I was playing on the edge of the forest with some toys of mine in the middle of winter. My mom was inside, cooking dinner.
I was around seven, and we were in a safe neighbourhood, so my mom never had any worries about letting me play outside without supervision. Today was different, though; today, I followed the paths leading far into the depths of the forest. It was as though something was calling to me, and I had to follow.
As the forest around me grew darker, I grew more and more on edge, my heart beating wildly. Every sound I heard made me jump, every source of light a sanctuary. I was wandering for over an hour before I found what I was looking for. It was... something. It was a person, and yet it wasn't a person. It was a he. He watched me as I stepped into the small clearing he was in before speaking. "What are you doing here, little human?" he asks me, tilting his head to the side.
I walk over to him and sit down, pointing to the small bag of sweets he was holding. "Can I have some?" I ask. "It's nice to share."
"Uh... sure?" he hands me the bag, and I dig through it before unearthing a small jawbreaker and popping it into my mouth. I hand the bag back to him, smiling. "What's a little kid like you doing out in the forest, alone?"
"I thought I heard someone calling for me," I say. My voice was high-pitched and childlike. "You're the only person I've seen. But... now I'm lost, and I don't know my way back home." I sniffle and shiver. I only just realized how cold it was, and I wasn't wearing a jacket. It had been warmer earlier, so I hadn't needed one. "I'm cold, too..."
The man frowns and pulls off his odd-looking brown jacket, handing it to me. "Here," he says. I take it gratefully and wrap it around my small child body, smiling. "I can help you find your way back home, if you need."
"Thank you!" I chirp. The two of us get up, and I quickly take his hand in mine. He's a lot taller than me, and I have to crane my neck up to see him. "I'm Evelyn, by the way. Who're you?"
"Why do you need to know?" he questions, giving me an odd look.
I smile. "Because we're friends now, and friends call each other by their names!" I giggle. The man smiles at me and starts walking with me by his side.
"Amaimon."