Callie
Callie: Running late, can you pick me up at 9?
Earl: No pomegranates.
Earl: No pomegranates.
Earl: No problem. Damn phone.
Earl: Sorry, dang phone. Forget you hate swearing. No pomegranates, I’m sure you have some girly beauty things you need to do. See you at 9
Callie: you caught me;)
“Ouch!” I groaned, trying to cover the top of my foot with my hand. The top burned from the intense heat of the engine torturing it. My shoulders tensed as I placed my cell phone into the cup holder and continued through the forest on my lawn mower, all the while wiggling my loose back tooth like a nervous madman.
High heels were not advisable for driving a tractor. Thankfully it was still light enough out to see clearly and navigate. Otherwise, the trees would cause me an incredible amount of trouble.
The tinted evening air softly rustled the pine branches in warning, and I suddenly remembered exactly where I was headed. I shivered with the thoughts of how horrible that forest had made me feel. Goose bumps pebbled my skin with fright and chill, and I instantly regretted not bringing a warm coat.
I pulled the large curlers from my hair and tried to calm myself. Thank god I didn’t have neighbors close by. If anyone else saw me, they would definitely think Earl had rubbed off on me and I was now equally as mad.
After I had grabbed the closest dress and thrown it on, I flew out the door and onto the tractor, my thoughts purely on reaching my destination and returning home. I was trembling and clammy. I’m quite certain I already had mud all over my tiny black dress.
I would just call and cancel dinner. Earl would understand.
“Ouch!” I moved my burning foot so the heel took the brunt of the heated assault.
The forest was quiet and calm, save for the roaring John Deere, but aside from that, it was actually really refreshing to be in the thick part of the forest this late at night, alone. Owls hooted to each other in the distance in sync with the crickets. I loved the night; it always gave me a sense of calm.
With a heavy sigh, I pulled my phone from the side cup holder of the tractor.
Callie: I’m so sorry, but I have to cancel. Something last minute’s come up. Will call tomorrow. Sorry for everything!
Earl: What’s going on? Is everything all right?
Earl: Cal?
Earl: Cal?
I tucked the phone back into the tractor’s cup holder after checking my coordinates on the park’s GPS app and let out a breath. At least I wasn’t under a time constraint now. I was equally glad Earl wouldn’t see me in this dress. Had it been a gift? I would never have bought something that showed so much skin. Had I known it was this small and tight, I wouldn’t have even bothered to put anything on. I should have grabbed the sparkly pink one off the bed before I ran out the door. Then I would have at least felt like tractor Barbie, which sounded more fun. As it was, I looked like some type of James Bond spy girl or something, though I seriously doubt a spy girl would ride a beat-up old tractor to her destination.
The forest was completely dark now. Shimmers of moonlight blanketed the trees like a spooky movie. Only cloaked in a silver sheen, it reflected off some of the pine trees and merely silhouetted others, leaving your mind to question the depths of what you actually saw. Maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me, but I swear I could already feel the terrifying feeling from earlier creeping into my bones.
Amber orbs of gold flashed as lightning bugs danced along the trees like mystical Christmas lights. It seemed like there were hundreds of them, formed almost in a trail of sorts. The hair rose on the back of my neck. Something didn’t feel right about the way they all trailed toward something.
I straightened my spine. It was only fireflies.
Even though it was just the quiet forest and myself, I tugged down the very short black dress, suddenly feeling quite silly and uncomfortable. My breasts were shoved together so high I thought my nipples might pop out, so I yanked up the fabric masquerading as a chest covering. The dress rose higher up my thighs with the aforementioned action. It was like a terribly slutty game of tug of war.
Pull up to cover cleavage, and the dress would rise to scandalous heights on my thighs.
Shove down to hide legs, and the treacherous dress would threaten to throw a nipple overboard.
