
Lost in the woods, you wander, searching for a way home. Instead, you fall into the grasp of a witch…
I was lost. Completely lost.
It goes without saying that at the start of the day I, Rose Snyder, had no intention of finding myself lost in the woods. In all honesty, I had no intention of even entering the woods in the first place, and finding myself standing alone, bewildered, in a meadow was the last thing I had planned for the day. It was quite embarrassing how ill-prepared I was, but I had assumed the day would have been spent on less rugged pursuits.
..........................
I had been lured out to the central part of the state, with its old, forested mountains. Why? Antiquing with my friends Jess and Anna, who I met through a chat room for historic costume buffs. We had hit it off a while back and found that we lived close to each other. From there it developed into a friendship
We had disparate personalities but we shared similar interests despite that. Jess and Anna had met each other previously, and it was a bit of a surprise to learn that Jess and I even attended the same school, albeit in different programs. Anna, meanwhile, attended the nearby fashion school. Quite frankly having such a talented friend was a boon for my own studies in history.
I found the material culture of the past to be fascinating, particularly the items of day to day life such as arms and clothing, and in my quest to explore it I found myself to be a decent seamstress, if I may say to myself. Not at the level of Anna, who was studying fashion, but more than enough to hold my own with most stitch-counters at the reenactments I often found myself dragged to. Jess, meanwhile, was a bit more bookish and reminded me of myself in undergrad. A bit aimless, but able to keep up with the work despite that. And prone to overanalyzing things.
Since I had an extended weekend from grad school they decided we should go on a trip searching the various antique malls and shops in the state for hidden treasures. A quick loop, one day near the middle of the state, another heading up to that famous home of Michael Scott, Scranton, across the middle of the state to Coudersport, then a trip down the Turnpike home. Not that I had much money to spend on antiques, but I always liked looking at and learning about old objects.
I’ve always found that just by looking at older objects you can practically feel the creator's hands working the raw materials into a finished piece, and the rush of emotions brought out from the appreciation of such craftsmanship was almost as good as owning the piece myself. That, and the promise of bar-hopping in the evening was what drew me. That had a lot to do with it. Who doesn’t like neat old bars?
Hell, I even left my carry piece in the motel, since it would be a bit much to be strapped while intoxicated. There’s technically no law against it in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but is that really a habit I should be getting into?
But on our way to what I was hoping would be an exhilarating day of looking at antiques we passed by a state gamelands, and my friends decided it would be fun to go for a hike before-hand. Or rather…
“Lets just check out one of the trails!” Anna exclaimed.
“Why? Can’t we just go to the antique mall? I’m not even dressed right for hiking.”
“We have plenty of time,” Anna, my other friend, said.
“I’m not as young as the two of you, don’t you think it’s a bit much making me tromp through the mountains?”
“You’re only a few years older than us. And are some hills really too much for Ms. GI Jane?” Anna fixed me with a sharp look. And GI Jane? I don't want to hear all this from someone who’s idea of a fun weekend is putting on breeches and a waistcoat and marching around with a musket.
“Besides, you could use the exercise. Spending all day cooped up in your apartment studying, and when you aren’t studying you’re sewing, or working on some other ‘project.’ Seriously, you need to do something about all the metal shavings floating around, whenever I visit I’m afraid they’ll short out my laptop.” That was below the belt. Jess, to give her credit, had enough sense not to pile on and deal even more damage.
As much as it pained me to admit it, she had a point. In a way I was practically addicted to school, and unfortunately it was beginning to show in my figure. In my undergrad I had managed to keep up what I thought was a sedate exercise schedule. It helped that the material I was learning, microbiology with a minor in art, was rather easy for me.
But I had a bit of a breakdown after spending so much time staring through microscopes and pipettes, and promptly decided I’d rather get my Masters degree in history instead. Science is fun and all, but it’s just so sterile. Literally in this case, because outside bacteria getting in your work is horrible for getting accurate results.
Of course, reading about history wasn’t enough for me, so whenever I heard of an interesting skill from the past or an interesting garment I’d try to learn more about how to actually use it or wear it. So I found myself increasingly short of money, with an apartment increasingly filled with tools and materials, and a couple inches more around my waist than I’d like. It was just too hard to pull myself away from my hobbies to get out and run like I did when I was studying biology.
Conceding the point, I hopped out of the car and followed them down the trail.
…………………………………………..
Despite my reluctance, it's not like I disliked nature. Quite frankly I loved the outdoors. I was raised in a family that appreciated camping and hiking, and growing up I even liked fishing, although they could be a bit slimy and gross. Now that I was in the woods I happily followed along. The woods were a great place to think, and I let my mind wander while taking in the sights. It was a bit chilly, but the sun was bright, and soon I was caught up in thoughts of the past.
Not my past, of course. As I said, I’m a major history nerd and recently had been on a colonial kick. Reading about early settlers, imagining them crossing over the ocean to explore what, to them, was an unexplored, wild land.
