𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫

The Stone

 two days later...

 Cold water lapped at my shins and the smell of barbecue drifted towards me from where I sat by the creek. The water looked extra fresh today, and I spotted tiny tadpoles swimming with the light current.

 My mothers' laughter sounded from the patio, bringing a smile to my face. I loved seeing them so happy. And now that they were working from home we would be able to spend a lot more time together. I twisted the stems of a daisy, adding it to my flower crown. The rest of our things would, apparently, be arriving this weekend; in other words, all me and Nadia's books would be arriving. At first I'd been surprised by all the free space in our new house, but now, as I thought of how many books we had... and how quickly mom devoured such books and got her hands on new ones made me worry that we might not have enough room for them all.

 I got up, water dripping from my legs as I walked towards the edge of the woods surrounding our little clearing, the thing blades of grass sticking through my bare toes. I had never been barefoot outside before coming here, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The thought of covering my feet now seemed unnecessary and unpleasant, even though I'd barely been here for three days.

 Bright, vivid green pine needles blanketed the rough ground inside the forest, and thick branches stretched out above and all around. I hadn't had a chance to explore the forest yet, to my dismay. I'd been too busy unpacking... and thinking about my dreams. I pulled a piece of folded paper out from my new canary-yellow shorts. I stared at my sketch of the dock- now painted to look as close to the scene as I could remember. I found my thoughts constantly drifting back there, even in my sleep. I had torn it from my sketchbook yesterday, feeling a desperate need to have it on me.

 I wasn't sure why though, since all it did was make me recall that dream and those whispers and that voice-

 Ugh.

 I shivered. Maybe I should just throw it away.

 I knew though, that I wouldn't be able to do that. The scent of roasting, juicy meat became overwhelming, and I'm pretty sure I may have drooled a bit as I walked briskly back to the patio where my moms were almost finished setting the table, desperate to have some of that food on my tongue.

 "Wren!" Elanor exclaimed, her honey colored hair looking like locks of wavy gold under the sun. "Been exploring? Have you gone into the woods yet? You know," her tone became a whisper, her eyes glinting. "The last owners told me something about a secret hideout in there. Maybe we could try to find it after lunch."

 I beamed, any thoughts of that dream utterly obliterated. My own hideout! I had always wanted one of those- the only problem was it wouldn't fit in our tiny apartment. But here... I could build a freaking tree house if I wanted to!

 I was starting to like this place more and more, and couldn't wait to see what other secrets were hidden around.

 The steaks and sausages were so rich on my tongue, and I groaned, slumping into my seat. Elanor laughed, and her large smile widened even further. "Nadia, I don't think Wren likes the food."

 I let out an indignant noise of protest, my mouth still too full of food to be able to voice anything.

 Nadia looked up from her book, her dark skin glowing and green eyes sparkling. "Oh, that's really too bad. More for us I guess." She reached for a piece of meat on my plate and I swallowed thickly.

 "No!" I gasped, grabbing onto my plate like I hadn't seen food in years.

 Elanor chuckled and Nadia smiled mischievously as she finished snatching that piece of meat she'd been grabbing at from my plate and promptly took a big bite.

 "Hey!" I laughed.

 Nadia might be the sweetest woman on earth, but don't be fooled- she has the appetite of an elephant. Elanor leaned back in her seat, resting her arms behind her head. "The creek is looking so nice and cold, I feel fresh just looking at it," she laughed. "You girls up for a swim after lunch?"

_____________

 Pine needles crunched under my feet, and a branch snagged on my sleeve, the afternoon sunlight shinning in patches through the thick canopy of leaves overhead. Ferns and tiny wildflowers dotted the path I'd found, along with mossy boulders and thick roots. Small birds chirped in the branches and squirrels and butterflies could be spotted every now and then, completing the beautiful little ecosystem I was currently exploring. Mom had mentioned a secret hideout and now I was determined to find it, even if it took all day. I wouldn't mind, this place was so serene and magical, plus, the food from lunch was still filling my belly so I wouldn't be hungry for a while yet. I had all the time in the world.

 A soft breeze kissed my cheeks as I walked, and I heard a sudden rustling in the background that brought goosebumps to my arms and made me reach instinctively to the torn sketch in my pocket. The pine needles suddenly became coarse grass underfoot and the wind transformed into whispering voices, growing ever louder. So loud I had to cover my ears to drown them out, clenching my eyes shut as they wormed their way into my brain and-

 My eyes shot open and I was instantly blinded by the searingly bright light of the sun.

 I looked up to find the leaves above to be the cause of the soft rustling, and took a moment to breathe, simply staring at the vivid blue sky, dotted with fluffy clouds that peaked through the branches.

 Once I felt that I had calmed down, I started to keep walking, but something made me pause. I turned my gaze back, and down towards the ground, where an oddly smooth stone was nestled in between the roots of a large sycamore tree. It wasn't just a stone though... There was something- a drawing on it. Curious, I bent down and picked it up, the rock cold and smooth in my palm like a river rock. It was the size of my hand, and, peering at it now I realized what the crude drawing depicted. It was a boy. A boy in a loose black T-shirt and matching black shorts, with white hair. There was no face or any other details depicted.

 I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, an odd quirk I get sometimes when I'm deep in thought. As far as I was concerned this stone didn't seem like a typical thing to just find lying in the middle of the woods. I frowned, and looked around, trying to spot anything else that might be related to it. When I spotted nothing, my shoulders sagged in disappointment.

 I waited there for a moment longer, before continuing my walk into the forest, pocketing the strange object, with this gut feeling that that rock was more than it appeared to be.

 This place was more than it appeared to be.