1 The Forest and the Ship

"Where am I?"

Hazel's eyes widened behind her eyeglasses as she warily scanned the area. With furrowed brows, she combed her dark hair with her fingers out of habit. Any girl would have panicked or maybe even become hysterical if she were in her situation.

Who wouldn't after abruptly finding oneself in the middle of the woods?

By her feet are patches of moss and unfamiliar small plants. Strangely, there was not a single sight of a flower. Hazel thought that this would have been a beautiful scene if not for the eerie silence. Not a single chirp from a bird or the rustle of hooves can be heard. Even the sound insects were absent.

Hazel stared blankly for seconds before coming to her senses. "How did I get here?!"

Cautious, she stayed in place trying to understand her predicament. The forest seemed to be vast, too vast. The silence just made things eerier. She found it strange because forests are supposed to be full of life, but this one seemed too mysterious. Her focus was not on that but on how on earth did she suddenly appear here.

She furrowed her brow, "How the he-"

"Hey!"

The abrupt shout made her jolt in surprise but soon felt relief knowing she was not alone. She had been too wary on what was in front of her that she never looked behind her. She quickly turned around to where the voice came from.

What she saw was a sight of an unnatural scene that made her stare blankly for a few seconds.

Behold, a wooden ship stood magnificent in the middle of a pond. The pond could barely fit the bottom of the ship yet strangely enough it was set perfectly still. The ship stood upright neither swaying nor rocking. It was a marvel to behold.

"A ship?" she thought tilting her head, analyzing the sight before her. "No, an ark."

Her eyes gazed on the deck were a few people surrounding the ladder connecting the ground to the ship's deck. Two of them, girls, were clinging to each other. At the back deck, a male teenager seemed to be on a lookout with a playful manner. Two young men were standing near the ladder looking at her from above.

"Over here," called out one of the men near the ladder. He waved and motioned for her to come up.

Hazel scanned the area around the ship as she walked closer. Thinking she had no reason to refuse she climbed up. Do not be deceived by her nonchalant and calm look. Her head was full of questions, panic, and a voice trying to calm herself down.

Once she reached the deck the young man greeted her. She got a better look at him. He had chestnut brown hair and eyes wearing a casual business suit. Looking to in his early twenties. A mole decorated under his left eye, and he had a charming and gentle look. Hazel has a soft spot for these kinds of men, but it never gets beyond friendship.

"Another new one," He said looking at her, "get inside first."

Hazel slightly tilted her head with a confused look. The young man didn't seem to be playing around. So, she shrugged and looked at the cabin in the middle of the deck. All left and right sides of the cabin were full of glass windows. One could clearly see what was inside. Even the door was made of glass. She took a step towards the door.

Out of the blue, a screech thundered throughout the forest frightening everyone. The screech penetrated their eardrums causing panic screams.

Hazel's heartbeat quickened and without a second thought, she squatted down, her arms covering her head. The others followed suit but the teenager on the back of the deck was too late.

A shadow swooped in and snatched the teenager with its large talons. Its move was so swift it gave the teenager no chance of escaping.

Hazel stayed in position without moving. A gust of wind almost swept her as the assailant passed her. It was not hard to tell the creature was a giant bird. She could hear the strong flap of its wings creating gusts of wind. The boy cried as he passed above Hazel and the rest.

The next moment she heard the sound of flesh tearing and bones cracking. Thus, they could no longer hear the cries of the poor teenager. Hazel didn't dare to look up for fear of seeing such a gory scene. Her pale lips uttered silent prayers.

In the midst of her prayers, she felt a hand gripped her arm. Without waiting for her to react, she was then pulled inside the ship's cabin. The hand pushed her to the ground next to a bench attached to the wall. Without hesitation he shoved her under the bench and with his hand he covered her mouth. The two lay motionless on the floor. In less than a minute she was pulled, pushed, and shoved causing her mind to go crazy in bewilderment. However, her intuition told her to follow along.

Hazel tried to take deep breaths, but a hand was covering her mouth and half her nose. Her eyeglasses by now are in a crooked position.

"Quiet," the young man hushed beside her.

The voice was gentle which helped her calm down a bit. She could feel his hands trembling, his breath panting. He pressed his mouth on his arm to cover the sounds of his breathing. Hazel was still confused. She moved her head trying to get a view of the cabin.

To her surprise, there were more people inside the cabin than she thought. All of which are hiding, trembling and afraid. There were those like her hiding under the benches. There were others, desperately leaned against the wall trying to make sure not to be seen.

All was quiet until they heard a heavy thud outside. The sound of something heavy landing, causing everyone in the cabin to tremble.

Hazel could see the fear from everyone despite not being able to see anything clearly with her dispositioned eyeglass. She dare not move to correct them. Somehow watching them calmed her down causing her to question her mentality.

She was in though as the sound of thuds from the creature's heavy steps were getting closer to the cabin. They could hear it well. Everyone was in cold sweat.

Hazel was no exception as she could feel her goosebumps.

Fortunately, the creature did not barge into the cabin, or it would have been chaotic.

Minutes pass by as they heard the heavy steps go further away.

After enduring minutes of suspense, they heard the sound of the bird taking off. They dare not be hasty to reveal themselves and endured a few minutes in their place. This was survival for them.

Hazel endured her curiosity and confusion as she observed everything that is currently happening to her.