Perspiration began to gleam across my forehead with the struggle. I had to be close now. All-in-all the tractor was going much faster and more effici—
My body lurched forward as the tractor’s tire caught in a root.
Son of a garbage can! I jinxed myself!
I was so angry I nearly swore as I attempted to reverse the mower. The action only caused the tires to whip moss into the night air and trench farther into the soft soil of the forest.
Mother forking crap on a cracker! I was stuck.
“Nooooo, please no!” I begged the tractor as if that would help.
A curious raccoon wandered down a tree in front of me to watch the show.
“What are you looking at!?” I shouted aggressively as I got down from the yellow seat and attempted to pull all my hair out in frustration.
“I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve that,” I mumbled at the trash panda apologetically.
He didn’t. He was just being nosey.
Angry and frustrated, I grabbed a pair of rusted hedge clippers from the tractor. I didn’t think I’d need them because there were no real threats out here, but just in case. I huffed and stomped off back on my trail, now more determined than ever.
And when I say stomped, I mean on the balls of my feet because I was still very much in high heels.
“Uuugghh, maybe that stupid mushroom is bad luck,” I grumbled and growled at the animals that walked with me.
A skunk had joined the team, with whom I avoided making any eye contact. Finicky things skunks were. I loved all animals . . . well, except snakes. Don’t ask me why, but I am petrified of snakes. The slithering, the hissing—they’ve never bothered me, and I never bother them.
It was comforting to have the company of the animals in the dark forest though. Animals had always been oddly unafraid of me. I have no memory of it any other way, maybe when I was very young. Had they not been more distant when I was with other people, I might not have ever realized they didn’t usually get so close to humans. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for it. It drove me to want to do my job to the best of my abilities. All creatures deserved to be loved and taken care of.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t still wary of the skunk that trailed behind me.
A few creatures scampered beside me along the way as I stopped every few feet to pull a high heel free from the dirt. Walking on the balls of my feet was exhausting, but I refused to take my shoes off. You’d be shocked at the number of poisonous insects that littered your average forest floor.
Starting to grow weary again as I realized I happened to be following the same ominous trail of fireflies, I began to sing some old fluffy songs in a weak attempt at soothing my frayed nerves. I was just about to pick up a new melody when the ground scuttled with the sounds of my forest friends suddenly running to hide. I turned, startled at the sudden movement behind me.
And then I saw it.
The first living luna moth I had ever seen.
The creature I had moved across the country to find.
I nearly fell to my knees at the sight of it. They were early.
Three weeks until they were supposed to arrive in Willow Springs.
The large moth fluttered silently behind me before it landed on a nearby tree. The slow flap of its pale neon-green wings taunted me. A long tendril trailed behind each wing. These tendrils were part of what made them so rare, somehow adding to the majestic beauty of the mysterious luna moth.
In a trance of wonder, I moved closer. Two long fern-like antennae rested atop its fluffy body, only adding to its adorable aesthetic.
Something moved nearby, and I had to stifle a scream as my pulse quickened. I turned, caching the movement with my peripheral.
Another one.
I gasped as another luna moth fluttered past me.
The one on the tree took off, fluttering with his companion.
I clamored to follow them, still in somewhat of a shock.
Tuna-teeth! These high heels were going to kill me! I was moving quickly to keep up with the moths as they floated along the twinkling trail of the fireflies. My cheeks felt hot even though my skin was chilled with the cool night air as I breathed heavily in an attempt to keep up with the winged wonders. Several parts of my body were exposed from the dress now, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything as I chased the moths.
Several more Luna moths glinted under the moonlight up ahead.
“Holy esophagus . . .”
I was shaking with excitement now.
It was stunning. More and more lightning bugs flew to the area, twinkling all around me and the beautiful moths in a mystical display.
It was so magical looking. I needed to get closer.
I grabbed my phone to take photos—
Except I’d left my phone in the tractor.
Poop.
Okay, it’d be fine. Alone in the woods in a hooker dress and high heels with no ride or phone. Perfect.
