Chapter One

Eighteen years later

~

            The water rippled ever so slightly in the cool breeze. The trees surrounding the lake swayed gently to the rhythm of the night. Their leaves coated the forest floor in colors of red and orange. Soon, they would be bare and have only branches to dance in the wind of winter.

            Reflected in the ripples of the water was the full moon. No stars could be seen in the night sky, but the moon shone down almost as brightly as the sun. Its rays played on the colored leaves that still clung to their branches. Despite the clouds that threatened to pass over it, it hung in the sky clearly, as if defying the weather.

            A storm was brewing in the distance. The smell of rain was riding in on the breeze that was starting to become light gusts of wind. Yet, still Mina sat on the large rocks by the lake, staring up at the moon, in awe of its resilience.

            She had been born under a full moon on Halloween night eighteen years ago. She had always assumed that was why she was different. She felt strangely connected to the moon and almost worshipped it, despite the fact that it usually brought with its completion feelings of dread and uncertainty.

            She didn't know the date exactly, but could tell from the phase of the moon it was about a week or so before her birthday. Halloween mattered much less to her than the full moon, but it was a way to tick off the years of her life.

            For example, this forest became her home three years ago.

            A light dusting of rain blew in on a violent gust of wind and Mina decided it was time to go. She rose from the rocks, brushing a strand of long, raven hair out of her face, and jumped to the forest floor silently. Her clothes were tattered and provided little to no barrier for the weather. She supposed soon it would be time to strip them off completely, as they almost served her no purpose at this point.  The lingering modesty that society had drilled into her was what had kept her clothed this long.

            She swept through the forest with great speed as the dusting of raindrops became pellets, stinging her skin. The wind had picked up and was blowing her hair into her dark eyes. She tossed her head to clear her vision as she reached the clearing she was searching for.

            Through the now heavy rainfall, she could see the blurred form of an abandoned log cabin. She had assumed when she first found it that hunters used it during the season. However, in three years, not one other human had made an appearance in her forest.

            She sprinted to the door and wrapped her hand around the rusty knob. It was rough to the touch and difficult to turn. When she pulled it open, the wind caught it and it nearly flew off its hinges with a protesting screech. With one last look at the moon above her, Mina grabbed the door and shut herself inside the cabin.

            It smelled heavily of mildew and vines of various types had found their way in, curling up the walls and onto the ceiling. Pieces of broken and rotted furniture littered the three room cabin. The bed in the back room would certainly make her ill with the mold that had made its home in it, so she chose to sleep on the floor in what used to be the living room. The kitchen to the right of the door held severely rusted appliances and a few broken dishes remained in the sink from its last occupants. There was a tiny, cubicle of a bathroom on the hall to the left of the bedroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. However, there was no electric or water running to the cabin anymore so Mina had never used it. She did her business in the woods and bathed in the lake.

            The tan backpack by the window in the living room held all her worldly possessions. In it was another set of ripped clothes she had retired a year and a half ago, two books on foraging and hunting, and three leather-bound journals.  Two pens that ran out of ink long ago and a nub of a pencil lay on the floor nearby.

In a side pocket of the backpack was a small pouch containing fifty-one dollars.  Four years ago, after her life took a turn for the worst, she had begun saving her weekly allowance in a box under her bed.  When she left home a year later, she had a little over four hundred and fifty dollars.

During the beginning of her stay in the woods, she snuck into town to buy food regularly.  It didn’t take long until her money began to dwindle and when it did she purchased the books on foraging and hunting.  It wasn’t easy to survive once she stopped going into town, but eventually she was able to memorize which berries were safe to eat and how best to trap a rabbit.  After a while, she became very adept at surviving in the wild without the help of technology or others.

Beneath the window where her backpack sat, a worn thin blanket, was spread out over the floor with a tiny throw pillow at one end. The pillow was lumpy, its stuffing bunching up on the inside. It was a miracle it hadn't torn open yet.

            Mina had chosen this window to sleep under because the moon was almost always in full view in the top left corner of the fogged glass. She lay down on one half of the blanket and folded the other half over her, shivering slightly from the cold rain. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the moon. The window didn't provide clarity of vision in the least, but the moon's rays flooded the floor beneath it. Mina sighed, knowing what would enter her mind the moment sleep graced her. Though she felt connected to the moon, it always provided her nightmares of the memories she wished to forget.  It was never easy to recall the reasons she was sleeping on the floor of this moldy cabin.

After some time mulling over her thoughts for the future, she closed her eyes.  She sighed and tried to focus on the moon’s rays which filtered into the room instead of the inevitable memories her slumber would force upon her.

            It hadn't been five minutes when the door crashed open, slamming against the outside of the cabin. Mina sat straight up and in a flash of lightning, she saw a dark figure in the shadow of the doorway.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Very good description in the chapter. I like how you described the location and set-up the situation. I like the tone and the movement of the story. You give enough to keep the attention of the reader. Thank you for sharing the excellent chapter.
Coyote