Lost in the woods, you wander, searching for a way home. Instead, you fall into the grasp of a witch…

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I was lost. Completely lost.

It goes without saying that at the start of the day I, Rose Snyder, had no intention of finding myself lost in the woods. In all honesty, I had no intention of even entering the woods in the first place, and finding myself bewildered in a meadow was the last thing I had planned for the day. In all honestly it was quite embarrassing how ill-prepared I was, but I had assumed the day would have been spent on less rugged pursuits.

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I had been lured out to the central part of the state, a state with a fair amount of decently tall, forested hills and mountains, by the promise of antiquing with my two friends, Jess and Anna, who I met through a chat room for historic costume buffs. We had hit it off, and found that we lived close to each other. Since I had an extended weekend from grad school they decided we should go on a trip searching the various antique malls and shops in the state for hidden treasures. Not that I had much money to actually spend on antiques, but I always liked looking at and learning about old objects.

I’ve always found that just by looking at older objects you can practically feel the creators hands working the raw materials into a finished piece, and the rush of emotions brought out from the appreciation of such craftmanship was almost as good as owning the piece myself. That, and the promise of bar-hopping in the evening was what drew me. That had a lot to do with it. Hell, I even left my carry piece in the motel, since it would be a bit much to be strapped while intoxicated.

But on our way to an “exhilarating” day of looking at antiques, we passed by a state park, and my friends decided it would be fun to go for a hike before-hand. Or rather,

“Lets just check out one of the trails!” Jess exclaimed.

“Why? Can’t we just go to the antique mall? I’m not even dressed for it.”

“We have plenty of time,” Anna, my other friend, said. “Besides, you could use the exercise. Spending all day cooped up in your apartment studying, and when you aren’t studying you’re sewing, or working on some other ‘project.’”

              As much as it pained me to admit it, she had a point. In a way I was practically addicted to school, and unfortunately it was beginning to show in my figure. In my undergrad I had managed to keep up what I thought was a sedate exercise schedule. It helped that the material I was learning, microbiology with a minor in art, was rather easy for me. But I had a bit of a breakdown after spending so much time staring through microscopes and pipettes, and promptly decided I’d rather get my Masters degree in history instead. Science is fun and all, but it’s just so sterile. Literally in this case.

              Of course, reading about history wasn’t enough for me, so whenever I heard of an interesting skill from the past or an interesting garment I’d try to learn more about how to actually use it or wear it. So I found myself increasingly short of money with an apartment filling with tools and materials, and a couple inches more around my waist than I’d like. It was just too hard to pull myself away from my hobbies to get out and run like I did when I was a bio major.

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              Conceding the point, I hopped out of the car and followed them down the trail.

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              Despite my reluctance, its not like I disliked nature. Quite frankly I loved the outdoors. I was raised in a family that appreciated camping and hiking, and growing up I even liked fishing, although they could be a bit slimy and gross. Now that I was in the woods I happily followed along. The woods were a great place to think, and I let my mind wander while taking in the sights. It was a bit chilly but the sun was bright, and soon I was caught up in thoughts of the past.

              Not my past, of course. As I said, I’m a major history nerd and recently had been on a colonial kick. Reading about early settlers, imagining them crossing over the ocean to explore what to them was an unexplored, wild land. The forest was the perfect place for these thoughts. For all I know, some long-hunter could have walked through these very woods. Some great name of eras gone by like Daniel Boone could have crossed the very path I was walking in search of game or just for the pleasure of exploring.

              Not all early people here were as positive in their outlook. I guess my thoughts did go towards a darker trend than usual, as a feeling of unease came over me. The forest was also feared by many who colonized this country. The original Viking settlers were reported to have expressed the belief that permanently colonizing this land would lead to nothing but constant warfare, and even the aforementioned Mr. Boone eventually lost much of his family to conflict. But that wasn’t all.

              One thing that had always stuck out to me in literature classes growing up was the descriptions of the woods in The Scarlet Letter. It was where the Black Man of the forest dwelt, and where changeling children might come from. Even in the Old World similar themes could be found in the fairy tales that were told there.

              While thinking this, I was disrupted by a flash of light and a scent of ozone. I had only had a partial awareness of my surroundings, but nothing about them changed during this odd event.

“Hmm, that was weird. Did you guys see that?” I said to my friends, only to realize they were nowhere in sight.

Crap. I looked around, and realized there was no sign of them anywhere in the meadow I was in. This was concerning. It was late fall, almost winter really. I’m not necessarily bad with the cold, but I’m also not stupid. Exposed, in an open area, and with a light jacket on a mountain is just asking for trouble as far as hypothermia goes. I really was not prepared for this trip. I was even wearing heeled boots, rather than the hiking boots or jungle boots I’d normally wear when in the woods.

Resigning myself to a wait, there’s no way my friends wouldn’t notice me missing, I walked to the treeline on the trail, and sat down against a tree. Looking out over the clearing, I should have enough visibility to see Anna and Jess coming. I may have been stupid enough to get myself separated from my friends, but wandering around aimlessly would make things worse. And the lack of blazes on any nearby trees told me I had probably taken a wrong turn so following the trail back to the car would be foolish.

“At least I shouldn’t be too far off the trail,” I tried consoling myself, while idly throwing pebbles at a nearby outcropping. When all else fails, throwing rocks at other rocks is a good way to stay distracted from shitty situations. “That weird flashing noise would probably have caught their attention.”

“They won’t find you”

A voice states authoritatively from the trail behind me. I jump, and whirl around reaching for my side. I may be prone to daydreaming, but I like to think I have at least some situational awareness. Today just really hasn’t been my day. Attempting to regain my composure, I look at the person who called out to me and see…

A Witch.

It’s a witch.

Full on pointy hat and everything.

She has brown hair, about the same shade as mine, and rather pretty hazel eyes to go with a youthful face. Either hypothermia was setting in, or I stumbled upon an errant cosplayer. Not that I minded, if she could get me back to the car. Now that I think of it I still have the keys. Sorry Jess and Anna, you’ll just have to wait a bit for me to get there.

“uh, hi?” I said awkwardly.

Her costume looked really well done and I honestly was fighting the urge to ask her how she made it, despite my current situation. “Is there any chance you know where the parking lot is? My friends are probably waiting for me there, if not already worrying and calling the park rangers.”

“I said they won’t be able to find you.”

Huh?

“You heard it right? Saw the flash? Not everyone stays lost, I suppose, but I’m not powerful enough to know the way to send you back.”

“The flash?” I ask.

“The flash. The breaking of the barrier between worlds. We get some books from the other side, so forgive me for the reference but, you ain’t in Kansas anymore.”

…At least she isn’t green.