Strakh— Fear.... in Russian

I tripped on some odd branches sticking too low which got entangled with my feet. I fell down with a welp, the brambles slicing open my arms with its sharp thorns. I gasped and felt the sound echo through the silence, reverberating from every tree.

The forest was eerily calm and the trees with half gnawed bark stood around, making a tight knit canopy, through which very less sunlight was filtering to the ground.

I looked around for the white stone and found it peeping from beneath some dried leaves. I scrambled to the place and brushed them off to reveal the writing.

1
Fairy Woods

So that was the last base of the challenge and I was so close to my win. I couldn't just get defeated now. I gathered up my fallen form and brushed off the damp leaves clinging to my jeans. I took out my phone and captured the stone on my camera as a proof of my touching the last milestone. The clearing must be here somewhere with the organizers waiting for us and the crowd with their banners, to cheer for the winners of the biggest annual dare game of the entire city, with all vying for the position of the 'Queen of the Wilderness' 

They had eleven bases placed at strategic locations with clues for each. And I got a head start on the others so I guess I was the first one to get there.

This challenge was a part of a centuries old ritual. And it was known for only the daredevils to take part. And the weirdest thing was there was only one winner. The other participants never came back.

Scary right? But who cares? I just need the prize money and I'll go the New York and begin a new life.

I had no friends, no family no one to mourn me, so why not take the dare. But it always made me wonder why no one returned? The one that returned would always have his lips sealed. Nobody even got to know what is in there because somehow their memory of the forests was blurry.

Yes, it has always been a 'He'. I was the first 'She' to take part and there was enough resistance, but my determination made the organizers bow ultimately.

I realized I had been standing for a long time lost in my thoughts. I need to move, but my legs were frozen. I felt cold suddenly. There was an unearthly presence around.

Psah!

What was I thinking? Fairies are all myths.

Carefully taking one step at a time, I moved on.

The wind howled through the trees, whispers following me around.

'Go away...'
'Don't enter'

The voices seemed to be swirling around me, dragging it's chilly fingers on my skin, making my blood turn to ice. I steeled my heart. Because the more you get afraid, the more the fear would conquer you and destroy you.

Wait! Did something just slip behind the trees?

'Hey there, wait.' I screamed running behind it. Something whished in and out of the trees and I ran after that one sign of life, or was it?

Soon it was gone. And I stopped dead in my tracks. I had plunged deeper into the enchanted woods.

I turned back to retrace my steps but couldn't remember my way.

Oh shit!

I didn't have the opportunity to regret before I saw the weird thing materializing in front of me. It's skin was dark blueish green and the hair a deeper raven black. It was covered in leaves and barely enough bark of trees to cover itself and it was a 'She'.

It stared at me through luminous green eyes and I flinched at the contact. She seemed to be looking into my soul.

'Hi , who are you?' I whispered.

Or rather WHAT are you?

The creature just cocked her head to one side and her lips curled into a smile.

'You trespassed on my land.'

Whoa! That wasn't what I expected.

'I... I didn't mean to.' I don't know why my ever steady voice stuttered.

'No body violates our sacred land. The trees are our home and you humans cut them down brutally without any single thought for us.' she hissed.

'This is a virgin forest. No one cuts trees here,' I croaked, backing up two steps.

'Don't run,' she grinned again, the smile sending a chill down my spine, 'There's a reason why the forest is still virgin. If you take anything, so much as a fallen twig out of here, we hunt you down!'

'H...hunt, me?' I gulped, 'Look, I'm not here to take back anything. I was just visiting! What are you? A tree fairy?'

'A dryad.' and suddenly shoots sprang up near my legs.

I jumped in fright, but the vines wrapped around my legs, rooting me to the spot.

Well,I was at their mercy now, great. Will they kill me?

Who cares?

She came closer to me and I tried to keep a straight face. I was shaking inside but was not ready to show them my weakness. I

'You don't show any fear,' she remarked, 'Aren't you afraid of us?'

I had never been afraid of anyone or anything — boys which leered at me, groped me, men which raped me. Assaulted, bruised and beaten daily by my drunkard father, growing up in a shady neighborhood, my body was by default the common property of all my father's friends. And after a few initial protests, I had accepted it as my life. It had numbed my feelings.

I still vividly remember the day I murdered that man who had tried to strangle me in his high. It was an instinctual reaction for survival, but that was the day I said it was enough. My father tried to shoot me for opening my mouth. Girls don't protest.

I shot him point blank without any regrets and confessed my crimes in court. I thought maybe they'd award me the death sentence and help me end this life, which I was too much of a coward to do myself.

Surprisingly they gave the verdict in my favor and I was exempted.

But during that time with the noose hanging above my head everyday, I had learnt to welcome death as a old friend. I had wanted to die many times. So yeah! I wasn't afraid of death.