I turned down a deep bend past a large hemlock as I followed the golden trail in an attempt to get a better look at the moths that fluttered ahead of me.
My lungs filled sharply with cold air. I had to grasp ahold of a nearby tree to keep myself up.
There had to be a hundred of them.
They all had stopped in the same area.
Pale-green wings seemed to reflect brighter under the sultry glow of the moon. Dozens and dozens of wings flapped slowly. Most of them had collected on the bark of trees or fallen logs surrounding the area. A few fluttered by wistfully in the air. They seemed to have gathered in a large circle deep within the secret depths of the forest. The large gap in the center of the trees gave way to silver mists of moonlight casting down gracefully upon them. It was beautiful, ethereal. Enough to distract you from the doomed feeling hovering over the area like a foreboding blanket.
A shrill scream sounded somewhere in the distance, severing the doleful quiet of the night.
I know that sound, that’s a—
Suddenly it was before me.
A fox.
A red, snarling, angry fox.
I screamed, nearly falling backward in surprise. Normally a fox would not hurt a human, but this was not a normal, average fox.
It was the very same glittering golden fox I had seen before. I backed away from its snarling red and black face.
It wasn’t glittering now in the darkness—not exactly. When the moonlight hit its fur unshadowed, it looked . . . magical? It seemed to ghost a golden glow that you couldn’t quite focus your eyes on. Was this all my imagination? Was I really starting to lose my mind? Was it the mushrooms?
In a startling move, it nipped at my foot, and I leaped backward toward the center of the gathering of moths with a shriek.
My action only seemed to cause it to act more frantic. Was he hurt? I shifted back along the ground, suddenly very afraid. I’d never had an animal act like this toward me.
“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. I promise. What are you?” I attempted to coo at the reddish-orange creature.
Maybe he thought I meant him harm?
His bushy tail flicked at my words. I’d never heard a fox snarl before, but it was terrifying. Shrill, more high pitch than a dog’s growl, but every bit as fear provoking, maybe more so with his pointed nose wrinkled up in anger. I moved to step around him. I needed to get to the moths.
I needed to see more.
“What the fork!?” I screamed as it went to rip my ankle off, barely missing.
The fox’s amber eyes stared at me as he pinned his ears back, away from his bushy red and black face. White patches blended with rust-colored fur. He was beautiful. Don’t ask me how I knew it was a he. I could feel it. Just like I could feel that he wasn’t quite normal. Even if I couldn’t see the shimmering gold fur in the moonlight, there was something in his eyes, something unlike anything I’d ever seen. I should have been running home now, but I couldn’t. It was like I was hypnotized. I felt such a harsh pull to see the moths. I couldn’t have ignored it if I had tried.
Most of my life had revolved around the hope of this very moment. If this glowing fox thought he would stop me, he had no idea how determined I truly was. I stepped back.
He snapped at me again, growling. This time, shoving his trim, fluffy body into mine and knocking me away from the moths.
He was trying to block me from the circular clearing where the moths and lightning bugs waited patiently.
“It’s okay,” I cooed in my softest voice, “you have a family in there, don’t you? I promise I won’t hurt them. I just want to get a better look at the luna moth, okay? Whatever you are.”
It began a high-pitched whine. All the while, his amber eyes continued to look frantically between me and the small clearing.
I stepped around him in a hurry, quickly walking toward the mystical hole in the middle of the forest where thousands of moonlit green wings flapped and fluttered a song all of their own.
I tripped and fell, quickly collecting myself, but not before I realized the fox had lain on my feet, whining with long, painful cries. It was incredibly eerie and unsettling.
“Okay, one thing at a time,” I mumbled, quickly scooting away and walking toward the open circle.
I just needed to get a better look at what was going on. Then I would see how I could help the shimmering fox. The fox that was probably a figment of my imagination anyway.
