Halloween Blog Hop

It's time for Sarah Snider's Halloween Blog Hop, and the last one I've entered into for Halloween. The idea is to write a short story or a poem about Halloween.

Into The Woods

I’ve always loved the woods on the outskirts of our town. You can tell they’re ancient; the trees are all twisted and gnarled and everything is overgrown, so much so that you can hardly make out the old trails snaking their way through the trees, and you have to fight your way through thickets of nettles and brambles. That’s why I loved the idea of meeting Kyle there when he suggested it; it seemed so romantic, two star-crossed lovers meeting in the woods in secret at the dead of night.

I’m starting to regret it now, though. It’s so dark; the moon is full, but none of its light can get through the thick canopy of leaves above me, and my torch barely penetrates the darkness. I can barely see anything in front of me, and I keep tripping over things on the ground. The wind is whistling through the trees eerily, and I can hear twigs cracking and leaves rustling all around me. I shine the torch around me, trying to figure out exactly where I am; I think I’m quite close to the meeting place; soon I’ll be with Kyle, and my fear and uncertainty will be forgotten.

A branch cracks loudly to my left, and I whirl around, trying to find the source of the noise. That’s when I notice the light; it’s moving through the trees to my left, some distance away. My heart leaps, and I breathe a sigh of relief; it must be Kyle. I force my way through the trees and weeds, my clothes snagging on branches as I make my way towards the light. I’m fairly sure the clearing we’re meeting at is in a different direction, but I figure Kyle must have left the trail, probably so he could try to scare me - not that it would be difficult right now.

I’m getting closer to the light now; I can see it through the trees ahead of me. It seems to be coming from a clearing, and it looks like it’s flickering slightly. Maybe Kyle lit candles - that would be so romantic. I stumble slightly in my haste to get to the light, and what awaits me there. Finally I reach the clearing, but it’s empty; there’s nothing there apart from a jack o lantern sat on the forest floor, right in the center of the clearing. Puzzled, I step forward until I’m right in front of it. I glance around again, sure that Kyle must be hiding in the trees somewhere, trying to see my reaction to his stupid joke, but I can’t see anybody. I turn back to examine the lantern; it looks like it’s carved from a swede, rather than the usual pumpkin, and it’s the most evil looking jack o lantern I’ve ever seen. Its mouth is stretched wide in a creepy grin, its sightless eyes wide and staring, the candle within casting wicked shadows on the forest floor.

I’m stooping to pick it up when I hear another loud crack, right behind me. I spin around and let out a terrified scream as a skeletal figure approaches me, a dirty knife clutched in his bony hand, a gleeful smile on his gaunt face.