'No. If you're threatening me with death, I'm not afraid to die.' I looked her squarely in the eye with a even gaze.

Her silvery green eyes burned through mine.

'You're interesting,' she commented and clicked her fingers. The branches slithered away from my feet.
'Want to stay with us?'

'With you guys? I mean...'

Hell no. Just let me go. I'll complete the race and escape ti my dream city.

'I think I you'd like to meet the others around.' she put a hand on my shoulders.

Ugh! Don't touch me!

But her touch was surprisingly warm and it left a tingle on my skin which made me happy. It was a touch so humane, a touch I had never gotten from my fellow humans.

'Okay,' I managed a small nod.

She smiled, showing a range of white teeth.

'Strakh!' she extended her hand.

'Nice name... Umm... Laura.' I made up her mind to search up her name on Google soon. I picked out my phone from my pocket, but the cell service was dead! Holy crap.

'What's that?' she peered over the thing.

'Smartphone! You can talk to people at far off distances.'

She stared at me for a second and then shrugged, 'Who cares? We can talk with our psychic abilities. Come.'

Okay, she wasn't that scary, except for her skin, but then she was a forest nymph, so...

With a gentle tug at my hand, I was walking through a ancient wooden arch with flowers entwined on the gnarled frame.

Something bumped into me at high speed and I clapped on it with a shriek as it dropped to the ground. I bent down to pick it up and it wasn't a moth. It was a tiny creature with long legs and hands. It shook its head and straightened its crumpled wings and swatted my face.

'How dare you? I'm not a mosquito!' she screeched, hands on her hips.

'Oh! I thought you were,' I commented, making her pink face go red.

Strakh laughed, her voice ringing like the peals of bells around. 'She's a Flutter Fairy, a Sprite.'

'Oh! I'm sorry little one,' I looked at her closely.

Something bumped into my back and I found two more of them. They screeched on seeing me.

'A human, a human! An intruder! Get the guards'

'She doesn't mean harm. Don't be so rude to our guest!' Strakh snapped.

'Yes, Your Grace,' they bowed.

'Wait, you're the forest queen?'

Strakh nodded, visibly amused by something I should've deduced earlier.

'I am also the gatekeeper guarding our land from mean minded human. But I saw in your mind that you are pure.'

'Don't tell me you read my mind,' I was mortified.

'I did. I saw it all, what you went through. But dear, maybe I don't look like that, but I'm centuries old and I'll give you one advice. Fear will be your demise. Never be afraid. Death won't stop you, but fear will and death isn't an option. The soul lives on, unsatisfied, thirsty for life. It's more painful than living itself, being trapped between two worlds.'

I listened, entranced.

'Do you talk to them? The unfortunate souls?'

'They reside in the Weeping Woods now, away from Gardenia, my capital city, but yes, they sought shelter in my realm. Cause you humans supposedly don't even leave the souls in peace, calling them up with those stupid festivals.'

Oh shit! So those rituals on Halloween really work.

I gave a nervous smile and followed her into her city. The solitude and bliss made me forget everything. It was the perfect haven. Small wooden cottages, little magical creatures, lots of bustle and activity and sheltered in the beautiful grove.

A pristine lake stood watching, the mountains rising high on the other side.

'It's heaven,' I murmured.

'You can stay here if you want.'

My heart skipped a beat. Yes, I could stay here all my life, in this perfect little niche, away from prying eyes and taunts, lustful men and polluted cities. I could get lost in nature and bury myself in the endless perfection of this little town, but was that what I wanted?

The dilemma was evident in my eyes. 'I'm so grateful for the offer Your Majesty, but...'

'But you have different goals in life and obviously your place is among those of your kind.' she read me perfectly.

I hung my head.

'Laura, as much as we'd love to have you here, we won't stop you. But once you go away, you'll never find this land again.'

Something tugged at my heart.

'Yes, I know... But what will I do by going back? Someone must have won the prize, right?'

The dreaded possibility loomed large.

'No one could cross the forest. I didn't let their impurity taint my land.' she turned away, not meeting my eyes.

'That means I'm the one that won the challenge? Then I'd like to go back please.'

She sighed in response.
'Of course, I'll take you...'

'But what happened to the others?'

She whipped around, facing me, her eyes burning with hate.

'I killed them!'

My knees buckled under my weight as my head spun. This couldn't be happening and then it was all dark.

------------------------

I woke up to find a crowd looking at me, expectantly. And suddenly there were shouts and cheers as I was whisked around, people hugging and cheering me.

I HAD WON.

'What was the forest like?' somebody asked.

I explored my memory but was hit by a blank wall.

A/N 2000 words completed for the contest by _Once_Upon. Hope you like this brand new world!