Original: The Woods
Title: The Woods
Summary: Jane loses her cat and goes in search of him. While in the woods, she meets a man.
Notes: I love Creative Writing class.. fo sho.
"Button!"
"What are you doing, Jane, honey?" Her mother calls from the kitchen.
"Button's gone outside. I have to go find him."
"Button will come back when he's ready. Go wash your hands for dinner."
When her mother turns around, Jane has already slipped out the back screen door. Jane searches their whole backyard. No Button. "Here, Button," She calls. No luck. Jane doesn't want to give up, though. He could have gone in there. Jane doesn't want to look in there. But she has to find Button before night falls. Otherwise he'll stay out all night. Jane can never sleep when she knows Button is outside in the dark.
Hesitantly, she steps forward. Headed towards the towering trees and the oppressive darkness within.
"Button."
Her voice is small and hesitant. She's facing the small woods attached to her backyard. Wrapping her arms around herself, Jane steps resolutely forward. She quivers only a little.
"Please, Button. Where are you?"
As she advances into the darkening woods, Jane's steps become smaller. Shorter. Her parents don't like it when she goes into the woods. They say it's not a place for young girls to go into alone. And that if she has to go back there, she should call one of them. Other people walk through the woods. They connect to a park, and anyone can get into them. Even if there are signs saying private property. But it's never been an issue before. Jane is afraid of the woods. They're scary. And dark.
But Button might be in here, so Jane has to search. She can't leave her cat outside all alone. Unaware of how far she is going, Jane keeps walking in further. Pretty soon the darkness feels like a tangible thing around her.
"Button?" Scared, Jane stops. Her voice seems small and insignificant. No, she shouldn't be out here. Her parents always said not to go out here. Jane was terrified. One more step forward and she snaps a twig with a loud "Crack!" A soft "Oh" escapes her lips, and Jane freezes. Heart beating wildly she stands still. In the dark. In the woods.
Hearing nothing, Jane turns around and to make a mad dash for home. She can't take being in the woods anymore. It's scary. "Oof!" She grunts, just as she hits something solid and tangible.
"Careful, there." Comes an older male voice. "Are you alright, little girl?"
Jane backs up against a tree, looking up at the man. He's tall, and she can't see him well. "Who are you?" She asks, almost defiantly.
"No one," He responds kindly, crouching down so he's facing her. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." It is something her parents made very clear. She doesn't know this man. He is a stranger. And she is not to talk to him.
"Well, my name is John." He holds out a hand for her. Warily, Jane just looks at the hand. He laughs, and she cringes. "Alright, then. But don't say I didn't try." John stands up, looking down at the little girl. His eyes are kind, and Jane very much wants to trust him. "Where do you live, girl? I'll take you home."
"My name is Jane." Jane says in a rushed manner. Her parents are going to be very mad. But John seems so very nice. "And I live in a house."
John laughs. He has a very deep, rich laugh. Jane likes it. She even smiles a bit herself. "A house, you say? That's very good, Jane." He smiles at her, holding out his hand. "Where is your house?"
Slipping her small hand into his much larger one, Jane points forward. "At the edge of the woods. Mommy's making supper." Jane feels comforted by the presence of John. John is very nice. Maybe John will be her friend.
"Well, let's go, then?" John smiles at her, and together they walk home. The woods don't seem as scary anymore, and Jane happily hums to herself the whole way. John doesn't talk. He just walks with her. Jane is happy like that.
"There it is!" Jane calls when she could make out her house in the thinning trees.
"Very good, Jane." John whispers. "I'll let you go now. Your parents must be worried." He pats her shoulder. "You've been very brave, Jane. Go find your cat," He whispers, but Jane is already running towards her house.
When she steps on the back porch, Jane remembers her manners and turns around to thank John. But she can't find him. John is nowhere in sight. Frowning, Jane turns and goes inside.
"Where have you been?" Her mother asks.
"Trying to find Button."
"Button is upstairs sleeping on my bed. Now go wash your hands. Dinner is ready."
Confused, Jane picks herself up and runs up the stairs to find her lost cat, John forgotten. "Button?" She asks, peeking her head into her parents' room. "There you are, silly kitty." Jane grins and sits next to her precious cat. "I thought you went outside." Jane began to pet Button blissfully ignoring her parents' calls.
