Thorne

The chill of a cold winter night made me shiver. I reached out to pull my bedsheets up, but my eyes shot open when a twig from the forest floor pricked my finger instead. Confused, I examined the nature around me. I was in the middle of the woods, with my pockets empty. The forest was quiet apart from the sound of my teeth chattering dramatically. A light drizzle of snow began to cover the ground, settling gently on my long hair and tangled hair. Unfortunately, the whispering trees provided little comfort from the cold of the snow and they littered the floor with prickly pine that I would have to pry out of my clothing later on. Anxiety sunk its way into my gut and subtly pulsed throughout my bones. I tried to calm my breathing while I slowly peeled the burrs from my jacket and shoes, a most uncomfortable, but necessary process. A few of them were deeply pressed into my skin and left behind small purple and bloody bruises. I stopped when I noticed bright crimson blood dripping down from my head onto the snow and pine. Gulping, I brought my hand up to my head and winced. Whatever happened to my head left a sizable gash, and my hand was covered in blood when I pulled it back. The thought of a head wound made me feel a bit queasy, so I tried to think about something else. I assessed the rest of my body, finding the last few burrs and quickly pulling them out. I was wearing two layers of pants, a long sleeve and a winter coat. I was obviously dressed for cold weather. I took my shirt off from underneath the jacket and used that to wrap my head wound hoping it would help to slow the blood from gushing out. My head was pounding, and the harder I tried to remember something, the more it pounded in protest to my actions. I have no clue who I am or what I'm doing here. What I can deduce is that I must have intentionally planned to go into the forest as I was wearing the perfect clothes and shoes for cold weather. Perhaps I was hiking and got lost. Still, that doesn't account for what happened to my head, and why I can't remember anything. As the sun began to set, I realized that I was in serious trouble. My head injury was making it hard to think straight, and I was starting to feel disoriented and dizzy. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep warm in the rapidly dropping temperature. I had no idea where I was or how to get back to safety, and I was starting to panic. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that I was completely alone in the wilderness, with no way to get help. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. As the darkness closed in around me, I started to lose hope. I wondered if anyone would ever find me, or if I would be stranded in the forest forever. As soon as the thought passed my mind, I sprang into action. I wandered around the area collecting some dry sticks. The snow made this difficult, but there were some dry spots under a few trees where I managed to find a couple twigs. I wandered for a little while doing this. I laid my twigs on the bed and prepared an area to start the fire. I grabbed one and then began striking it against a stone in my other hand. It sparked, but the small flame died in the mountain breeze. My first of many errors was not making a good wind shelter for my camp fire; I was in too much of a hurry and too cold. I know now, that if I had taken the time to build one, I would get it done much faster. Another strike, two, three, four... and fire. At last. I poked and prodded at it for a while until, eventually, it burned enough to stay lit. Once I felt warm enough, I decided it was time to keep looking around as I needed to find somewhere to clean my wounds and get a drink. Ideally a hospital, I thought, but a river of some sort might work too. I circled the area, keeping an eye on my fire. There was no nearby source of water as far as I can tell. I decided I needed to wander a bit further in pursuit. As I walked, I started snapping branches in half so I could follow my path back to my shelter if needed. I did this for what felt like hours, periodically taking a break to warm up and eat some berries I collected. Eventually, something shiny caught my eyes as I was stumbling through the trees. A glimmer of hope maybe. Excitedly, I ran in that direction, but it was just ice sparkling in the light of the sun. The beauty of the ice made me gasp. Icicles stuck out all around a snowy wonderland. Parts of the floor seemed to have turned a slushy brown, but the majority of it was quite clear or covered by a thin layer of snow. I moved closer to get a better look. There were boulders upon boulders of ice. I knew it probably wouldn't lead me anywhere important, but I felt drawn to go there and explore. As I hoisted myself up onto the slope, the cold moved in to meet the warmth of my blood. I felt it wash over my skin, again and again, only to be met by the beat of my heart. I kept one foot always moving in front of the other in defiance of the wind, in a rage against the winter blasts, and I felt at ease with the freezing land surrounding me. Up in one of the rocks I saw an opening. I probably shouldn't have gone in there, but something was pulling me inside. I just had this gut feeling telling me to go inside and explore. I jammed my hand into one of the fissures and used it as a handhold to boost me up. The smell of wet stone hit me as I peered over the top to see inside. Using my knee to swing myself up, I crawled over the wall to get into the cave. Everything was blue. Blue. Blue. Blue. Blue. I timidly entered the cave, avoiding a few paths of running water, my footsteps echoing across the cave. It was much larger and deeper than I expected. Examining the water running through the cave, I decided it looked clean enough to give my cut a quick wash to prevent infection. Although cold, it did the trick. It stung for a moment and I wrapped it back up. I would definitely have to head back to my shelter and warm up again after this. I swept off some of the debris on the side to get a better look at how clearly stunning the ice was, only to