The forest was the perfect place for these thoughts. For all I know, some long-hunter, the commercial hunters and trappers of the 18th century, could have walked through these very woods. Some great names of eras gone by like Daniel Boone could have crossed the very path I was walking in search of game or just for the pleasure of exploring.
Not all early people here were as positive in their outlook. I guess my thoughts did go towards a darker trend than usual, as a feeling of unease came over me. The forest was also feared by many who colonized this country.
The original Viking settlers were reported to have expressed the belief that permanently colonizing this land would lead to nothing but constant warfare, and even the aforementioned Mr. Boone eventually lost much of his family to conflict. But that wasn’t all.
One thing that had always stuck out to me in literature classes growing up was the descriptions of the woods in The Scarlet Letter, that masterpiece of the dark romantic movement. It was where the Black Man of the forest dwelt, and where changeling children come from. The Old World had similar themes, of fairies and monsters lurking in the darkness beneath the trees. Cautionary tales about wolves, witches, and bears lurking in wait littered the stories people told their children.
I was disrupted by a flash of light and a scent of ozone, starling me out of my flight of fancy. I had only had a partial awareness of my surroundings, but nothing about them changed during this odd event. Just the light, and the smell.
“Hmm, that was weird. Did you guys see that?” I said to my friends, only to realize they were nowhere in sight.
Crap. I looked around, and realized there was no sign of them anywhere in this. This was concerning. It was late fall, almost winter really. I’m not necessarily bad with the cold, but I’m also not stupid.
Exposed, in an open area, and with a light jacket on a mountain is just asking for trouble with hypothermia. I really was not prepared for this short excursion. I was even wearing heeled boots, rather than the hiking boots or jungle boots I’d normally wear when in the woods.
I resigned myself to waiting; there’s no way my friends wouldn’t notice me missing. I walked to the tree line of the trail, and sat down against a tree. Looking out over the clearing, I should have enough visibility to see Anna and Jess coming.
I may have been stupid enough to get myself separated from my friends, but wandering around aimlessly would make things worse. And the lack of blazes on any nearby trees told me I had probably taken a wrong turn so attempting to follow the trail back to the car would be foolish.
“At least I shouldn’t be too far off the trail,” I let out a sigh while idly throwing pebbles at a nearby outcropping. When all else fails, throwing rocks at other rocks is a good way to stay distracted from shitty or otherwise annoying situations. Life skills picked up in a previous life and previous job. “That weird flashing noise would probably have caught their attention.”
“They won’t find you.”
A voice stated authoritatively from the trail behind me. I jumped, and whirled around reaching for my side. I may be prone to daydreaming, but I like to think I have at least some situational awareness. Today just really hasn’t been my day. Attempting to regain my composure, I looked at the person who called out to me and saw…
A Witch.
It’s a witch.
Full-on pointy hat and everything.
She had brown hair, a bit darker than the blonde sprouting from my own head, and bright hazel eyes to go with a youthful face. Either hypothermia was setting in far earlier than I would have thought, or I stumbled upon an errant cosplayer. Not that I minded, if she could get me back to the car. Now that I think of it, I still have the keys. Sorry Jess and Anna, you’ll just have to wait a bit for me to get there.
“Hh, hi?” I said, stumbling over the words. All I could do was stare. What are the odds of seeing a random cosplayer in the wo- Oh, actually not that uncommon. I know for a fact Anna wanders around Valley Forge in her free time. She thinks it’s funny, and I have a few suspicions she’s behind at least a few of the tales of ghosts in the area.
Her costume looked really well done, however. I honestly was fighting the urge to ask her how she made it, despite the inherent awkwardness of the current situation. It looked very well-made, weathered at the sleeves, hem and waist that implied long hours of wear.
“Is there any chance you know where the parking lot is? My friends are probably waiting for me there, if not already worrying and calling the park rangers.”
“I said they won’t be able to find you.”
Huh?
“You heard it right? Saw the flash? Not everyone stays lost, I suppose, but I’m not powerful enough to know the way to send you back, at least at this time.”
“The flash?” My mouth might be hanging a bit open. Can you blame me?
“The flash. The breaking of the barrier between worlds. We get some books from the other side, so forgive me for the reference, but you ain’t in Kansas anymore.”
…At least she isn’t green.
Just food for thought when some people think of colonization, the first thing that springs to mind isn't adventure or exploration; it's the abuse and oft times genocide of those that inhabited the land before. Interesting chapter I am willing to see where this goes.
The first thing that came to my mind from that word is a funny pun about a certain human's organ.
@Altersky that sounds kind of horrifying if you really think about it.
Wonder when the books came over, and which books.
In a way I was practically addicted to school
Begone demon!


Wow, this is really really good. I am in looove~
woah, a fashion major? That's cool!
"long-hunter" long ago hunter? maybe? I didn't understand this.
"They won't find you" -> you."
"uh, hi?" I said awkwardly. -> Uh
me for the reference but, you ain't in Kansas anymore." -> reference, but you
Well at least falling into this fantasy world didn't involve a tornado?