows how long she felt calm, she felt at peace.

          A slight wind caressed her.

          Made her shiver.

A thousand voices in her head felt soothed, like a raging torrent had been diverted.

          A bird cawed.

          She looked up.

          The bird’s beady eyes stared back at her. It was all black, black as pitch, and its head twitched from side to side as she watched it, as if it was trying to get a better look at her.

          There was a crack.

          The bird disappeared in a flurry.

          She let go of the tree.

          Panic raced back into her head.

          Her feet twisted and splayed on the uneven ground, her hands pushed away branches as she ran.

          She daren’t look around.

          They could be close.

          Her eyes, wide with panic, scanned in front of her. Trees and ferns for as far as she could see. No way out. No escape.

          Was that voices again?

          She couldn’t tell, it might’ve been.

          Couldn’t look.

          Mustn’t look.

          Something brushed her face, she stopped the scream before it came, strangled it in her throat. The wind roared in her ears, her breath burned her chest, tears almost blinded her.

          Then she was falling.

          No control.

          Falling, falling.

          The world span.

          Tears blinded her.

          Screams wouldn’t come.

          Falling, falling.

          No control.

          Plunging into darkness.

 

          Every inch of her ached.

          Dull pain, sharp pain.

          All calling out for attention.

          She gingerly wiped tears from her eyes, her salty tears, making her wince.

          A bird cawed overhead.

          She was too afraid to move.

          It might’ve been minutes, it could’ve been hours, it might just have been seconds before she pulled herself upright.

          Her clothes were in tatters.

          Her skin was cut, battered and bruised. She listened hard for voices, nothing, all she could hear was a river, that sounded nearby.

          Gingerly she got to her feet, like Bambi she staggered, ungainly and fragile. Her head span, her stomach felt light. She tottered for a moment, on the verge of collapse, but she found an inner determination, a force from within that pushed her on, made her go forward.

          The trees seemed smaller than before, leaves greener; the light darker, a little more oppressive. But she ploughed on, her ears seeking out the sound of the river and the rest of her following.

          What she hoped to find she didn’t know, but it drove her on. Became a mission, a goal.

          It came as a disappointment when the trees thinned out and there it was, an oozing, seeping, creeping river, much smaller than she expected.

          Her heart sank.

          This didn’t look like salvation.

          Her legs gave way, the ground came rushing towards her. Pain on pain made no more difference, as she crashed to the ground. The grass seemed huge, a Herculean ant passed inches from her eye, it took no notice of the massive blue disc that followed its path.

          All energy was sapped, she lay watching the world in its tinniest detail, her rapid breath causing storms and devastation in its wake.

          The ground felt warm, almost soothing, her fingers dug into the dirt, burrowing deep, searching, seeking, feeling.

          Still she lay, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, her body rising with her breath.

          The river was the only sound, an almost soothing massage of her ears. Slowly, very slowly aches started to recede. Her blood started to settle, her fingers found their depth, and still she watched, massive blue discs staring out.

          A bird cawed nearby.

          As if reacting to a cue she rose, hands covered in dirt, dress torn and tattered, the roadmap of scars still prominent on her skin.

          She caught sight of her distorted reflection staring back at her from the river, blue eyes flickered, stained and streaked, hair tangled and knotted dancing before her. She reached out and tried to touch it, the river enveloped her hands as she morphed into her reflection, two versions conjoined.

          The reflection smiled back at her, warm and welcoming, beckoning her on.

          The water felt soothing, like a warm embrace, wrapping round her, enclosing, cocooning. Her reflection so close she could hear it, murmuring to her, soft and gentle platitudes.

          The water smothered her scars, caressed them and removed the pain, her reflection so close, ready for embrace.

          A single kiss was all it took and Alice became submerged, the embrace complete, held forever.

          No more voices.

          No more running.

          No more pain.

          Just the embrace.

          No more was needed.

          She had become her own Ophelia.

Reviews

[Gary H]

This is a really excellent piece of writing. Looking at it from the way my Creative Writing teachers have looked at my work in the past, the first thing that strikes me is the opening. This really does capture the reader, almost poetic in it's formation.
I was drawn to the Alice in Wonderland story a touch, thinking that maybe she had eaten something a 'bit dodgy' - but then I have also been listening to my Jefferson Airplane records recently - White Rabbit especially - although there's a better version by the Damned. Anyway, I digress.......
The imagery is really cool. I especially liked the 'kiss' of the water. Also whilst her demise is always coming, I think the way you have written this keeps the interest of the reader, thinking and wondering if there will be a saving grace.
At the end I'm drawn to the Nick Cave and Kylie video where he leans over her in the water and see's she is drowned. I think it's the imagery of Ophelia as he uses similar ideas. Oh, and there's a bit of A Forest by the Cure - I think I've built a soundtrack to the story now!

[J. Hampton]

What a nice "trifle of a tale"

a bit proseish here n' there... it added to the urgency and psychotic pace of it ...
I think the scratches...white dress and brook were enough without actually giving away the paralell to Ophelia ...
so very well done...

Blesssssssss

PS: check out my picture for my piece ( Rebirth Aquatic) when you get a sec

[Dan Bullock]

It's like she took a normal day out in the woods and completely let it submerge her, maybe she even awoke again after this moment with something in her hand that wasn't there when he fell or lay down. Almost like a dream within a dream and Pan's, oh it's a beautiful connection.

Alice does immediately suggest another world, that's a really intriguing thing about fiction. It seems her Wonderland has become a metaphor for exploration and the unknown but in an exciting, interesting way.

Good stuff :)

[Dead Angel]

wow so very vivid and creative! i saw the whole thing in my head it was full of suspense, very well written, and very well detailed. wonderful job.