1st Flash Fiction: Into the Woods

For your reading enjoyment here it is:

Into the woods

by

Rebecca Lickiss

Beginning of the Diary

Monday

We're moved into the new place. Dad said it would be in the suburb, but it's not exactly. He says in the next few years they'll be building up where we're living, but I don't see any sign of it. The road is still gravel and we're surrounded by farm fields. There is a thin strip of trees and brush between our backyard and the suburb. I walked through it to the other side where the suburb's residential street becomes a dead-end. You can just see our house through the trees from there if you know where to look. And you can just see the suburban houses through the trees from our back porch if you know where to look. I'm not happy about the move, just before the start of my senior year. But not in an active, grumpy teenage, I'll-get-you-for-this sort of way. I wasn't that attached to my old high school. I didn't have that many friends. But having to start all over again is a pain. I guess it'll give me practice for college. I'll be leaving home soon anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Tuesday

I had breakfast out on the front porch early this morning. Actually early, I'm still not used to having the sun come streaming in my window first thing in the morning. Mom promised to get me curtains that will keep the sun out, but hasn't yet. Looking out across the backyard I couldn't see the suburb's houses through the trees. I looked all through breakfast and couldn't see it. After breakfast I could see it just fine. I thought maybe it was the light. I checked just before sunset, and couldn't see through the trees then either. So maybe it is the light. Tomorrow we're going to get me enrolled in high school and go shopping for school supplies. Ugh. High school is painful enough without having to get a stupid list and go shopping for the particular junk the teachers want me to have, each with their own dumb organizational system that I have to follow.

Wednesday

Enrolling and shopping took all day. Gag. Nuff said. I had breakfast on the back porch again today, and again couldn't see the houses through the trees until about seven o'clock. I checked about a half-hour before sunset, and couldn't see again. So I tried walking through the woods to the other side. After walking about twenty minutes I still hadn't gotten to the other side. I couldn't see my house either, so I carefully followed my tracks back. Luckily I'd broken a lot of brush and bramble as I walked, and was able to find my way back. About an hour after sunset I could see the lights in the houses in the suburb behind us. It took me just a couple of minutes to walk through to suburb's street. I could easily see my house from there. It was weird.

Thursday

So today I woke with the sun, grabbed a couple of granola bars and a ball of string and went walking through the woods. I tied the string to a tree near my house and played it out as I walked, so I wouldn't get lost. I walked for an hour without getting to the suburb before I ran out of string. I rolled the string back into a ball as I walked back. After I untied the string from the tree, I looked back, and there was the suburb's houses. A quick walk and I was at the dead end. I waited until just before sunset to try again with the string. I walked again until the string was almost to the end. I could see some lights just a little way farther, but I didn't want to lose my way, so I reluctantly turned around and rerolled the string as I headed back. I really wanted to go see what the lights were, they for sure weren't the suburbs. When I got close to my house I discovered that someone had untied the string from the tree. Luckily it got caught on a thick bramble stand. I really wanted to go see those lights.

Friday

All night long I dreamed about those lights. In my dreams as I got close to them I'd feel such triumph, such joy, then I'd wake up never finding exactly what the lights were. So this morning I set out again, shortly after dawn, with the string. I felt like singing, so I did. My voice has never been that great, I'm never going to be a rock star, but somehow in the woods in the early morning my voice sounded better. It almost seemed like the woods were singing with me. I reached the end of the string without finding anything. It's almost sunset now. I'm going out again tonight, and I'm going to find those lights. I have to know what they are. When I return I'll write what I've found here.

End of Diary