Lost In My Garden
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I was lost in my garden, and I didn’t know it. The sun had set hours ago; the moon shone bright overhead as if to mock me for being so stupid that I’d forgotten about its existence until now. It wasn’t like there were any other lights on around here anyway—not even a streetlamp or anything of the sort.
There weren’t many people who lived out this far from town either, but they all seemed to have gone home by now. Even though it was still technically summer break, most students would be back at their homes already since school started up again tomorrow morning. That meant no one else could see what happened next…
“Oh, dear…” I muttered quietly under my breath while looking down at myself with an embarrassed expression. “What am I doing?”
My clothes were soaked through completely after having been splashed repeatedly during our little water fight earlier today. They clung tightly against my skin, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Not only did they stick uncomfortably tight to every curve of my body, but also made it hard for me to move freely without feeling self-conscious about how much flesh was showing off between each layer. And then there’s the fact that I’m wearing nothing underneath! How embarrassing is that?!
What kind of person does something like this? A pervert, obviously! But wait…what exactly are you supposed to do when your clothes get wet…? You can’t just take everything off right away because then everyone will notice and laugh at you. So what should I do instead? Hmm…
The answer came to mind almost immediately: strip naked and go running into the forest behind my house where nobody would ever find me. Of course, I wouldn’t actually run anywhere. Instead, I’d simply walk slowly towards the edge of the woods before stopping dead in my tracks once I got close enough.
Then, I’ll turn around really quickly and sprint back inside my house as fast as possible. Once I’ve done that, I won’t need to worry anymore about anyone seeing me half-naked. Problem solved!
But unfortunately, things don’t always work out quite the way we want them to. For some reason, I couldn’t seem to make myself leave my yard. Every time I tried walking past the gate leading outside, I found myself getting distracted by something along the way.
Whether it was a flower growing wild near my feet or a small animal scurrying across the ground nearby, I kept finding excuses to stop moving forward. Before long, I realized that I hadn’t moved more than ten steps from my front door yet.
This isn’t good… If I keep going like this, I might never end up leaving my property at all.
So, what should I do? Should I try to force myself to move faster somehow? Or maybe I should give up entirely and stay put? No matter which option I choose, someone’s bound to catch me eventually. Maybe I shouldn’t care too much about that though.
After all, I’m not planning on staying out here forever. Just until I finish drying off first. Besides, I doubt anyone will come looking for me tonight. Everyone has probably already left for the day.
As I stood there pondering over these thoughts, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from somewhere ahead of me. At least, I thought I did. However, I soon discovered that whoever was coming closer wasn’t human at all.
Rather, it sounded like two pairs of tiny paws padding softly against the grassy earth beneath my feet. As I looked down to check, however, I saw nothing except for the same patch of green that stretched endlessly in both directions.
“Huh?” I asked aloud, confused by what I was hearing. “Is someone following me?!”
It took me several seconds to realize that the sound was definitely originating from within my own head. When I finally figured that out, I turned around to look directly behind me. Sure enough, there was nothing there.
Still, I continued listening intently for another few moments before realizing that whatever it was must have stopped moving altogether. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any animals roaming around lately. Did they all decide to disappear overnight?
Well, regardless of whether they’re real or imaginary, I guess I’ll just pretend that they exist for now. Otherwise, I’ll start worrying about why I can hear them talking to me.
After taking a moment to calm myself down, I decided to continue heading deeper into the woods. I wanted to avoid the path that led straight to my house, so I walked further and further away from it until I reached a point where I felt comfortable turning around.
From there, I began walking backward while keeping my eyes fixed firmly on the spot in front of me. Eventually, I ended up standing right beside a large tree trunk that jutted out of the ground. With nowhere else to go, I leaned against it and waited patiently for whatever was chasing me to show itself.
I didn’t have to wait very long. The next thing I knew, I spotted movement in the distance. It appeared to be a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at me from the darkness beyond the trees. Instantly, I froze in place, unable to even breathe properly.
My heart started pounding wildly in my chest as I struggled desperately to remain still. In the meantime, the creature approached steadily, its movements becoming increasingly clear with each passing second. Soon enough, I could see that it had four legs and a short tail attached to the base of its spine.
