Beyond the Wild Wood by E. M. Fitch

Author:E. M. Fitch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: teen, young adult, horror, suspense, creepy stories
Publisher: Month9Books
Published: 2019-06-11T07:00:00+00:00

Cassie held her phone to her ear, listening to the ringing on the other end. She stared intently at the forest in front of her, putting the keys she had been holding in her shorts pocket. Her car was where she left it, back in her driveway. In front of her was the Gray Lady Cemetery, and beyond that, the dense and wild wood.

Why she had started walking in that direction, Cassie couldn’t be sure. It was something about the weaving of the trees, the soft music they made. Something called to her, though she couldn’t say what.

Lucy picked up after a few more rings, her tone pleasant yet all business. Cassie explained that she wouldn’t make her appointment that day.

“Cassie, are you sure?” Lucy asked, concerned. “I was really hoping I’d see you today, before the weekend, and—”

“I’m okay, Lucy,” Cassie interrupted. There was something odd in her tone. She could hear it, and she was sure her therapist could as well.

“Cassie, where are you? Don’t reschedule. Come in now. I’ll wait,” she said.

“I can’t today, Lucy. I’m sorry,” Cassie murmured. “I’ll call you soon.” She hung up the phone, not at all sure she would be calling Lucy soon. She sighed, sparing one last thought for her therapist, hoping she didn’t end the conversation with a lie, before her attention was diverted to the creature that stood just beyond the tree line.

There, at the edge of the wood, stood a doe.

Sunlight dappled her soft hide; the fur was a mix of soft brown and pale freckling. Her brown eyes regarded Cassie with an intensity that mimicked Aidan’s. Cassie knew the moment she saw her: this doe had been sent. It was no surprise that the creature didn’t run as Cassie approached. Her nose lifted into the air, sniffed in anticipation, and seemed to approve. Cassie raised her hand, and the warm nose found her palm. She stroked her muzzle.

“Come to fetch me?” she asked. The doe sniffed and turned. “Lead the way.”

The walk through the forest was unlike any Cassie had experienced. Nothing grabbed at her feet, nothing seemed to be particularly in her way. The doe walked just beside her, nimbly stepping through the fallen branches. If Cassie wanted to, she could have let her fingers stretch out and rest on the warm hide.

She had dressed in a style she had seen Laney wear, once she had embraced the faery lifestyle. She wore sneakers and was thankful for it, though her way was pleasantly unencumbered. Her long legs were bare, and her skin, heightened by fear to react to the simplest touch, shivered at every welcoming caress of fern. Nothing scratched or poked, everything gave way, though some living beings of the forest seemed unable to shy away completely; they brushed her lightly as she passed, as though in welcome. Her shorts and tank top were familiar to her, but it was the long tunic she wore over her tank top that was not, and it was in this style that she tried to mimic her best-friend-turned-faery.

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