In The Woods, Awoken

"What?" I said, my voice croaky from dehydration, slowly sitting up and opening my eyes, I put my hand to my head as it pounded and looked down at what I was sat on. A blanket, thick and heavy, deep blue velvet and underneath, dirt- soil with dry autumn leaves strewn upon it, I was outside. As I looked around me, I could see trees, shrubs and plants turning from brilliant summer colours to cosy, subtle autumn browns, reds and oranges; I was warm and, more urgently, more importantly, I was hungry. Looking down at the ground around me, I found a couple of things that weren't mine, beside me was a large sheet of tarp and a backpack, inspecting it, I found a large empty water bottle, a flashlight- luckily it was a working one, and a small pocketknife. In front of me a slowly burning bonfire, smouldering as it was slowly dissipating, there was something hung above it, tied between two trees either side of the bonfire. I gently pushed myself onto my feet, wobbling slightly with light-headedness and thirst, I found that I could reach whatever was hanging above me, so I pulled it down. It was fairly weighted and solid but not heavy, warm to the touch but not burning, I placed it down on the blanket before I thumped down beside it, almost as if my body was about to give up on standing. It was wrapped tight but I found a small opening and pulled at it- inside was a dish, topped with a lid, tied up with string. I pulled off the string, flipped the lid off, it landing with a small thump on the blanket and the smell of tomatoes, potatoes and herbs bellowed out of the dish. My stomach rumbled, my mouth trying to salivate, I smiled and pulled the dish up to my face, breathing the smell deeper than I've ever tried to smell food before.

"Did I make this?" I wondered out loud to no one. I was alone, and yet I couldn't help asking the question. And in that moment, I didn't care, about the answer or the fact I'd spoken aloud to myself, I was just grateful that I had food. I carefully pulled out chunks of delicious food from the dish, savouring the decadent flavours and laughing with delight. I was much hungrier than I had first anticipated, I was already half way through the dish when I thought to save some. First of all, I had no clue where I was and secondly, I didn't know where my next food would come from. I put the lid back on the dish, to try and keep some heat inside for later, tied the string back over and placed it back in the wrapping, which was what looked like an old bed sheet. Definitely not mine after some inspection, I wondered who would have left this out here, had they been responsible for my situation. I couldn't remember going into the woods, I didn't know how long I had been out here, probably a little while based on the state of my clothes, they weren't the most pleasant of fragrances or my hair, which was very messy, and greasy.

"I need to work out where I am, then I can work out where I need to go. I definitely need some water before I go too far anywhere." I planned aloud, again, to no one but myself and maybe a few critters in the trees and plants around me. I packed up the backpack with the tarp, thick blanket I had awoken upon, the dish of food I was contemplating eating the rest of and got back onto my feet, leaning slightly against a tree as I checked over myself for any injuries, only a couple bruises and scrapes, and my banging headache which was accompanied by a tender spot right behind my right ear, but otherwise I was fine- I'd live. Looking around me, I saw a natural path emerging, a small dirt path engraved through the vegetation from what looked like years of footfall. I decided that would be the best route to take, hoping it would lead to a source of water- a small creek, a stream or a river, something... I needed water. I pulled the backpack over my arms and the straps fit snugly onto my shoulders, the weight was manageable, a reminder that I was alive and it kept me grounded, and I headed for the path. I walked for what seemed like an eternity when I began hearing the sound of running water, it started so quiet that I thought I was imagining things, but as I continued down the beaten path, the hum turned to trickling and then finally to a magnificent whooshing as I reached a clearing of the trees at the bank of a small, fast flowing stream.

"My goodness, I really needed that." I said, my voice back to its normal volume, tenacity and tenor, I wiped the cool, fresh water from my cheeks and chin, breathing a sign of relief, gratitude and content; I pulled out the bottle from the backpack I had dropped to the floor when I had reached the stream, I unscrewed the lid and placed the bottle tilted into the stream, catching the beautiful flow of crisp, crystal clear water. As the water reached the rim of the bottle, I pulled it from the stream and replaced the lid, lifting it above my head and shook of the excess water, gently showering myself in the cool, clean water- my body quivering at the feeling of the sudden coolness upon my skin and clothing, I smiled and laughed quietly aloud. I looked around me again and ascertained that I was still alone. I took the opportunity before it was lost and removed my clothes, leaving them to air, hung on a low branch of a nearby tree, and slowly submerged my aching body into the stream; I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and ducked my head under the water, leaning back in the water and allowed it to wash away the dirt, sweat and in this act, the worry of being lost, even if it was just for a little while. I floated on my back, breathing deep and enjoyed the light gentle sounds of the woods. A sudden rustling of leaves jolted me back to the woods and I looked all around me, relieved that it was just a bird returning to its nest. I pulled myself out of the stream, wrung my hair and shook it out, wiped off the extra water using my hands and got my clothes back on; with the backpack hoisted up onto my shoulders again, I followed the water downstream, stepping over branches, roots and rocks as the stream grew larger and flowed quicker and a small cottage came into view.

