Legend and Writing

The entire room grew quiet as Ms. Pace stopped writing mid-sentence. She set her chalk on the desk and turned around. Everyone shifted their attention from the blackboard to me, curious to see what she would say.

"It seems you're more interested in the forest than the actual history of how this town was built," Ms. Pace said, wearing her signature strict expression. "Tell me, Felix—what made you so suddenly curious about the forest?"

My mind raced for an excuse, but I ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Well... I'm just curious, Ms. Pace," I stammered, sweating slightly as I avoided direct eye contact. "Since you were explaining the town's history, I figured there were things about the surrounding area worth knowing, too."

Ms. Pace looked like she wanted to scold me, but paused, closing her mouth for a second.

"Well," she began carefully, "that forest existed long before this town was ever built. It's been years since anyone has brought it up, mostly because entering it is strictly prohibited. From what I understand, several people have disappeared in those woods over the decades. That's why no one goes in."

She paused, her expression softening just a fraction. "There are also local legends and myths tied to it."

"What kind of legends?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity.

"Supposedly, there is a guardian deity who protects the forest," Ms. Pace explained, eyeing me closely. "They say this spirit is fiercely protective because the woods are its home. According to local lore, whenever you pass a willow tree, you must show respect, because willows are said to be the dwelling places of these guardians. Of course, those are just old folk tales."

She cleared her throat and turned back to the board. "Now, if we are done with side topics, let's return to the lesson."

Before I could process what she had said, I felt a sharp kick against the back of my chair. I turned around to see Elene glaring at me, while Lukas leaned over from his desk and grabbed my arm.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?!" Lukas hissed under his breath. "Do you know what you're doing? That's Ms. Pace!"

"Yeah, Ms. Pace hates it when students interrupt her class, and you just threw us completely off track," Elene added, looking deeply frustrated.

"Why are you guys mad?" I whispered back. "I didn't do anything wrong. I just asked a simple question!"

"Can you just drop it, please?" Elene muttered.

"Felix! Elene! Lukas!"

Ms. Pace's voice wasn't loud, but it didn't need to be—it cut through the room like ice.

"The three of you," she said, her eyes cold and disappointed. "You are disrupting my class. Elene, of all people, you should know better. No talking while I'm lecturing."

Elene froze, her fingers trembling against her notebook.

"Elene. Felix. My office. Now," Ms. Pace commanded quietly. "The rest of the class will work silently on their thesis statements based on today's notes."

My stomach dropped. The wooden legs of our chairs screeched against the floor as Elene and I stood up. Thirty pairs of eyes watched us walk toward the exit. The heavy classroom door clicked shut behind us a soft sound that felt heavier than a slam.

When class ended, Ms. Pace tore into us in her office. She didn't raise her voice once, but her cold, disappointed tone made it ten times worse.

"Is my class a joke to you?" she demanded. "Do you realize how many students you distracted?"

After a long lecture, she dismissed us with a wave of her hand. "Leave."

Out in the quiet hallway, I turned to Elene. "Hey... about earlier—"

"Not now, Felix," she cut me off, her eyes filled with frustration. "We have a lot of work to catch up on, okay? Just... think before you act next time."

Before I could answer, she patted my shoulder a quick, distant gesture and walked away. I stood there alone, feeling guilty and completely confused.

Later that night, long after my mother had gone to sleep and the house had fallen dead silent, I made my move.

I packed a heavy flashlight, a thick jacket, and a sturdy pocket knife into my backpack. Stepping out into the crisp night air, I headed straight toward the dark treeline at the edge of town.

Once I crossed into the forest, total darkness swallowed me whole. The temperature plummeted instantly. I clicked on my flashlight, its beam cutting a thin path through the dense fog and tangled branches. I tried to navigate back toward the spot where the smoke monster had attacked me.

Rustle.

I froze. The ambient sounds of the night crickets, wind, swaying branches vanished all at once.

A low, guttural mumbling echoed through the trees, dragging along the damp dirt. The sound grew louder and louder, rapidly closing the distance between us.

BANG!

A heavy force slammed into the ground nearby. Panic spiked through my chest. I scrambled backward to dodge, but my boot caught a slick tree root. My balance broke, and I tumbled hard into the damp earth below.

Suddenly, a violent blast of wind threw me backward onto the ground. Before I could stand, thick tree roots shot out of the dirt and wrapped around my body. They squeezed tightly, pinning me down so I couldn't move.

More roots crawled up from the dirt, trying to pull me under. I struggled, but they only held me tighter. Then, my hand felt something hard in my pocket—my knife. I flicked the blade open and stabbed it straight into the root across my chest. The grip loosened. I quickly sliced through the roots binding my legs and scrambled to my feet.

But the earth buckled beneath me. Massive roots wrapped around my ankles and yanked me down into the darkness, pulling me completely underground. Heavy soil pressed down from above; I couldn't breathe, and my lungs burned for oxygen.

Is this where I die?

No. I can't die here!

Desperation surged through me. I raised the knife and began stabbing frantically into the roots tangled around my face and shoulders. Steel cut through bark, and the underground cage snapped open. I clawed through the loose soil and dragged myself back into the open air, gasping frantically for breath.

I collapsed onto the grass, bleeding, bruised, and completely exhausted. My body screamed at me to stop, but the vines were already crawling out of the earth to chase me again.

"Come on... get up!" I forced the words past my dry lips, pushing myself onto my shaking knees.

Then, a deep, familiar roar echoed through the trees. It was the same monster that had hunted me when I first entered this forest, and it was coming right for me.

I searched desperately for an escape route, but a massive shadow fell over me as the creature burst through the treeline.

Fresh roots whipped out from the monster’s own body, wrapping tightly around me until my entire frame was trapped. They pinned my arms and squeezed my chest, cutting off my air completely.

Not again, I thought as my vision began to fade.

The beast opened its jaw, ready to swallow me whole. But just as it moved in for the kill, it froze. Its eyes darted around, suddenly alert to every corner of the dark forest. It sensed something nearby.

Through the roaring in my ears, a soft sound drifted in a woman's voice chanting a strange spell, echoing through the night. I looked frantically around, but no one was in sight. It was just me and the frozen beast.

My lungs burned, and black spots flooded my vision. With no oxygen left, my world went completely dark, and I passed out.