drained away. The town spread out beneath her and Siobhan amused herself by imagining that the bits of bark she was throwing could reach the streets below, alarming the populace. Watch out, people, it’s raining trees!
She could see the silhouette of the high school at the edge of town and her lips twisted. She’d been totally self-conscious walking in there today to register for classes. Being the new kid sucked. She missed her friends.
The evening breeze was cold on her face and Siobhan shivered, zipping up her hoodie. Once the sun dropped below the horizon, the temperature dropped too, and she could see her breath. She’d better get back to the house before full dark or her mom really would have an excuse to yell.
She hurried down the hill, her feet sliding in slushy piles of snow, the freezing stuff working its way over the tops of her sneakers. She clattered over a wooden bridge that spanned a small creek and then the forest lay ahead. In the dusk, the pine trees looked shadowed and forbidding and it had started to snow – again. Siobhan felt a prickle of unease run down her back. Those tracks she’d seen earlier that she figured was somebody’s dog – what if they were coyote? A pack of coyotes or – were there wolves in Vermont?
Siobhan began jogging, trying to keep her cool, aware of the way her heart was pounding. Okay, just stay calm, it’s not that far to the road, she reassured herself. There were the lights from that farmhouse through the trees. She’d be out of the woods in another few minutes but the sky was now totally dark and Grandma’s house was still – far enough. Crap. Mom was going to kill her.
She poured on the speed and was rewarded by the sight of the road just down the trail. Thank God. A car drove by, lurching through the ruts, and Siobhan turned onto the road, catching her breath. Just out for an evening stroll, folks. Move along, nothing to see here.
A low laugh floated out of the darkness behind her. Siobhan whirled and strained her eyes but there was no moon and all she could see were the dark on dark masses of the trees and bushes at the edge of the road. “Who’s there?” she called, her hands fisted.
There was no answer, but she could feel a malevolent presence and almost thought she could hear someone breathing in time with the breeze that sighed through the forest, the rustling of branches becoming the whispers of a chorus of voices.
“Who’s there?” she demanded again. Silence.
Rising up onto her toes, Siobhan began taking careful, noiseless steps backwards, her jaw clenched tight so her teeth wouldn’t chatter. Had she really even heard someone? Maybe it was her imagination. Maybe it was branches rubbing together. Who in their right mind would be skulking around out here in the dark anyway, the whole thing was crazy and –
The laugh sounded again, closer this time, and Siobhan’s nerve broke. She whirled and pelted down the street, the mud sucking at her shoes, sleet like sharp needles stinging her cheeks.
Now she heard running footsteps behind her, the huff of somebody’s breath as they drew closer. She couldn’t force her tired legs to go any faster and her mouth opened in a sob as tears began to roll down her cheeks. An iceball hit her hard in the back and she lost her balance, falling face down in the mud.
A thin blue light shone down on her, and turning her head, she could just see a slim figure silhouetted behind it. Randomly, her mind threw out the idea that it looked similar to the light that had surrounded her mother and grandmother in the hospital this afternoon. Yeah, and she was totally losing it. She tried to pull her knees under her and a hard thump on her back laid her flat again as the figure bent over her.
Just then, headlights shone from further down the road. There was a curse, the light went out and she heard the footsteps again, this time in retreat. Siobhan staggered to her feet as the car approached. Thank God, it was her mother in the Subaru.
Siobhan climbed into the passenger side, shaking uncontrollably. The warmth pouring out of the car’s heater was the best thing she’d ever felt in her life.
“Honey!” her mom exclaimed. “What happened, you’re totally covered with mud!”
Siobhan breathed, swallowed back tears, breathed some more. “Nothing, Mom,” she finally said, listening to her voice quiver. “It got dark sooner than I expected and I was trying to get home so you wouldn’t worry and –“ she gulped. “I – just freaked out and started running because I got scared, and then I tripped in a rut and fell down. Pretty dumb, huh?”
“That’s okay, Chevy,” DJ said solemnly from the back seat. “I get scared of the dark too.”
Her mom reached over and patted her leg. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Come on, we’re going into town to pick up a pizza. I’m not up to making dinner tonight.”
“Sure, sounds good,” Siobhan forced out. She slumped down in her seat, so far down that her head barely came above the window. Just in case whoever was out there might be looking in. She tucked her hands under her armpits, so her mom wouldn’t see them trembling.
It was some kid, had to be. Some kind of weird “welcome to our town” newbie initiation. But over and over in her mind, she replayed that moment of helplessness as she lay face down in the dirt, the force of the boot pressing into her back, the words hissed into her ear: “I know what happened to your grandmother.”
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https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/green-mountain-magic-valerie-gillen/1113740405?ean=2940045083478
https://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Green-Mountain-Magic/book-tjqOj56vrUyZ6cKNQHZs1Q/page1.html?s=putlCEO9UECuja0CR4581w&r=1
Other works by Valerie Gillen:
The Last Blind Date, a romantic-comedy short story: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Blind-Date-Valerie-Gillen-ebook/dp/B006QRGSGG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403056265&sr=1-1&keywords=the+last+blind+date+by+Valerie+Gillen
The White Glove – a romantic short story:
https://www.amazon.com/White-Glove-Valerie-Gillen-ebook/dp/B007WIEJFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403056347&sr=1-1&keywords=the+white+glove%2C+valerie+gillen
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