You keep walking, it’s not worth looking back. You stay on some undefined path, keeping calm as you walk past repeated oaks and birch trees. Everything starts to look the same. You’ve walked past the same dead, torn tree, each time looking more jagged than the last.
You come to approach a clearing, the mulch is slowly replaced by soft, green grass. The sun, no longer blocked by the canopy of leaves, shines on your body, the warm embrace caressing every inch of your tired form. You sigh in relief, such a peaceful place in the middle of nowhere.
You tear yourself away from the idea of staying, and continue walking. In front of you is another town. Trapped in silence.
The roofs are covered in ivy, the walls cracked beyond repair. There is not a single sound, save for the buzzing of the insects and croaks of the frogs. You circle the perimeter, checking every corner and side of the abandoned town.
What you think is south, leads to a dry plain, the grass brown and scattered.
You look back the way you came, but it is replaced by a creek. The water flows, but it makes no sound. An eerie silence echoes in the clearing. No longer were there insects or frogs. Only quiet.
You walk through an arch, the ivy closing over the sides, smothering the once-painted wood.
You wonder whether anyone has lived here at all. The windows are darkened, as if they had no inside. The doors are stuck, no matter how hard you tug. The dimensions of the houses look erratic. Like someone had glued them together with cardboard. Now that you look closer, did the angle of the roof look wrong?
You feel something tap your shoulder.
“Who’s there?!” you gasp, nearly tripping over yourself.
The thing refuses to answer, or even show itself.
You twist and turn, terrified of what it may be.
The voice of a woman speaks to you, her words wary.
“It’s been long since a human has entered by domain, let alone, someone so young.”
The expression on her face is masked by a layer of fierceness, this must be the witch.
Her naked body was dirtied with leaves and mud, her hair unkempt. She would have been beautiful if it wasn’t for her angry expression. The witch furrowed her brows even further.
“Why don’t we play a game, imp?”
She smiled, baring her teeth. You had wandered into her home, and you were not welcome.
“Hide and seek. I hide, you seek.”
You wondered how it made sense. If she really didn’t want you here, shouldn’t you be hiding? You wonder if she would make an attempt on your life.