Story #11: The Dark Woods

The Dark Woods

Once upon a time in a far away land, a young boy was wondering the woods looking for his lost chicken. He had followed a small animal trail until, he arrived in a small meadow. He had found a few feathers along the trail but, nothing that would hint towards the identity of the predator, or whatever took his prize bird. In any other circumstance he would never risk going into the dark woods in search for a single animal, but this was his prize chicken. The one bird that he had worked the hardest with and that showed the most potential to be a show bird.

Eventually the young boy came across, a mysterious scorch mark in the far end of the meadow. He pondered what in the world could have made such a ferocious burn in the middle of the woods. He had no idea, for you see the dark woods had not yet been explored. Everyone wondered what could be found amongst the trees in the deepest depths of the woodland. The boy walked past the mysterious mark in the earth, until he found where the trail he had found continued.

He had followed this until he came across a moss covered opening in the side of a hill. He peered inside to see what he could find, because he had found a small feather from his chicken at the opening of the cave. "Anyone home", he called. He was only answered with a low rumble, almost to crude to be an animal or person. "Hello?" he beckoned into the deepest part of the cave. Yet again he was only answered with a low rumbling sound, but this time he could make out a word and only one "leave," in a low grumpy response.

The boy responded, " I lost my prize bird, I was wondering if it somehow made its way here to this cave?". The low grumble of a voice responded, "take it, and leave". He heard a loud metallic clank, and his prize chicken squawk. The boy scooped up his prize bird and left the cave never to return, wondering what the being was that he had just encountered.