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 The Journal  (40 ratings)by John Christopher Cook Page 2 of 5 The window shutters
are blown off the hinges and lost in the forest as he sees shadows between
the walls of twigs and branches. They are surrounding him with dimly lit
torches and the cries of hungry wolves. He suddenly feels a chill down his
spine and turns around ever so quickly only to see a hooded figure looking
into the broken window. It is standing still as a tree and gazing right
through him. He could not see a face, but caught a glimpse of bone as it
turned towards the moonlight. He jumped to his feet and the shadow did not
move. The wolves were howling louder now and clawing at the walls. The
little hut was almost shaken apart as they backed off and retreated into the
forest. The man blinked and the hooded figure was no longer there. He then
lowered his head and fainted with his face falling flush against the bloody
floor. It was only moments later that he awoke and fled for his very soul
back into the depths of the forest. As he flew through the woods he realized
that he was still holding the journal in his hands, he was clutching it out
of fear.
II Years later the man had grown older and a bit wiser when it came to traveling through the forest. He lived with his two children and his precious wife. His daughter was very quiet and ever so beautiful as she was still a child. His son was coming of age but still a boy. The boy had learned so much from his father about hunting and how to be a good man. His loving wife was the loveliest woman alive in the eyes of many. They were a happy family that was surviving miles away from the nearest village. Their home was a tiny hut that was built in a grassy clearing deep in the heart of the woods. Not many travelers had ever come across them, for the journey there was almost forbidden. It was just too dangerous to travel during the night in the forest. The howling of wolves was their only company in the darkness. It came upon an afternoon that the boy and his father were chopping wood for the feast they were planning that night. The boy had killed a deer on his first hunt. To this family, it was a very joyful occasion. His sister was inside playing with her wooden toys and his mother had left that morning in search of something special for him. As his father sweated at each swing of the sharp axe, the boy looked around for more wood to cut. There wasn't any in sight, so the boy began to walk out into the woods. His father yelled in the background " Son don't stray too far, and stay near the house!" The boy yelled back sarcastically " Dad, I'm a man now, I can handle myself!" He knew where there was a giant tree and it wouldn't take long to get there as he often played there with his sister. The boy tried to remember the twisted path to the tree. He drifted further and further into the dark thickets and came across the tree he had remembered. He felt cold at the very sight that stood before him. There was something strange about the tree. It was split in half from lightening and there were ropes tied around it. As he crept closer to the tree he could smell something terrible and the ropes seemed to be soaked in human blood. He swatted at the flies and knats only to reveal a human body that was bound on the other side. He covered his nose from the horrific stench and dropped to his knees. He screamed as loud as he could, but he was too far for his father to hear him. It was time to be the man he thought he had become. He touched the head of the person that was dripping with blood to see who it was. He could not recognize the face as it was torn completely off leaving wet muscle and bone exposed. He stepped back from the body and through his tears of fear looked over the entire body. There were bits of flesh ripped off and thrown about on the ground. The guts had been sliced through and were dangling low to the ground. With every turn of his head he saw blood everywhere. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 John Christopher Cook, sffworld.com. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the author. The author has submitted the work in accordance with and in agreement with the following Submission Guidelines. |
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