"Hello. Anyone home?" I called out as I knocked on the delicately carved dark wooden door. The cottage was absolutely beautiful, delightfully light grey with dark grey mortar stoned walls, topped with a dusky brown thatched roof and rounded stained glass blue windows, decorated with small mushrooms, leaf motifs and acorns in beautiful reds, greens and browns. The light red brick chimney shaft climbed up the right hand side of the house and was topped with a thick white layer of brick, small clouds of black smoke bellowed from the chimney, which made me believe someone should be inside. After what felt like a good few minutes, I knocked on the door again, hoping someone would answer and let me in before it got dark, the blue and cloudless sky, that had been above me all day since I had woken up by that bonfire, was turning pink and orange, bringing night time closer with each passing moment. Smoke had stopped coming from the chimney by the time I stepped back and began walking around the cottage, I looked through the natural picket fence and saw garden beds of magnificent flowers and food; the vivid colours filling the garden were extraordinary. I kept looking around the cottage and its garden when I saw a small outdoor enclosure, inside were three fluffy bunnies- one with black and white fur, another with brown and black fur and the final with grey fur, all of them with a small black nose and white whiskers. As I was watching the rabbits hopping around and eating alfalfa, time got away from me again, the sky drew even deeper shades for pink, orange and started turning deep blue as the sun retreated behind the tree lines; by the time it was fully night time, a glowing lantern emerged from the woods, held by an older woman, short in stature, with long silver grey hair tied in a ponytail, deep amber eyes and a warm shawl draped over her shoulders. The woman asked me who I was and why I was in her garden. Her voice was stern and authoritative.

"My name is Ellowyn, Ellowyn Grace Jenkins. I've found myself lost here in these woods, I woke up beside a bonfire, and have no memory of how I got into the woods or how long I've been out here. I followed a beaten path to a stream and then followed the stream until I found your cottage. I'm sorry for intruding, I just need some help." The woman grew warm, gentle and her voice became soft and concerned. She welcomed me to her home, offering me to come inside with her, she made a pot of tea over a fresh fire and we shared a homemade vegetable pie, filled with her own grown vegetables; we talked while we ate, she introduced herself and we discussed what we would do to get me back to where I belonged. A bed was set up for me in the living area, with a lovely throw blanket and a plush pillow; my new friend, who I now knew as Belinda, took all of the belongings from the backpack and sorted them to be cleaned and stored, we locked up the cottage and turned in for the night, Belinda retreating to her bedroom and night took over my body- I slept until the sun rose the next morning. In the morning, after a filling breakfast of porridge and blueberries with a glass of fresh homemade orange juice, I assisted Belinda in caring for her bunnies, tending to her vegetables, fruit and flowers, we went further into her garden than I had seen before and we collected eggs from her chickens, she tended to her bees while I brushed down the pathways within her garden, and together we went to the stream I had bathed in yesterday and collected some water for the day. After a busy morning in the garden and through the woods, Belinda took me into the small village a mile from her cottage, we visited the library and post office and I called my parents home. There was no answer, so I left a message telling them that I was safe and being looked after. After getting a small lunch at a café in the village and talking even more about each of our lives, the post office manager came and informed me that my parents had called the phone back after getting my message and were waiting for me to return. They had been so worried about me and were so happy and relieved that I was safe; we talked for over an hour about what I had been through, and how Belinda had taken me in- my mother thanked Belinda on the phone and we agreed that I would be home soon.

"Thank you so much, Belinda." I hugged my new friend and she made sure that her address was written down for me, so that we could keep in contact once I was home. A taxi driver from the small village took me to a larger town an hours drive away, I thanked him, payed him the money that Belinda had lent me, and from there I got on a bus for three more hours to the city neighbouring my home town. As I stepped off of the coach, my mum and dad wrapped their arms around me, they held me tight and didn't let go for a good few minutes. We walked together to the family car, which had been parked in a residential street, a few minutes walk away from the bus stop, and we drove back home. When I got home, my brother and sisters had been waiting for me, along with a police officer; I explained everything that I could to the police officer and I was taken to the hospital to be checked over. I wrote Belinda a letter, expressing my gratitude once more, explaining that I was home and my family were very happy to have me back, I put in some money to pay everyone back for their kindnesses and posted it the following week once I had been cleared by doctors.

The investigation into what happened to me has been ongoing now for over three years. No one has any idea what happened to me, but they are determined to find out. Maybe then, I'll be able to tell my parents that it wasn't their fault that I couldn't be with them anymore. It has been two years since I died, and I still watch them crying for me every night; I wish they knew that they were loved beyond life.