I dodged him as he went for me, faking right and going left like a trained football player. I ran until my body brushed the circle of trees. I felt a slight pinch where the fox had broken the skin at the back of my calves.
“You turd face, you got me,” I hissed at the edge of the clearing, lifting my bare leg to look. Sure enough, there was a small bite.
Crap.
“You better pray to your forest gods that you don’t have rabies you . . . you . . .” I angrily murmured as I turned to face the orange bandit, but he was gone. “Geez. What kind of luck am I having today?” I mumbled, turning back to the open space and trying to make sense of everything.
It was nearly a perfect circle of moss and dirt resting inside the large ancient trees. Hundreds, if not thousands, of luna moths fluttered and clung to the trees surrounding it. Golden flashes from the lightning bugs lit the air like magic.
When I didn’t think I could ever see anything more magnificent or magical, I saw them.
In the middle of the mossy floor lay another perfect circle.
A complete and perfect ring of destroying angel mushrooms. The clean white flesh of the mushroom caps lit brightly under the moon’s silvery glow.
I sucked in an amazed breath. The scent of pine and earth filtered through my nose, and I heard only crickets and a distant high-pitched whine.
I took another step into the clearing. The thick moss gave way under the pressure of my black high heels.
Then I felt it.
I tightened my arms around myself as if that could protect me from the feeling.
It was the same grim vibe in the forest with Earl. Only now, it felt intense, like we had only sampled a taste earlier, and this was the entire feast.
Goose bumps bloomed across my arms and legs as the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
I had the immediate urge to scream and run. To get as much distance as possible between me and this weird circle of mushrooms.
But that was stupid. These were moths and mushrooms, not demons or something wild.
. . . Right?
Needing to show my courage, I took a few more steps into the space until my feet nearly grazed the large circle of mushrooms.
How could they form like this? I’d never seen anything so perfectly uniform. Moths fluttered around the small space, soaring in front of my face. Were these mushrooms causing me hallucinations?
Flashbacks of my childhood incident flashed in my mind. I looked at the small scar on my hand. Was it in the air, the toxins? Is that why I thought I saw a glittering golden fox? Would this explain the wild things Earl had claimed to have seen?
I picked up my leg to step into the mushroom circle and stilled, remembering Earl’s warnings of the mushroom rings being portals into the fairy realms. It couldn’t be true.
It was the toxins causing a hallucinogenic effect. It had to be.
If I proved that to be true, that the toxic chemical in these mushrooms was what caused our hallucinations . . . then it would mean I had imagined the fairies all along. I stepped back from the ring of mushrooms and held tight to everything I thought I knew.
Did I want that?
Of course I wanted to know what had really happened . . . I let out all the air in a defeated sigh.
I really did sound crazy, didn’t I?
“Grow up, Cal,” I reprimanded myself, feeling my heart flutter as I took in the many sets of wings surrounding me.
I dug my thumbnail into the V-shaped scar until it left a dent and a reminder that I needed to get it together.
I shivered and adjusted my black dress nervously. I picked up my leg and stepped firmly into the circle.
It was as if the ground had been made of water. Nothing held under my foot inside the destroying angel circle. I tried to regain my balance and pull myself back out, but with nothing to hold onto, the rest of my body fell into the circle in an ungraceful stumble.
Sharp pinpricks covered my body. Thick black smoke suddenly swirled around me, choking my lungs. My eyes clamped tightly in fear as I fought to regain any balance I could. I was still falling.
On and on, I continued to fall.
It felt as though my body had been thrust into a black hole with no end, tumbling and flipping slowly into the abyss. My arms and legs flailed wildly, trying to grab ahold of something, anything to stop this feeling. It felt like my stomach was in my chest as I continued to fall, flipping and turning as I screamed bloody murder.
On and on, I continued to fall through the awful chasm of darkness.
