As I walk deeper into the forest the air becomes cooler and I can hear the woodland creatures singing nocturnal chants. The trees become denser and the only light to guide me is from the full moon hovering above.
I continue walking for at least fifteen minutes. The trail seems to go further but I believe I have gone far enough.
I walk off to the side of the path and reach into my pocket for the pills. Before I pull them out I look up at the moon. Its face always seems to have an expression of astonishment, and right now I feel like it’s looking right at me. I move underneath a thick tree branch to hide myself.
The stars are still twinkling brightly all around me and it is impossible to escape their sight. The light show Saul put on for me back at the house still does not compare to the real thing. Only now I am no longer in awe of their existence, because right now they only remind me of how small I am in this world, in this universe. If there is a God then there’s a good a chance He has more important things to worry about other than me.
As I struggle to open the lid of the pill bottle I turn to look around me and I immediately notice something through the darkness.
There is another open meadow to the right of me. In the center of this field nestled into the ground is what looks to be a small conical hill. But there is something odd about it. I walk towards it to get a closer look and I notice that at the top of the hill there is a tree that seems to be emitting a bright, golden glow.
I’ve never seen anything like it.
Maybe it’s a tree of a rare breed that has bioluminescent qualities? Or what if someone purposely lit the tree at night to attract prey? Could I be the next victim? Of course this has to be some sort of trap. The tree is too captivating to ignore.
I have the option of running out of here as fast as I can to avoid the possibility of coming in contact with a malicious predator or maybe even an alien life form. Or I can be like one of those moronic, overly-curious, characters in a scary movie and walk closer to the tree.
Considering I have specifically walked into the woods with the intentions of ending my life I feel like I have nothing to lose. So I continue to walk closer to the radiating hilltop.
I observe the area to make sure I’m alone and the coast is clear. I slowly approach the base of the hill where it begins to incline and I can now clearly see the tree. I’m surprised to discover that it’s actually a small palm tree responsible for the glow and bits of snow surround all the trees except this one. I walk up the hill and immediately feel faint as I face the palm.
It is a portly palm tree. The only thing it has in common with the other trees is the thick green moss that wraps around its trunk. It’s the same tree from the postcard Nathan had sent me.
My knees go weak and I fall forward tripping into the tree’s trunk. I catch my balance by resting my hand on its rough body. I wait for my vision to adjust after it feels like I’ve just spun in circles for several minutes.
Slowly the leaves of the tree come into focus. The outline of each leaf is illuminating the gold light and it seems to twinkle and pulse around the ridges. I raise my hand to try to reach out and touch one, and suddenly I feel heat where my other hand is rested on the trunk. It’s the most calming warmth I’ve ever felt and it leaves me with a sensation of complete peace.
I look to the ground where golden lines of light begin moving up from the roots and resemble embedded veins.
Just as the lights reach my fingertips I hear a faint flutter by my ear and I turn slowly to see a butterfly hovering next to me. I’ve never seen a butterfly flying in the middle of the night. However, I quickly realize this is not a typical butterfly.
Like the tree it seems to gleam and its colors are vibrant. Its body is striped with colors of gold and blue. Its antennas stand tall and at the end of each one is a tiny green club that glistens like an emerald. Each wing has intricate patterns of all colors, and a miniature golden heart rests on the bottom corner of the left wing. The butterfly’s wings flutter quickly and the motion makes it appear as if the golden heart is beating. I stand in awe and observe the creature, when I suddenly hear a voice.
“It is captivating, is it not?”
From behind the palm tree emerges a tall man whose chiseled features create several shadows on his face from the moonlight. I let out a small scream from being startled and I turn to face him.
“Who are you?” I shout out in a panic.
“Do not be scared,” says the mysterious man. “I am sorry I frightened you, but I knew you were coming.” He takes a step closer to me and I take a step back.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know who you are,” I say.
Numbing fear arises within me and it quickly annihilates the serenity I was feeling moments before. The oxygen to my lungs feels restricted and I’m having difficulty catching my breath, causing me to stammer.
