The Forbidden Woods: At the Pond
The Final Part
If you missed part one, start here:
My hair waved through the sweltering heat as I dodged trees, logs, feces, and dry sticks on my path. I was fast, light on my toes, and couldn’t hear anything but my own feet. I pounded the impurities in these woods until I felt the atmosphere around me change.
Suddenly, the air was moist and I dug my heels into the dirt before I could plummet into a nearby pond. With two hands, I picked up my jaw from the ground.
Despite the rest of the woods, the trees were vibrant, the grass was a striking deep green, the pond glistened with elegance, and the land sparkled with an enduring mystery. There weren’t any animals in sight and the vegetation thrived because it was much cooler here. I surveyed the land, there were water lilies scattered throughout the pond, yellow, pink, and white. In the damp grass, the plant life was diverse, there were many of which I could not identify, but I was particularly focused on the large selection of mushrooms.
Red mushrooms with white spots, brownish mushrooms with white stems, pink ones with yellow tips, and white ones with green tips…A white mushroom with green tips!
I reached for the illustration and compared the two, they were almost identical!
Crunch, crunch!
I whipped my head in the direction of the sound. A small frog was staring intently at me, flopping meat back and forth with its hand.
“Mmm, Virgin,” it hummed. “So nice of you to join the party.”
Turning my head, I covered my eyes, “Ewwww…Get away,” I cried.
“Mmm,” it hummed again. “So feisty, me likey!”
I shivered in disgust. I heard his meat clap harder and almost regurgitated at the sound, but my objective twinkled in my eye. I carefully crept towards the mushrooms.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going, Virgin?”
I heard a splash and I peeked through the crevices of my fingers. The frog was now noticeably closer, relaxing on a free lily pad with its junk in hand. My heart began pounding against my ribs. I took a shaky breath before something clever came to mind.
Do not stray or they will hypnotize you to play!
Leave me alone brain… sometimes you have to play to be on your way!
“I was just getting ready to sex myself up with these here mushrooms,” I inwardly cringed, trying to sound as seductive as possible.
“Oh really?” he hummed again, closing his eyes briefly and jerking his meat. Acid started to bubble in my mouth.
Man, this frog is as dumb as a pile of bricks.
“Well, show me what you can do sexy.”
I swallowed, forcing a smile. I gathered as many mushrooms from the dirt as I could and tossed them into the basket except for two.
“Well, go on, I’m waiting.”
I pretended to be interested, swaying my hips, edging closer to the clueless amphibian.
“Argh,” he groaned.
The closer I got, the hazier my mind became.
Do not stray or they will hypnotize you to play!
Shaking my head, I repeated mushrooms ten times under my breath to break free from the trance.
“What else you got?”
I smiled as sweetly as possible before launching my foot, sending the stupid frog, flying into the trees.
“You can’t have my cookie!” I screamed at him before darting with my basket through the trees back the way I came. The more I ran, the more familiar the path back became. I remember the same dry grass, sticks, and shit piles I dodged before. I could taste freedom, the hot sun illuminated a bed of grass just outside the woods, it was calling me. Rooting for me to leave these sinful creatures and their inhabitants, unharmed.
“Stop you, Virgin!”
As if Virgin was the trigger, I heard a collective rampage of crunches and thumps on my tail, but I didn’t turn around. I plunged into the bed of grass, shoulder first, spilling some mushrooms from the basket, and rested on my back for a few seconds, embracing the strands of grass in my fingers. I smiled, recouping some of my strength.
I made it.
“Virgin, come back!”
“There was a virgin in our woods?”
“Please come back!”
“She’s so fleshy, yum.”
“I’ve seen better!”
“She’s mine!”
I propped myself on my elbows at that last comment. The woods had eyes, staring me down like I was a fine bowl of pumpkin salad.
“So creepy,” I mumbled under my breath. I stared for a few seconds more before the same frog from earlier leaped onto a nearby log.
“I’ll do anything to get you!”
I grabbed a free mushroom and hurled it, knocking the delusional frog on its head. It staggered before leaping towards me.
“No Mr. Bogger, you can fornicate with me!”
Mr. Bogger’s eyes raced between me and another before deciding.
“Your sex is boring Mrs. Tracey!”
The trees snickered turning Mrs. Tracey to the shade of red.
“No Mr. Bogger, don’t!”
Mr. Bogger took one leap from the woods and dust fell from each limp that exited the wood.
A wide grin spread across my lips as the brown woods gasp.
Dumb frog.
The sky was beginning to sleep. I collected the remaining mushrooms and journeyed back to the small cottage, feeling the woods watch me as I go.
“I’ll get you back, do you hear me you Virgin whore? I’ll get yo-”
I stuffed two mushrooms in my ear, drowning out the night.
Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback in part one. I really appreciate your input and I hope you enjoyed The Forbidden Woods. Thank you all for reading!😊💖
-WR