An orange glow spread across the sky as the sun began to set. Eli stood at the edge of the narrow footpath, frowning at the wooden sign planted in the ground.
'Don't go into that forest.’
The sign was old and weathered, yet it still carried a sense of foreboding, even after many years. It was the last thing people saw before they stepped into the forest. They had the option to heed the warning or ignore it.
Eli sighed, gazing into the thick forest as a shudder ran through him. He remembered the dare from last summer. If he went into the forest, he would get his first kiss from a girl he admired.
He never got the chance to fulfil the dare when Dawn left with her dad for the city.
He lightly traced the painted letters on the sign when someone cleared a throat behind him. His breath caught for a moment as he spun around. His eyes took in a sight he didn't expect to see.
“Hey, Dawn,” he gasped, his cheeks flushing.
Dawn smiled shyly. “Hey, Eli.”
“I thought you weren't coming this summer,” he said, lowering his hand from the sign. He stepped closer and took her hands. She let him and he smiled, his eyes roaming her face.
She still looked beautiful in that adorable way, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I almost didn't,” she replied with a shrug. “Then Dad got a week off work and here we are.”
For a moment they stood in silence, breaths held, looking at each other. “Remember my dare?” She asked with a wink, tilting her head towards the forest stretched out behind them. “Still afraid?”
Eli laughed. “I'm not afraid when you are with me. How about we go in together, check it out?”
“Erm, I don't know…,” she started to say but paused. “You know what? Let's do it!”
Without hesitation, they held hands like two best friends, giggling as they walked into the forest together.
Behind them, twigs and branches twirled and twisted, quietly sealing the path shut.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "don't go into that forest".
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Image credit: Antranias