It's a strange feeling to stand on top of your own grave.
I brushed aside the overgrowth to expose the face of my tombstone. A chill crept up my spine as my own name stared back at me, a cold reminder of the past set in granite.
It was hard to believe fifteen years had passed since I'd disappeared from this place. Ten since I'd had come back from the dead.
I sighed, then gazed past my tombstone, into the forest, and remembered.
I could still see the shock on my father's face when I stepped from the tree line all those years ago. The way he dropped his gardening tools and yelled for my grandmother. The way he ran towards me, his arms open wide.
At the time, I assumed I was in trouble. They'd told me not to wander into the woods that morning. And not to dirty my new outfit. I had done both.
I smiled softly. Funny the things you remember.
In the end, there was no trouble that day. Only joy. Relief. And reunion.
The trouble came later.
News travels fast when someone returns from the dead. Soon the small village near our family home was filled with curious visitors. They all wanted to hear the story of the 10-year-old girl who disappeared into the woods. They came to see the miracle girl who hadn't aged in five years. They wanted answers and they wanted to believe.
Most were harmless. Some were not.
In the end, my family's only option was for me to leave this place. To start fresh, in a faraway land, where no one knew my story. It was the only way to stay safe.
My gaze shifted to the narrow path leading into the forest. Many things had changed in the last 20 years. The forest itself had not. Thick, green foliage lined the edge, shrouding the older growth and its mysteries within. A summer breeze rustled the leaves and whispered to me with a soft shushing sound.
I tucked a stray copper curl behind my ear and smiled. I knew the forest and its secrets well. But I had not come to expose them.
I had come to say goodbye.
I brushed aside the overgrowth to expose the face of my tombstone. A chill crept up my spine as my own name stared back at me, a cold reminder of the past set in granite.
It was hard to believe fifteen years had passed since I'd disappeared from this place. Ten since I'd had come back from the dead.
I sighed, then gazed past my tombstone, into the forest, and remembered.
I could still see the shock on my father's face when I stepped from the tree line all those years ago. The way he dropped his gardening tools and yelled for my grandmother. The way he ran towards me, his arms open wide.
At the time, I assumed I was in trouble. They'd told me not to wander into the woods that morning. And not to dirty my new outfit. I had done both.
I smiled softly. Funny the things you remember.
In the end, there was no trouble that day. Only joy. Relief. And reunion.
The trouble came later.
News travels fast when someone returns from the dead. Soon the small village near our family home was filled with curious visitors. They all wanted to hear the story of the 10-year-old girl who disappeared into the woods. They came to see the miracle girl who hadn't aged in five years. They wanted answers and they wanted to believe.
Most were harmless. Some were not.
In the end, my family's only option was for me to leave this place. To start fresh, in a faraway land, where no one knew my story. It was the only way to stay safe.
My gaze shifted to the narrow path leading into the forest. Many things had changed in the last 20 years. The forest itself had not. Thick, green foliage lined the edge, shrouding the older growth and its mysteries within. A summer breeze rustled the leaves and whispered to me with a soft shushing sound.
I tucked a stray copper curl behind my ear and smiled. I knew the forest and its secrets well. But I had not come to expose them.
I had come to say goodbye.
- Author notes
- This is a small snippet of backstory I wrote for one of my roleplay characters. I hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to leave comments.
- Story length
- short story
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