Its body was covered completely by thick fur, but unlike most other creatures I’ve encountered before, it seemed to lack arms or hands. Instead, it used those appendages to grip onto branches whenever necessary.
And judging by how many leaves were scattered throughout the area, I guessed that it lived primarily in forests rather than jungles.
Eventually, the beast drew nearer, revealing an equally terrifying face underneath its hooded cloak. A set of sharp fangs protruded from between its lips, giving it the appearance of a carnivorous monster.
But despite being clearly dangerous, I also sensed no hostility emanating from it whatsoever. On the contrary, I got the distinct impression that it was trying to communicate with me through telepathy. That said, I couldn’t understand anything it was saying. All I managed to pick up on was a series of high-pitched squeals and growls.
The creature came ever closer, gradually filling my field of vision. By the time it finally arrived, I’d lost track of everything else around me. There was only one thing occupying my entire consciousness: this mysterious animal that was slowly closing in upon me.
Then, without warning, it lunged forward and grabbed hold of my arm. Before I realized what was happening, I found myself falling backward toward the ground. Only then did I notice that something soft was wrapped tightly around my torso.
“Wha… What is going on?! Why am I lying down?!” I shouted loudly, struggling to get free. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that I wouldn’t be able to escape anytime soon. For some reason, the creature holding me down refused to let go.
Even when I tried kicking and punching it repeatedly, it remained unmoved. Frustrated, I gave up and simply lay there waiting for things to end.
However, after a minute or so passed, I noticed that the creature hadn’t moved a single inch. Not only that, but it was actually starting to feel warm under my touch! I glanced down at myself to find that the cloth covering me had begun changing color.
First, it became a deep crimson shade, followed shortly thereafter by a bright orange hue. After that, it changed again to a dark blue, which eventually faded into a light purple. Finally, it transformed entirely into white, leaving me looking like a giant snowman.
At first, I assumed that this transformation meant that I was dead. However, once the process finished and I opened my eyes to take a peek inside my body, I immediately understood otherwise. Everything was perfectly fine; I wasn’t injured in the slightest.
So why exactly was I seeing such vivid colors? Wasn’t that supposed to happen during death instead of life?
As I pondered these questions, I suddenly heard a voice calling out to me. “Hey, are you okay?”
When I looked over to see who spoke, I saw a familiar girl wearing a pink dress standing nearby. She was smiling brightly, her expression full of concern. Her hair was tied back in two pigtails, and she wore a matching ribbon around her neck. As far as appearances went, she resembled a young version of my mother.
“Who’s there?!” I called out nervously.
She responded by waving cheerfully. “It’s just me, your little sister!”
My jaw dropped open in surprise. How could that possibly be true? I mean, I know we’re related, but I never expected to meet her here. Plus, I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen any girls resembling Mom since I left home.
Still confused, I asked, “How do you know about me?”
Her smile grew wider. “Oh, don’t worry. Your parents told us all about you.”
That made sense. If they wanted to keep their daughter safe, it would make more sense to tell someone outside the family. Still, I felt bad for not telling them sooner. They must have been worried sick while I was gone.
But before I could say another word, the girl continued speaking. “Anyway, I brought you some food,” she explained.
Then, she reached behind herself and pulled out a large bag filled with various fruits and vegetables. It seemed like quite a lot considering how small she was. And yet, even though I knew nothing good would come of eating those foods, I still couldn’t help but reach out and grab one.
The moment I touched the fruit, however, I instantly regretted doing so. My hand began burning hot, causing me to jerk away in pain.
I turned to look at the girl, expecting to see her laughing at me. Instead, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks. “You shouldn’t eat that stuff anymore…” she sobbed.
Confused, I asked, “Why not?”
“Because it’ll kill you if you do,” she replied bluntly.
***
After hearing that, I decided to give up on the idea of eating anything else. In fact, I didn’t want to move at all. This strange world might seem nice enough now, but I doubted it would stay that way forever. Eventually, the people living here were bound to realize what happened to me and try to capture me.
The End