Love in The Wild

Walking home from school never felt so good and yet tiresome. Counting each steps taken- looking like a mess, feeling the wind against my cheeks. "Elise!" a soft voice broke the silence of the green field crowded by lavenders and daisies. "What happened to you?" Mom asked looking at my ripped shirt and smeared mascara. "Mom, what are you doing here? How did you find this place?" I asked, barely giving a crap about how messy I actually look like. "Who did this to you, my poor little baby?" she asked with teary eyes. "Mom, I'm fine, besides aren't you supposed to get used to this by now?" I replied jokingly. "No, this time I'm gonna do something about it." I thought to myself "How many times have I heard of that already." I brushed the thought aside and started stroking Mom's beautiful blonde hair- flowing gracefully down her shoulder, "Mom, just leave it be. It's not that big of a deal anyway and you know what they're capable of." "Darling, I know that they're a bunch of big shots in the city and we're farm people but that doesn't mean I'll let them walk over you like that." "Mom, please, let's just leave them be, for now at least. We're going out of this place in a bit anyway." I said while forcing a smile across my face. "But honey-" I cut her off "No more buts, Mom. How about let's just go home and eat dinner? What's for dinner anyway?" I said with a smile trying to ignore Mom's teary eyes for I know that I, too will end up crying every time I see her cry. "I don't want them to bully you too, Mom. You're facing a lot already after Dad's passing." I took Mom's hand as we ran to our dear old cranky truck together passing field by field as we drove home. The unbearable silence across the room as Mom and I gobble up our dinner like hungry lions after a busy day in the jungle. It's unbearable, it hurts my ears, I hate it when Mom becomes silent. It either means she's bothered by something. Or she misses Dad. The urge to break the silence came to me but neither have I been used to not having Dad around. "I guess Mom and I aren't used to this yet." I thought. Out of nowhere I found myself awkwardly talking to Mom about the bunny I came across in the field earlier today and how adorably cute it was. Though, there was no bunny, I just want her to get her mind off things. The awkward talk lasted for a few minutes good enough for us to finish our meals. Everything was going quite well and normal just like any other nights without Dad that we had. It was just the same as yesterday and the day before that and so on. Mom bid her goodnights as I clean up downstairs. I can hear her footsteps up the creaky wooden stairs. Other than that, I can hear her small sobs. Upon hearing that, I felt warm liquid flow down my cheeks- tears. I tried to focus on my chores but the pain is just piercing me right through the heart like a dagger. Stil, I kept trying to neglect it but something outside caught my attention. It was a figure of a man standing in the darkness of the woods. I've never been afraid of the dark though. I brushed it off but then I remembered "Crap, the cows that guy seems to be up to no good." so I took the flashlight and grabbed a jacket to overlay on my night gown and walked absentmindedly into the woods calling for the cow hoping to hear its bell shining my flashlight through every corner of the woods. Every step I take makes a cracking sound against the twig covered ground. Snap, snap, snap. I hadn't noticed that I had gone deeper into the woods as my flashlight goes dimmer and dimmer by the second. I heard snaps and thought it was mine, but unfortunately, the snaps were still hear even after I stood in place. I hurriedly traced back my steps to find my way back home but the forest- it seemed different. Still, I hoped for the best and walked back to where I came from. But, there was no way back it felt like I was going in spirals- going back and forth. The snaps- they keep coming. I started to panic, a load of thoughts came rushing in one by one, a lot of what-ifs after another and another. " What if I can't find my way back? I'm too young to get lost in the woods and die here." "I don't want to be frozen to death in this cold night. " "Oh, crap, crap, crap, I forgot about the wolves and bears that just might devour me in this darkness." I kept walking, pacing, and running without knowing where the hell I am and to add up, my god-damned flashlight decided to die in the middle of crisis and just like that I blindly walked into the darkness.