see a face behind it. I froze, stepping back and pressing myself against the cold, wet ice behind me. My gaze flicked across the unyielding darkness of the cave and then back to the frozen man. I stared at him uneasily and unmoving. My first impression of him was larger than words, so much so that only my soul could see it. He was overwhelmingly handsome and... so large. Much larger than any man I've ever met before. And his clothes.. they were old-fashioned. He must have frozen a long time ago. I thought. Just for a moment, I reached out my hand and placed it on the ice next to his face. How sad and strange that I happened to stumble across him amidst the chaos of my day so far. I took a deep breath to calm down. Looking back up at him, I jumped backward when I saw his blue eyes meet mine to make eye contact. As we locked eyes, I felt chills shooting out from my spine into all my nerves. My mind was overcome with a strong sense of familiarity, like I somehow knew the man, but my body knew better than to stay there in the cave with him. Frightened, I jumped away, my eyes darted back to the opening of the cave. I sprinted away towards the light, never looking back. I was too afraid. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. I thought feeling quite unsettled, the hairs on my arms standing up. However, no matter how fast I ran away, I knew that his face and those blue eyes would forever be burned in my memory. Haunting me. After rushing out of the strange cave, I did not think about looking in which direction my camp was. The icey landscape seemed simple enough to me. However, once I stopped running-my throat burning and the taste of blood creeping up into my mouth- I found that it was one big maze. I couldn't find my camp anywhere. That unsettling feeling started to spread throughout my body again, weighing me down. The trees peaked out from both ends and half circled the phenomenon of the random glaciers. I jogged back to the forest trying to find one of my trails off of pure chance. No luck. My energy levels were low, head throbbing, legs shaking. I spotted more berries and recognized them as partridge berries. A low growing ground cover that stays fresh throughout even the coldest of winter. I stopped and picked them, stuffing them in my mouth as soon as they were plucked. They gave me a little burst of energy, and I stuffed some in my pockets before I moved on. I trekked through the snowy forest, feeling more lost and alone than ever before. The icy wind cuts through my thin layers of clothing, making me shiver uncontrollably. My feet are numb with cold and my fingers feel like blocks of ice. I had been sure that I wouldn't survive the night. I was so tired, and all I wanted was to find someplace warm and dry to rest. But everything looked the same in any direction, and I had no idea which way to go. The tall trees, blanketed in white, seemed to go on forever, and my tracks from earlier in the day had been filled in by the falling snow. I almost considered retreating back into the cave, but I decided not to against my better judgement. Just when I thought I couldn't go on any longer, I saw something up ahead. At first, I thought it was just a mirage, a trick of the light. But as I got closer, I saw that it was a large cabin nestled among the trees. I could hardly believe my luck. A cabin meant shelter, and possibly even food and water. Without hesitation, I made my way towards it, stumbling and sliding over the icy ground. As I approached it, I felt a surge of hope. This could be my chance to get out of this snowy wilderness and find my way back to civilization. Hands balled into fists, I knocked on the door- pounded. "Help! Please," I begged. My voice sounded rather coarse. I hadn't spoken in quite a while. "Is anyone there?" I continued to knock.. until the door gave in and opened. It was unlocked. The house appeared to have been unkept for quite some time. Cobwebs formed in each corner and cranny, and dust had settled in a layer over all the surfaces. I entered timidly. It entered into a large living room, and turned one way into a dining room and then kitchen and a staircase likely leading to the bedrooms. "Hello?" I called. Still hesitant to enter without permission. "Is anyone there?" After a loud silence, I decided to check some of the rooms just to be sure, but I didn't find anyone. Next, I entered the kitchen and tested the sink. There was still running water. There must be a water tank somewhere. I also searched the pantry, looking for food or medicine. There was canned food, rice, some things that might have expired too. Next, I went to the bathroom, searching for a medicine cabinet. Bingo. Sleep began to try and overcome me, and my tiny cuts stung with every movement, but I knew if I wasn't able to apply this paste to my head I would most likely get an infection or have a scar. I had cuts from stickers across my forearms as well, which made it difficult to move my arms. I put a thick amount of poultice over the gauze and then gingerly placed it over the cut on my head and a few on my arms. I sealed it with another gauze to keep it in place and then placed a towel over it to keep the warmth longer. Once I was taken care of, I allowed myself to collapse into a chair and took a deep breath. As I sat in the quiet kitchen, my mind began to race. I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. If I hadn't been so lost in thought, I might have been able to enjoy the fireplace or admire the quaint decor. I tried to think back about any clues that might help me figure out what had happened, but my head was still foggy from the concussion. All I knew was that I was alone in this strange house, with no idea how to get home. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the gravity of my situation. I was lost, injured, and completely alone. I had no way of contacting anyone or getting help. Just as I was about to lose hope, I heard a faint knock on the door. My heart racing, I stood up and stumbled towards the door, hoping against all odds that it was someone who could help me.