“What are you--- are you going to hurt me? Because— I-- I may not look armed but that’s what I was going for so I can catch my attackers off guard. Take one step closer and I’ll introduce you to the 9mm stashed in my pocket.”
I reach into my jacket pocket and feel the bottle of pills. I grab them and point them towards the man through the fabric to make it appear as if a gun is being aimed directly at him.
He looks confused and startled.
“Zenny, I am not going to hurt you,” he steps closer again, walking into the light from the palm.
I can see his face clearly now; perfectly symmetrical features, bright green eyes, dirty blonde, softly swept hair that falls just below his chin. Of course he’s gorgeous. Most vindictive serial killers use their looks to their advantage. If I escape the police will laugh at me when I tell them my attacker looked like a clean-cut version of Thor. He’s wearing a weird robe-like white costume.
I want to run. Everything inside me is telling me to get away as fast as possible, but my feet feel like they’re anchored down by cinder blocks.
“How do you know my name?” I yell. “Are you a stalker? Have you been watching me and following me? Is this like your rape tree or something?”
“My rape tree?” he asks seeming more befuddled than I am.
“Yeah, is this like where you lure young girls to assault them and then kill them? Are you the one who rigged the tree to light up? This is a moth to a flame kind of trap isn’t it?”
Now my whole body is shaking along with my voice and I know my life is about to end soon, but not in the self-inflicted way I had hoped for. I’m about to be chopped into tiny pieces after this weirdo uses my skin to clothe himself so he can get out of that ridiculous outfit.
“Zenny please calm down. I do not want to hurt you. I was sent here to help you,” he explains. “I need you to trust me right now.”
I’m not sure if it is his charming appearance that causes me to calm myself but for a moment I do want to trust him.
“I don’t think so,” I say while trying to gather up the strength to run away.
“Please listen to me,” he starts, “there is something you need to know.”
“I don’t understand,” I say trembling. I can feel tears in my eyes as I’m saddened by my lack of willpower to defend myself. “Who are you?” I ask once again.
Before he can answer I hear laughter coming from behind me. I turn around to see Lindsay and a boy from school standing near the bottom of the hill watching me.
“Oh… my… God!” yells Lindsay. “I knew you were a freak but I didn’t think you were completely psychotic.”
“What?” I ask, confused by her appearance and this entire situation. This is the first time I’m relieved to see her face, as she may have interrupted my potential murderer.
“Who are you talking to?” Lindsay yells.
“This guy came out of nowhere!” I point towards where the man is standing but as I turn to face him he is no longer there. Not only has he disappeared but the tree is no longer glowing and it sits there plainly. At a very rare moment I’m speechless.
“There’s no one else up there! We totally just caught you talking to a tree!” She and the boy began to laugh uproariously.
“No,” I stammer, “he was here. He was talking to me and telling me he was here to help.” I begin circling the tree searching for this unexplained presence but he has completely vanished.
“Wow, you are so delusional,” says Lindsay mockingly. “Wait until everyone hears about this!” She grabs the boy’s hand and they both start running back into the woods.
Have I just imagined this entire incident? I reach out and touch the palm’s trunk again. I feel no warmth and I see no lights.
I start to question my own sanity. I obviously was in a distraught state-of-mind considering my purpose for wandering into the forest in the first place, but what had happened moments ago was so real. And the feeling I had when I touched the palm tree was unimaginable. Why would I feel so peaceful in a time of desperation?
After examining the tree for almost an hour I accept that what I had seen was not coming back. I make my way out of the forest and then I realize that suicide has now become the last thing on my mind. Now I’ll be obsessing about solving this mystery.
I hurry back to the party house where I find my car sitting by itself in the roadway. It seems the party has ended and I assume everyone has left with a head full of rumors created by Lindsay.
I walk closer to my car too see the word “FREAK” written on the hood and it seems to be formed by spray cheese. Very creative, I must admit.
The more I think about it the more I start to consider that something miraculous may have happened to me tonight. Something that involves Nathan and maybe it happened for a reason.