I collided against something hard. The force was like I had landed on a brick wall, like I had been in a car crash. My body clung to the ground as nausea overtook me and bile rose up my throat. My mind swirled chaotically, unable to stop the horrible spiraling.
I went to roll onto my back when the ground beneath me shifted, and I was thrown.
“What the—”
“It’s landed on the prince! It’s landed on the prince!”
“It is an attack! They are retaliating!” Male voices rang out in alarm.
I struggled to open my eyes, my body holding tight to the lingering feeling of falling. I opened my eyes, but it was too dark, and I could see nothing.
Suddenly I was hoisted up by my arms. My eyes continued to fail me so I could only hear them.
“How did they know, my lord!?” Gruff shouts and murmurs echoed like waves around me in rough accents I couldn’t place.
“Cut its arms off now! It’s dangerous!”
The darkness settled in my vision, but I wished it hadn’t.
Inky black smoke shrouded what looked to be hundreds of men in fierce black armor. All faced me. I screamed and ran with the only bit of air I could collect.
I blasted into a wall directly behind me with what felt like the force of a train.
But it had not been a wall.
He towered over me like death himself. The moonlight illuminated bits of the dark armor that cloaked his massive body. Foolish because he didn’t look as though he needed any armor. Every inch of his frame radiated the power of a predator. Where a normal man’s head would reside rested a dark chest covering of armor glinting against what little light the moon painted. I lifted my eyes higher until my neck craned uncomfortably to see the face of death himself.
My blood ran cold. Every instinct within my body surged with a need to flee. My feet shifted away toward the other villainous-looking men.
A sharp jaw framed his backlit face as cold blue eyes bore into my body and through my very soul. Obsidian-black brows rested slightly above the terrifying pools of ice. Dark black hair glistened, almost invisible in the darkness had it not laid so close to the pale porcelain skin of his harsh face.
The monster grabbed me as I turned to run. I heard myself scream as though I were outside my body. I continued to struggle against the strong gloved hand that held my bare shoulder. I looked back in horror at the monster, only to realize it had one hand on the hilt of a jeweled sword as the other tightly-gloved hand nearly crumbled my shoulder from its strong grip.
Almost impossible to see in the darkness, thick columns of smoke coiled and shifted in billowy plumes from his back, slowly taking the shape of wings. The smoke was thick and lively, but it somehow appeared as though if you touched it, you would feel the wings somehow solid. The thick blackness seemed darker than the night that surrounded us. The wings of smoke flowed at least five feet out on either side of his enormous body. They were unlike any wings I’d studied before. More beautiful than any of the pictures that hung on my walls. Even the luna moth’s beautiful wings paled in comparison to the dark ethereal wings spread in front of me.
I realized I’d been frozen, gawking with my mouth open at the mysterious man’s wings. How could those be real? They were smoke—they were incredible.
Without permission from my brain, my hand shot out to touch one.
The black swirls moved instantly away from my hand, just as smoke from a candle would, but with more intention. The sensation of cold vapor encased my hand, and instantly, the onyx waves swirled and coiled around my fingers, causing me to nearly faint in wonderment.
“They-they’re beautiful,” I murmured, likely too soft to be heard.
The giant creature watched me with obvious surprise as his brows creased deeply. He glanced at my face before looking at the whispers of smoke that danced upon my hand. A shudder seemed to rack his body before he roughly shoved me away.
He tilted his head up and squinted to see me beneath heavy lashes, and then he spit on me.
The hot wet blob slowly slid down my dirt-covered cheek. I screamed in surprise, but before I could wipe it off, he grabbed me again. The pain of his grip nearly buckled my knees as I cried out.
The monster slowly raked his empty blue eyes over me; my dress had pulled up to expose the last bit of my rear. His horrible gaze seemed to hover over my skin before a scream ripped from me.
Smokey talons had formed at the end of his wings like a dagger and pressed sharply into my shoulders. Warm trickles of blood dripped down my arm as he squeezed tighter.
I was fucked.
