No Longer Alone

There is movement to my right, a flare of firelight between the familiar hues of green and brown, and my pupils pin upon it, leading my face to turn in the same direction. A giant stands there, almost double my size, and I find for a long time that I cannot look away; stunned, paralysed. My thoughts have fallen still and this body hangs in limbo with the weight of a corpse. I feel as though I might fall - but the stick is pressed firmly int the palm of my sweating hand. All I can hear is the strong warning throb of blood pulsing in my ears. I want desperately to run. Or for The Greatwood to swallow me. The monstrosity answers, clearly not a bird. I can feel heat now pooling in my cheeks, boiling, like water in Mother’s kettle over the fire. The warmth of the day only exacerbates my discomfort and fear begins to build a barrier between us. My mind comes to life suddenly, tone as sharp as a knife, urging me and I jolt: move! It’s time to leave. One foot slides backwards and my hips begin to twist, but the words which float on through the thicket compel a higher moral within me to linger. Confusion is a fog that descends quickly. I examine the stranger warily without speaking, unwilling to put myself any nearer (she could close the gap, probably in one stride). Green eyes, like my own, gaze back, softening maybe, before the entire image shrinks down to a height my brain can comprehend. Still fear writhes like a cut snake between my ears; perhaps that is how I miss the clumsy insult she delivers… I fasten my teeth around my loose-cannon tongue (it has done enough harm already), and lurk beneath the dimming overhang of the hood, exaggerating my natural slouch to entice it forward further. Likewise, my free hand gathers around the open hems by my chest to clutch them together tightly: what do you need?... I don’t ask.