The encounter
1839 Words
Episode 3 The encounter
Amelia stirred as her mother’s voice pulled her from sleep.
“Amelia! Amelia! Wake up, Amy. It’s getting late!”
Alexis stepped into the room carrying a basket of laundry. “Look outside—the weather is beautiful. Your father’s already gone to work, and you’re still in bed.”
With a sleepy groan, Amelia buried her face deeper into the pillow before finally opening her eyes. Sunlight poured through the small window, glinting off the blanket of snow outside. After days of relentless snowfall, the sky had finally cleared.
She stretched, climbed out of bed, and freshened up.
Their home was modest—a small two-bedroom house with a tiny kitchen and dining area. Amelia loved where they lived.
A narrow stream flowed beside the house, its gentle murmur a constant companion, while towering mountains and dense pine forests framed the edge of the village.
Breakfast was simple—a warm bowl of oatmeal sweetened with cinnamon and sugar. Once they had eaten, Amelia helped her mother carry the laundry to the nearby stream.
The icy water stung her hands as they scrubbed the clothes, but the crisp air and bright sunshine made the work feel lighter than usual.
When the last garment had been wrung out, Alexis looked toward the forest.
“Once you've finished here, go into the woods and gather mushrooms,” she said. “We have almost nothing left to eat, and if you’re lucky, you might find herbs we can sell.”
Amelia nodded. “Of course, Mama.”
“And take your brother with you. I don’t want you wandering there alone.”
She sighed. “Mama, Adam will only slow me down.”
Alexis folded her arms. “He goes, or you don’t.”
Knowing there was no point in arguing, Amelia called for her younger brother.
Eight-year-old Adam came running, his boots thudding across the wooden floor.
“Are we going to the forest?”
“Yes,” Amelia replied, handing him a small basket. “But stay close to me and do exactly as I say.”
“I promise!”
Together, they followed the narrow trail behind the house into the forest. Beneath the towering pines, the sunlight quickly faded, and the air grew noticeably colder. Snow covered most of the ground, though patches of frozen moss and brittle leaves peeked through.
“Don’t wander off,” Amelia reminded him.
It wasn’t long before Adam shouted excitedly.
“Amy! I found mushrooms!”
A cluster had sprouted from the side of a fallen tree.
“Good job, Adam.” Amelia smiled as they carefully filled their baskets.
Then…
The forest fell silent.
The cheerful birdsong vanished.
Even the wind seemed to disappear.
A faint crack echoed somewhere among the trees.
Adam looked up.
“Did you hear that?”
“It’s probably a deer,” Amelia replied, though unease crept into her voice.
Her gaze swept across the silent forest as she ventured a little farther.
Then she saw it.
A massive ancient tree stood ahead, its thick trunk wide enough to conceal a carriage.
Behind it stood a towering figure.
Perfectly still.
Its back was turned toward her.
Her breath caught.
Two enormous black wings rose from its back, stretching far beyond the width of its shoulders. They remained still, as though carved from stone.
Her pulse quickened.
Unable to look away, Amelia took a cautious step forward.
A dry leaf shattered beneath her boot.
The sound sliced through the silence.
In an instant, the figure slipped completely behind the tree.
Amelia stopped dead.
For several agonizing seconds, nothing happened.
Then…
Slowly…
A head peeked out from behind the trunk.
Its face remained swallowed by shadow, impossible to distinguish.
But its eyes…
A pair of red eyes locked onto hers.
A chill raced down Amelia’s spine, every instinct screaming that she shouldn’t be there.
She stumbled back a step, her heart hammering violently against her ribs.
The figure didn’t move.
It only watched.
That was enough.
Terror seized her.
Amelia spun around and sprinted through the forest, branches clawing at her clothes as she raced between the snow-covered pines. Her heart pounded so violently that she didn’t dare look over her shoulder, terrified the creature might still be following her.
Suddenly, she slammed into someone.
The impact sent them both tumbling onto the snowy ground. Strong arms instinctively wrapped around her to break the fall.
For a brief, agonizing moment, Amelia couldn’t breathe.
Then she looked up.
Her eyes widened.
“Ivar… is that you?”
Ivar let out a pained groan beneath her.
“Could you please get off me?” he muttered. “You’re crushing me.”
“Oh!”
Amelia scrambled to her feet and offered him a hand.
“It’s really you!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up. “When did you come back?”
Ivar accepted her hand, stood up, and brushed the snow and dry leaves from his clothes.
“Not long ago,” he replied. “Why were you running?”
The memory struck Amelia instantly.
Her expression turned pale as she glanced back toward the dark forest.
“There’s… there’s a monster.” Her voice trembled. “I saw it. We need to leave. Now.”
Without thinking, she grabbed his hand.
Ivar’s gaze dropped to their joined hands. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips before he looked back at her.
“You should go ahead,” he said calmly. “I’m collecting firewood. I’ll leave once I’m done.”
