Moon Marked

Chapter 2

~I’m floating high above some Wisconsin forest. Moonlight streams down and the wind rustles the trees. Besides the breeze, the whole forest is still and calm as I hang there suspended in space. The moonlight seems to glance off every surface making it so bright, so bright I try to shield my eyes but I can’t reach them. I can’t even feel my body but I don’t panic. The light is bothering my eyes too much. I begin to blink rapidly but the light doesn’t subside. Soon my whole face is burning, my birthmark is on fire. I want to reach out and rub it but I can’t find my face or my hand. It burns and I cannot cry out in pain. I hang there above the quiet forest and burn with moonlight.~

I wake with a start, grabbing my face. I sigh and relax as I realize where I am and that I am alright. It wasn’t real, I tell myself as I get up. I stare at myself in the mirror. My birthmark is bright pink! I know I didn’t get that much sun yesterday. I touch it gently and it tingles under my fingertips. The color slowly fades and my whole hand begins to tingle instead. It’s like static electricity radiating out of my palm. I reach over slowly and touch the necklace hanging on the mirror. It begins to glow lightly and all the tingling in my hand goes away suddenly. I am stunned. I must be asleep still I rationalize. I cross quickly back to my bed and lie down. I pull the blankets up over my head and lie there quiet for a moment. This is ridiculous. I sigh and sit up again. I stare at my hand again. That really happened. I can’t explain it away. It did really happen.

Even with the reality of the event weighing on my mind all day, I try to press it to the back of my mind as I go about my new normal day. Being in the detached garage means less interaction with my parents but just a little bit more privacy which has been refreshing. I try to finish up my orders early in the day so I can spend the rest of the day exploring.

The town where we’ve moved is small so I have already scouted out all the best places to spend my afternoons. With the forest all around us, there seems to be no real need for a park. I haven’t ventured into it yet but there are many clearly marked trailheads on the edge of town. I decide it’s the perfect day to finally explore the forest. I walk to pick up coffee and head to the nearest trailhead. I don’t have anything in terms of hiking gear but remember to grab a bag for my phone and some water and a snack.

The trail starts easy close to town. It looks to have been cleared and managed by the local forestry service. The trailhead indicated a mostly flat two-mile hike with a steep uphill grade ending with a lake. The forest is quiet and dense. I feel myself quietly absorbed into the peacefulness around me as I walk. When I finally arrive at the climb it turns out to be only slightly more elevated than the rest of the trail but I do find myself struggling. Out of breath and glad there is no one around to impress, I crest the top of the hill. If I wasn’t heaving already, my breath would’ve been taken away at the simplistic beauty of the small lake before me.

The trail cuts off right at the mouth of a beautiful green lake that lay placid with steam rising from edges all around. The forest grew right up to the edge not giving the water any privacy. I slowly pick my way through the massive tree roots surrounding the front of the lake and settle under a tree, my back nestled against it between two large sheltering roots. I pull my granola bars and water from my bag and munch away quite happily. I can feel the exhaustion from the hike that I didn’t feel before. With my belly full, my eyelids begin to slip down, the quiet of the forest and beauty of the scene giving me a sense of security and peace.

~I am floating high above water and trees. I recognize the trees, the lake. It boils beneath me and steam rises. My arms are stretched out and light streams from my hands -no my face- into the lake. My face is burning again. My mark is lit on fire inside and the power I cannot contain of it is pouring into the lake. I am screaming. I cannot hear it but I am screaming in pain. The light is blinding, the power uncontrollable, and the pain unbearable.~

I am screaming. I bolt upright by the tree on the lake. Choking and crying, I stand up and embrace the tree. As I’m clinging to the bark, trying to convince myself that I am alright, I hear someone calling out,

“Helllloo? Are you alright? Hello? Do you need help?”

I jump around and see a man coming from the forest, the opposite direction from the trail. He looks concerned and picks his way quickly through the roots. I give a weak nod. “I’m ok, it’s ok,” I mumble trying to avoid his concerned eyes.

“You were screaming,” he objects rather pointedly. He is dressed in rugged boots, cargo shorts, and a backpack over a t-shirt. His skin glistens with sweat and dirt as evidence of his much more difficult hike through the forest off-trail. His dark hair is long and tousled and I am caught off guard by dark green eyes full of worry.

“Let me help you, my name is Benjamin, I’m a Ranger. I can help you out of here. Are you hurt?” He reaches out to me, offering help, and I flinch back instinctively. Unfortunately, there is no room behind me, and my head slams into the tree trunk. I wince and groan and he steps forward quickly to take my hand. As soon as our fingers touch, my vision goes black.

~We are walking hand in hand through the forest. It is dark and there must be a million stars above us. Up ahead I see lights flicker through the trees. As we approach them, I realize that they are eyes. A pack of wolves surrounds us now. They slowly tighten their circle closing off any exits before I’ve even thought of the need to escape. I turn to face Benjamin and give him a little reassuring nod. He slowly reaches out and touches the mark on my face. Instantly, it lights on fire and I hear myself scream in response to the pain flowing through me. Light floods the forest, illuminating the wolves standing in their silent vigil. I feel my power increase, rising to a peak that I know my body cannot contain. We begin to rise into the air together and I glimpse light pouring from his chest. We grasp each other’s hands and scream into the night in pain and fury. I feel something change inside me and we fall.~