Forest of Arden

The cabin in fhe woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

Elizabeth found herself standing alone in front of the cabin. She had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. She stared at the cabin and the thick woods beyond. The only lights she could see were the flickering candle and the stars in the darkened sky.

She could hear leaves rustling beneath the trees and nocturnal forest creatures skittering about. Mostly squirrels, she thought. A quiet c00l breeze disturbed her hair.

There was nothing to give her any hint as to where she might be. No traffic noise or music. No city lights or human voices. She was alone.

Other than this, her mind seemed to be completely blank. She took a deep breath and tried to remember what she had been doing before she found herself in this unfamiliar place.

Slowly memories started to float to the surface of her consciousness. She had been in Oxford for about a month. She was a graduate student studying Shakespeare on full scholarship. Things weren't going well.

For one thing, Oxford wasn't what she had expected. It wasn't quiet at all. The streets and buildings were full of students and tourists who were loud and somewhat rude. There wasn''t anyplace quiet to study, even her own rooms. Her rooms were on the ground floor, and it seemed like everyone who passed by felt free to talk to her through her windows. She didn't feel like she was getting anything she was here for accomplished.

And then there was her faculty tutor. He wasn't what she had expected. He was a tiny man with small glasses and a small fringe of hair. He looked like an elf or a gnome; like a being one would find under a leaf or a toadstool. His name was Professor Bloom and he was a noted Shakespeare scholar.

Their first meeting was unsettling. He asked Elizabeth to tell him about herself. She began with how her life was dedicated to the study of Shakespeare and that she knew all his works by heart. He interrupted her and said that he wanted to know about her real life; what she did when she wasn't studying. She looked at him quizzically, and said, "Well, nothing. I'm not interested in anything else."

He frowned at her and asked, "How do you expect to understand Shakespeare, or help anyone else, if you don't know anything about your own life?"

Professor Bloom smiled at her and told her to think about what he had said. Elizabeth had no idea what he was talking about.

The last thing Elizabeth remembered before she found herself in this strange place was being in her rooms wishing she was somewhere quiet and peaceful where she could study and figure out what Professor Bloom meant by his odd comment.

She turned her attention to her current surroundings. It struck her that this was just exactly what she had been wishing for. It was quiet and peaceful. No one was interrupting her or disturbing her thoughts. She was totally alone.

Suddenly her surroundings began to disappear. First the stars, then the forest. The wind stopped and so did the rustling leaves and the animals. Finally the cabin and the candle. All that remained was blackness, like the void of space.

Elizabeth screamed until she no longer had a voice left. She became more and more frightened. It seemed like hours had passed. Nothing changed.Finally she fell asleep.

Elizabeth was awakened by a huge glowing head staring at her. She blinked and it turned into the full moon rising. She found herself on the lawn in front of her residence. No time had passed.

She was happy to see the loud students and hear the noise. She never wanted to be totally alone again.

Somewhere in Oxford, Professor Bloom smiled to himself and retired for the night.