Amelia frowned.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
Ivar simply replied, “Go ahead.”
She hesitated before asking, “Are you staying in the village?”
“Hmm.” A teasing chuckle escaped him as he looked at her.
“Where?”
“Why?” he asked. “Do you want to meet me again?”
Amelia smiled.
“Why not? We were childhood friends.”
Ivar held her gaze for a moment.
“From what I can see,” he said, “you’re not a child anymore, Amelia… and neither am I.”
Heat crept into Amelia’s cheeks.
She lowered her eyes.
“I should go.”
Turning away, she slowly walked down the forest path.
For a long moment, Ivar watched her disappear between the snow-laden trees.
She had grown into an exceptionally beautiful young woman.
The faint smile on his face slowly faded.
His attention shifted toward the direction Amelia had come from.
Then he and began walking deeper into the forest.
The moment she spotted Adam standing with his basket of mushrooms, she didn’t slow down.
She rushed straight to him, seized his hand, and kept running, pulling him along.
“Adam,” she gasped, “we’re leaving.”
Without questioning her, he grabbed his basket and ran beside her.
As they reached the trail, Amelia glanced back.
“Amelia?” Adam tugged anxiously at her sleeve.
She tore her gaze away, tightened her grip on his hand, and whispered,
“Keep running.”
They sprinted through the snow without looking back, stopping only when they reached the open path near their home.
“What happened?” Adam asked between ragged breaths.
Amelia forced a weak smile.
“Nothing. Let’s just go home.”
But even as they walked away, she couldn’t erase the image of that monster.
⸻
Riverfield Village lay cradled beneath towering mountains, buried under snow for most of the year.
Winters were relentless, with temperatures dropping from 0°C to -20°C, turning the valley into a frozen sea of white.
Yet despite the unforgiving cold, Riverfield possessed a haunting beauty.
When summer arrived, the mountains awakened from their icy slumber. Waterfalls spilled down rugged cliffs, feeding crystal-clear streams that wound through carpets of wildflowers.
Towering pines stood vibrant beneath endless blue skies, while cool mountain winds carried the scent of moss and earth. The wilderness felt peaceful enough to heal even the heaviest heart.
But beneath that beauty lurked something older.
The mountains surrounding Riverfield were cloaked in a dense forest steeped in mystery.
For generations, villagers had whispered stories of supernatural beings dwelling among the ancient trees.
They believed a male guardian spirit watched over the forest and its magical creatures, protecting them from anyone who dared disturb its balance.
Most villagers avoided the woods, even in broad daylight. Only those forced by necessity ventured inside, gathering firewood, herbs, and mushrooms before hurrying home.
Some returned claiming they had glimpsed an ethereal figure moving silently between the trees.
Amelia had never believed them.
She had wandered those woods since childhood. The forest never frightened her—it fascinated her. Its whispering pines, winding streams, and endless silence always felt like home.
Even on the darkest winter days, when shadows swallowed the snow beneath the towering canopy, she found peace there.
To Amelia, the forest was a paradox—beautiful yet dangerous, tranquil yet unsettling.
The stories were only stories.
Until today.
Today, she had seen something.
Something impossible.
And now it refused to leave her mind.
The figure she had glimpsed wasn’t human, yet it wasn’t the ghostly spirit the villagers described either. It existed somewhere in between.
Its silhouette had been unmistakably human.
But those eyes…and wings..
Utterly inhuman.
Amelia tightened her grip around Adam’s small hand, silently urging him to walk faster. Her heartbeat pounded so violently she could hear it in her ears.
What was that?
The question echoed through her mind with every step.
When they finally reached the familiar trail leading home, Adam looked up at her, his young face filled with curiosity.
“Amy… what did you see back there?”
Amelia hesitated.
How could she explain something she couldn’t understand herself?
She forced a smile.
“Nothing,” she said. “Probably a trick of the light. Maybe the snow reflected off something.”
Adam frowned.
“But you were scared. I saw your face.”
She looked toward the silent forest before answering.
“Sometimes… the forest feels different.”
“That’s why we have to be careful.”
Adam nodded, though uncertainty lingered in his eyes.
As they stepped beyond the tree line, Amelia glanced back one final time.
Nothing.
Only rows of snow-covered pines standing motionless beneath the pale winter sky.
Neither of them spoke during the walk home.
Amelia never told her parents what she had seen.
She never mentioned it to Adam again.
But no matter how hard she tried, those red eyes refused to fade from her memory.
That night, sleep never came.
She lay staring at the wooden ceiling of her small bedroom while the fire in the hearth cast trembling shadows across the walls.
Again and again, the same question circled her thoughts.
What had she seen?
Amelia pulled the blanket tighter around herself, but the chill beneath her skin refused to disappear.
The forest had always been her sanctuary.
Now…
It had become a place she no longer understood.
- Writer
