Page 91 of Ever After

“That is not what happened. I mentioned the seaplane to the hotel and you no-no’ed it at the speed of light.”

“I’m not getting on one of those. I’m not bult for planes with propellers.”

The path starts to narrow, and soon we can no longer walk side by side. Trees loom large and close again, blocking out the moonlight. Levi comes to an abrupt stop in front of me, and I glance around his rigid shoulders to see that the path which was clear ahead of us has now disappeared altogether. In its place are a large boulder and a thicket of brambles.

“What the hell?” Levi says.

I take his hand, and his warm skin soothes me. “He doesn’t want us leaving this wood,” I whisper.

“What do we do?” he whispers back.

“Nothing. Just keep moving.”

“But where?”

I glance to the right and see a way around the thicket—a moonlit area that might be another path. To my left there’s only dense trees. My heart thumps against my ribs. I’m not sure which way is best, as it’s obvious that we’re being encouraged to take a new path. And the thing that’s been “encouraging” us all night is not a thing I trust.

“I think we have to go that way,” Levi says, gesturing to the right. “There’s no other way now.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “We take that way, but we keep our eyes open. No more chatting.”

He squeezes my hand. “Let’s go.”

“I love you, Levi.”

He grimaces. “Let’s not do that at this moment.”

Despite everything, my mouth twitches. “Ah, now I see it. You’ve put a ring on my finger and now you don’t have to be sentimental.”

“Not when it’s said in the tone of someone just off to war. Come on.”

We step onto the path to the right. Nothing happens after several tentative steps. We look at each other. Quick and curious, I mouth.

We continue to walk for several minutes, but I can’t be sure. The passage of time is not reliable here, like everything else in this wood. Eventually the path widens and we’re walking side by side again. In fact, five men could walk alongside one another in this section. The hair on my neck rises. I don’t like suddenly being out in the open.

“Look at that,” Levi whispers, gesturing upwards.

I follow his gaze and see rags have been tied to the branches of all the nearby trees. They’re a riot of faded colours—pinks, browns, green, yellow. They sway gently in the soft breeze.

“I have no idea what they could mean,” I admit.

Levi shivers, and says, “I don’t like them.”

“Agreed.” The atmosphere is becoming heavy and dense, like the coming of a thunderstorm. “It’s coming whatever it is,” I whisper.

We walk slowly along the widened path and the rags continue to appear, their movements in the breeze setting my nerves on edge. I keep thinking they are the someone or the something that’s after us. My heart is hammering and sweat pools at the base of my spine.

Moonlight gleams ahead and we come into a circular clearing. In its centre is a huge oak tree, its branches thick and stretching wide, denying any other trees a space.

“That’s massive,” Levi says. “It must be hundreds of years old.”

I don’t reply. The tree pulls on my senses like a tractor beam was just activated and I must move.

“Blue?” Levi reaches for me, but I’m already next to the tree’s massive trunk, looking up into the shadowed branches. Where I stand is completely still, but beyond the tree’s circle, the wind howls and blows.

I glance over my shoulder to see if Levi feels it. But he’s not there. The clearing is empty.

“Levi?” I shout, but the wind picks up his name and flings it away. I look around frantically. “Levi?” I shout again. “Where are you?” There’s no answer. I turn, my mind racing to find him, but my body is frozen, my feet rooted in the soil.