Lazily I strolled. This would be the last time I strolled. From now on I would run. I was in a forest, thick with tree trunks. It was dense so I guess I must have been somewhere in the middle. Everywhere you looked there was green and brown. Massive brown cylinders reaching up into the sky, tufts of green sticking out of the ground looking for light. Little bushes sat just off the path and under nearly every tree. Mushrooms grew out of the ground in areas that obviously got very wet and moss grew on sides of trees. The green of the moss made murky by the brown of the trees on which it grew. Looking up you could barely see the sunlight shinning through the canopy roof. I knew that it was a hot, sunny and clear day which made the forest feel hot and humid. My skin felt hot and sticky and I was sweating slightly and I was only wearing t shirt and shorts. In the distance you could hear birds singing quietly, as if they didn't want to disturb the peace. Occasionally a small mammal scurried by rustling the leaves as it went. The forest was a picture of calm. As quiet as it could be making it seem dead to the rest of the world. Standing there it seemed like a whole other world. I wasn't used to the peace, calm or quiet; growing up in a city means you're constantly moving and surrounded by noise. But here… here was different. Safe, I felt safe here and relaxed.
And that's when it appeared.
Creeping out of the woods slowly but confidently. It was hunched over and standing on its hind legs, the front ones moving slightly to help it retain its balance. It seemed to have a grey skin with flecks of white in, but as it got closer I could have sworn it looked more like fur. Its eyes burned a bright and full of rage. A low rumbling emitted from it which turned into an ear splitting roar, exposing razor sharp teeth that dripped with blood and saliva. All the wildlife in the forest seemed to disappear. Squirrels hurried up trees away from it rabbits and hares back down into their burrows and birds took off into the sky with a squawk all trying to put distance between them and this creature standing before me. That's when I turned and fled. The creature howled and followed. I know this because I could hear the pounding of its feet against the forest floor or was that the pounding of my blood in my head? I wasn't sure and right then I didn't care. I ran as fast as I could, ducking, dodging, jumping and narrowly avoiding rocks, trees and bushes that stuck out at odd angles in front of me. I could hear the snarling of the beast as it gained ground on me; the blood pounded harder in my head and my heart was beating so fast with fear and adrenaline that I was sure it would rip out of my chest. The wind was rushing past so fast it was making my eyes water, the trees to my sides seemed a blur I was moving so fast. That's when I heard it snarl and it left the ground. Its claws swung through the air slicing like a knife and before I knew it, I was on the floor, on my back, with its huge face bearing down on me. I could see the huge orange balls that were its eyes, shinning brightly and the razor teeth were mere centimeters from my face. It let out a huge cry that rattled my bones and shook the ground; it drew back a massive clawed hand and snarled and as it went for me I knew this was the end. Then it vanished. As quickly and suddenly as it had appeared, it had gone. All that remained was a wisp of smoke now being blown to my right, caught on a gentle breeze.
The forest was completely calm again, the birds had returned and had started singing quietly and the sun light burst through the top of the trees shinning brightly. The sense of calmness and relaxation had once again returned. And as I lay there panting, eyes closed, I knew my life would never be the same again.
As I stood up, and let the dizziness from having so much blood in my head fade, I tried to orientate myself. I was on the edge of Shooters hill where the woods were petering out and the green of the rolling hills could be seen just a few yards ahead of me. I stumbled out into the bright sunshine of a hot summer's day and blinked to get my eyes to focus. My back was throbbing from where I'd landed on a rock when I'd fallen, and my legs felt like they were turning to jelly from the strain of keeping myself stood upright. I turned and headed west wards towards my home. For the rest of the day my mind kept jumping about and thinking about that creature. What was it? And why was it here? I couldn't stay focused on anything other than that beast, and every time I heard a loud bang or the neighbour's dog barking I jerked up like I was expecting the being to be there. I remained on edge even after I had locked everything up for the night. I had calmed down significantly by the time I had climbed into bed and as I lay watching my ceiling I slowly drifted off into sleep. But just as I was about to drop off I heard a low rumbling and for a brief moment its face appeared hovering just above mine. I bolted upright and sat in my bed sweating from fear, with that image engraved into my mind for the rest of time.