Intruder

Amy stepped off the forest trail, creeping into the shadows of the looming trees. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath the soles of her hiking boots, the sound mingling with the song of the birds high overhead. Carefully she clutched a shoebox, neither letting it tilt to the left nor the right, keeping the creature inside quiet and safe from harm.

When she felt she had gone far enough, she crouched down, slid the top off the box, and freed the pig-nosed goblin.

“There! Now go away, you cretin,” Amy said angrily.

The creature dropped to the forest floor with a thud. The leaves beneath his feet shifted, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his butt. Amy gave a malicious smile.

“I am not ‘Cretin’, my name is ‘Cray-teen’, stupid human,” he retorted, lumbering to his feet. He brushed absently at the leaves clinging to his clothes before he scampered away.

“And stay away you filthy creature!” Amy shouted after him, kicking debris in his direction.

A twig caught him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Furious, he leaped to his feet and rounded on her. His beady, red eyes glistened in the muted sunlight, their focus on Amy.

“Intruder!” He squealed, scurrying up the trunk of a Birch tree. “Intruder!”

“Whatever,” Amy huffed, turning her back to him. “Like there’s anyone around to hear you.”

Above her, the birds stopped their song. Even the wind through the trees seemed to go mute. For a moment, there was absolute silence.  Amy quickened her pace.

A loud crack rang out, carrying in its wake the sharp scent of freshly tilled dirt. Amy jumped at the sound. Swallowing hard at the unexpected fear that lodged in her throat, she began to jog back toward the trail. The trees around her began to move.

“What?” Amy cried out, skidding to a halt. “Stop!”

Heart pounding in her chest, her mind yelling at her to run, she stumbled backward away from the advancing tree line.  Gathering her courage, she ran, angling around the moving trees, hoping to be quick enough to slip by them. Mid-run, her foot caught on a protruding root that sent her sprawling into the leaves.

Squeezing tightly together, branches conjoining to form a barrier, the trees blocked her path and dashed her hopes of escape. A sob burst from her lips. Beneath her, the earth began to undulate. Long, fat roots erupted from the soil and slithered along the ground like large snakes, ensnaring her in their embrace, and lifting her from the forest floor.

Piercing screams tore from her throat, rising in pitch as she was lifted skyward. The sound echoed briefly through the woods, then all was silent again.