Chapter 11

Chloe and Phillip continued down the path in silence once Phillip returned to his normal self. The forest seemed to get brighter and life began to show as they put more and more distance between them and the camp. Chloe couldn’t help but wonder what was so different between this part of the forest and the part where the camp was located. In fact ever since they passed that abandoned house everything seemed to be dead and abandoned until now.

The same spine chilling shiver went through her body at this realization and Chloe was itching for more information on the original owners.

“Phillip, do you know anything about the owners of that abandoned house we passed before coming to the camp?  I am curious to learn more about its downfall.”

Phillip stopped in his tracks apparently startled by the question. After a short pause he released a loud sigh, hunching his shoulders, and turned to face Chloe. A terrible sorrow filled his eyes.

“I beg you Chloe. Do not go looking into that broken down pile of trash. It will only bring you sorrow and that placed has not harmed anyone in a long time. Please, don’t bring those memories back to anyone. I beg you Chloe.”

By the end of his sentence he was on his knees pleading up at her and this shocked Chloe to her core. Seeing Phillip on his knees tore at Chloe’s heart and she took him into her arms holding his head to her abdomen. He trembled with each breath he took and Chloe wondered what happened at that place.  Now more than ever she wanted to know about this mysterious house but Phillip was forcing her to agree not to look into it any more.

They stood there for a while, Chloe allowing Phillip to regain his composure before they set out on their original journey.

The forest was now alive with sound and the morning sun was determined to make itself known as it forced its way through the trees canopy in long thin blankets of rays penetrating to the floor. Various bird calls could be heard as they greeted the much awaited morning and Chloe could hear the soft rumble of a nearby stream. The fresh smell of pine filled her nostrils and she couldn’t help but smile with the overload of her sense that this part of the forest was willfully sharing with her. Phillips forest seemed to be shrouded in darkness and everything had a secret that it was not willing to share.

This lively part of the forest was the outer edge, for not more than an hour’s walk it ended abruptly and Chloe and Phillip found themselves at the start of a rather used dirt road. It was startling because this was the beginning, or the end, of the road. There was no barrier or sign saying it was the end. No well-defined path showing where to find the one in the forest. It just ended at that exact point. The trees surrounding where they had just emerged were so green and overgrown that Chloe was so overwhelmed by their beauty and how well they did their job. It was clearly apparent that no one wanted the path to be found.

Phillip took Chloe’s hand in his own and shared with her a new excited smile. It was as if he had left their problems in the forest and was now eager to get to their destination. Chloe couldn’t help feel excited at his new found happiness but at the same time, in the back of her mind, she had that incredibly annoying sense of forthcoming doom. Was she going to like these answers she was given? There was so much mystery and darkness with Phillip and she couldn’t help but fear it.

     The road had a few trees here and there but they were so thinned out that they couldn’t have passed for a forest.  It was clear that this road was used frequently a long time ago and by the thinning of the surrounding trees on either side Chloe concluded that it must have been for the timber. The loggers had taken great care in not tearing down all the trees and this pleased Chloe a great deal.

To think there are people who respect the nature around them was something new to her. Not like the people back home in her town. Not like her people. They destroyed all trace of the forest long before she was born and the factories and trains left the area in a dark veil of smoke and gloom. Even the animals seemed miserable. But here, this part of the world, the people respected it. Well, as much as not to kill off every last tree and for some unknown reason to Chloe, they had decided to leave the forest leading to Phillip’s forest alone.  

“We are almost to Nikolai’s. Just down the road about an hour’s walk and to the left will be a small path beyond a few trees and a meadow and we will be there.” The caramel of his eyes seemed to almost glow with excitement now and Chloe couldn’t help but let out a girlish giggle.

This was the Phillip she loved so much. This was the man that she had come to love and hoped terribly that he would stick around for a while.

The hours walk was so excruciatingly long that Chloe thought the time would drive her mad before they reached their destination. After a closer look at the road she could tell it had not been traveled in a very long time. This drew her curiosity to become almost unbearable. She wanted to ask Phillip so many questions that her skin began to itch with anticipation. The only thing stopping her was she knew the one answer that would be her constant. Let Nikolai answer them.

It wasn’t fair that all her questions had to wait for this all powerful Nikolai. How were his answers going to be any different than the ones Phillip had to give?

There was a sort of fork in the road that quickly attracted Chloe’s curiosity. They could continue to the right down the dirt road or to the left through a thick of small trees she could see the beginning of a green meadow. It caught her attention because it didn’t belong. The trees surrounding the clearing seemed to be thicker and untouched. The small tress at the entrance seemed to be a barrier to keep people from going in and from what Chloe could see it was quite successful.

As they approached the trees Chloe could see that the trees were small saplings from a larger maple tree. Their beautiful red leaves covered long scrawny branches and there were eight or nine small trees. Hardly enough to hide the path and it seemed as if they were more a beacon on that long dirt path so this Nikolai person could notify his visitor’s to his whereabouts. It was all confusing to Chloe and she allowed Phillip to lead her delicately around the trees into the meadow.

Immediately Chloe found the strange cottage she believed belonged to Nicolai. It was a small cottage that appeared to slowly being reclaimed by the forest. There were small tress growing all about the edges of the foundation and in some places tree branches seemed to be protruding from the walls themselves. An extremely healthy wine of ivy was blanketing the four sides of the cottage snaking its way between wood panels and weighing down the roof of the home.  

Instantly Chloe decided she liked the place. There was an electric feel in the air and it reminded Chloe of the feeling of excitement whenever the circus had come into town. Her heart began to beat more rhythmically as her excitement grew and she felt Phillip squeeze her hand. She afforded a quick glance in his general direction and was pleasantly surprised to see the look of joy on his face. He was a peace here and she loved it.

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems