10 DREAMLIKE REALITY

Zoe took a nap as soon as she got home and as she did so, she experienced something she had never experience in quite a while.

"Cayden!" Young Zoe shouted in desperation.

Darkness was hovering, but she was still in the forest. Her parents warned her not to enter. But being the adventuresome little girl that she was, she managed to sneak into it without them noticing. 

More so, she coaxed her younger cousin, Cayden, to leave with her. 

It was yet daylight when they crept in. They thought the place to be scary, but it was the exact opposite. The area was kaleidoscopic full of rich autumnal colors. 

They could hear the sound of running water from a brook nearby. There are tiny furry animals scurrying here and there. 

"I told you it's awesome!" Young Zoe remembered saying to Young Cayden. They gazed on the beauty of this dreaded forest for the first time. 

"Yeah, it is not that black and gloomy at all!" Cayden agreed.

 "Ouch!��� 

Zoe threw a twig at her relative who was only three years younger than her. She giggled mischievously as if trying to pick up a brotherly fight with him. She had been close to this relative of hers ever since she could remember. 

"Zoeeee!" Young Cayden responded, though her actions did not surprise her. He knew Zoe was only teasing him and simply wanted to spend the day playing with him. 

They were having a family vacation at an island with her cousin Cayden and Uncle Bo. As they stayed there for days, they came across another isle a few miles away from it. 

Young Cayden shot to throw a sprig back at her. She jumped as a grasshopper with her being surprisingly long-legged at the age of twelve.

Young Zoe's naturally sparkling blue eyes laughed as she twirled around. 

She danced with her long natural brown wavy hair being caressed by the wind. The surrounding birds hummed a song in the rhythm of her body.

Round and round she swayed with her slender arms upward as she made a cheerful dance.

Young Cayden stared at her with admiration. If he didn't know her, he would think she was the woodland's goddess!

Young Cayden ran after her. They played merrily in the heart of these woods without discerning how quickly the time flies. 

Young Zoe was the "it" and they were playing hide and seek when at last she noticed the disappearing light from the sun.

The warm and cozy ambiance of the woods that came from it vanished as well.

"Cayden! Cayden!" Zoe repeated. "S-stop hiding! Let's go-o baaack! They might be looking for us alread-dyyy!"

In an instant, the forest became dark and foreboding. The naturally illuminated paths a few hours ago were now hidden in blackness. Even moonlight cannot help it. 

"I wish I brought Papa's flashlight," Young Zoe whispered to herself in a fearful tone.

She could feel the gloom drawing closer to her. It pressed her down and suffocated her slowly. 

"How did we get in here?"

She muttered in a frantic voice as she struggled to escape the eerie blackness. But the more she searched for the way out, the more she got lost. 

"Cayden! Cayden!!" She was already exhausted, hungry and thirsty all at the same time.

Still she tried to search for signs of life, especially of Cayden. She got deeper within the forest.

"Krrr.. Krr.." All she could hear was the ominous sounds of trees with overhanging branches.

They sounded like they were trying to tell her to escape its gloomy fate. The thick leaves creaked under her as she fumbled her way through its narrow paths. 

Young Zoe tried to feel life from the forest of death. Suddenly she heard faint sounds of footsteps slowly approaching her from her back. She turned around and quickly retreated back. 

Her eyes widened in terror as she saw two pairs of green eyes from two raggedly awful gigantic wolves They are armed with long sharp teeth and deadly claws.

"What is this?!! Aahhhhhhhh!!!!"

Zoe shouted as she ran for her life to whatever this forest will lead her. She heard the beasts' paws thudding against the ground.

She strained herself to run faster. "Awoooooooooooo!" One of them gave a long and clear wail. 

They were calling the others in the pack that they had a delicious prey within their reach.

There were only two words that Young Zoe could think of. "Mamaa!! Papaa!!!!!"

Young Zoe had never been so afraid in her entire life! She could feel her heart throbbing inside her chest. 

Her lungs felt like they would burst. Her throat was so dry. Her skin felt like it was roasting even with the unreasonably chilly cold air. She could not rest. 

Her legs felt numb and unsteady and painfully sore. She ran even though she's stumbling through the never ending twisting paths.

All she could think of are the two delegates from hell after her behind her back. 

Thud! 

Young Zoe fell onto the muddy ground. Her right leg got caught up in a winding branch of a thorny vine from under the ground. 

"Oh no!" Her terrified eyes quickly searched for her predators while she worked her bloody leg out of the forest-made trap. 

Fortunately, she managed to get her leg out. She tried to stand up and run but her right leg is paralyzed. 

At that instant, the ferocious beasts came at her rapidly. She knew in a few seconds she was going to die! 

Her head spinned and her knees went weak. Her eyes became blurry. Darkness started to envelop her. 

But before she fainted, she saw a young man suddenly appear out of nowhere. His bare hands grabbed the beast nearest her and threw it away like a piece of pebble. 

Total darkness surrounded her physically and mentally. She passed out.

****

Zoe sprang up her bed at the speed of light. She looked at where she was while clutching her heart which is about to burst from her ribcage.

She was still at the hotel of Lord Howe Island. Se ran her shaking hands through her hair and stared blankly at the wall. 

'Was it a dream? Or did it really happened to her?' Tears were streaming down her face.