"Jane!" Brought out of her own little world, Jane looks up at her father.
"Hi, daddy," She smiles brightly, still petting the cat.
"Jane, it's time for dinner. Come on, you can bring Button with you, if you like." Her father's voice is kind and understanding.
"Alright." Tucking the protesting cat under her arm, Jane takes her father's hand and goes down to dinner.
--
"I'm scared." Jane's mother whispers to Jane's father. "She said she met a man in the woods."
"Do you really think she met a man?" He shakes his head. "Or maybe she just imagined him?
"You can't blame everything on that, Peter," She says reprovingly. "Will you call the police?"
"Susan, she says she met a man who walked her home and then disappeared. I think she went into the woods, and got scared. Then she imagined some man who made her feel safe." Peter says as gently as her can.
Susan doesn't want to listen. "Just promise me you'll call the cops?"
"Alright, Susan. If it'll make you feel better. But, this isn't the first time it's happened." He points out.
"I know." She whispers.
"Goodness knows I'm violently allergic to cat hair. Button is a cute name, though. If we had a cat, I'd have let her name him Button."
Summary: Jane loses her cat and goes in search of him. While in the woods, she meets a man.
Notes: I love Creative Writing class.. fo sho.
"Button!"
"What are you doing, Jane, honey?" Her mother calls from the kitchen.
"Button's gone outside. I have to go find him."
"Button will come back when he's ready. Go wash your hands for dinner."
When her mother turns around, Jane has already slipped out the back screen door. Jane searches their whole backyard. No Button. "Here, Button," She calls. No luck. Jane doesn't want to give up, though. He could have gone in there. Jane doesn't want to look in there. But she has to find Button before night falls. Otherwise he'll stay out all night. Jane can never sleep when she knows Button is outside in the dark.
Hesitantly, she steps forward. Headed towards the towering trees and the oppressive darkness within.
"Button."
Her voice is small and hesitant. She's facing the small woods attached to her backyard. Wrapping her arms around herself, Jane steps resolutely forward. She quivers only a little.
"Please, Button. Where are you?"
As she advances into the darkening woods, Jane's steps become smaller. Shorter. Her parents don't like it when she goes into the woods. They say it's not a place for young girls to go into alone. And that if she has to go back there, she should call one of them. Other people walk through the woods. They connect to a park, and anyone can get into them. Even if there are signs saying private property. But it's never been an issue before. Jane is afraid of the woods. They're scary. And dark.
But Button might be in here, so Jane has to search. She can't leave her cat outside all alone. Unaware of how far she is going, Jane keeps walking in further. Pretty soon the darkness feels like a tangible thing around her.
"Button?" Scared, Jane stops. Her voice seems small and insignificant. No, she shouldn't be out here. Her parents always said not to go out here. Jane was terrified. One more step forward and she snaps a twig with a loud "Crack!" A soft "Oh" escapes her lips, and Jane freezes. Heart beating wildly she stands still. In the dark. In the woods.
Hearing nothing, Jane turns around and to make a mad dash for home. She can't take being in the woods anymore. It's scary. "Oof!" She grunts, just as she hits something solid and tangible.
"Careful, there." Comes an older male voice. "Are you alright, little girl?"
Jane backs up against a tree, looking up at the man. He's tall, and she can't see him well. "Who are you?" She asks, almost defiantly.
"No one," He responds kindly, crouching down so he's facing her. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." It is something her parents made very clear. She doesn't know this man. He is a stranger. And she is not to talk to him.
"Well, my name is John." He holds out a hand for her. Warily, Jane just looks at the hand. He laughs, and she cringes. "Alright, then. But don't say I didn't try." John stands up, looking down at the little girl. His eyes are kind, and Jane very much wants to trust him. "Where do you live, girl? I'll take you home."
"My name is Jane." Jane says in a rushed manner. Her parents are going to be very mad. But John seems so very nice. "And I live in a house."
John laughs. He has a very deep, rich laugh. Jane likes it. She even smiles a bit herself. "A house, you say? That's very good, Jane." He smiles at her, holding out his hand. "Where is your house?"
Slipping her small hand into his much larger one, Jane points forward. "At the edge of the woods. Mommy's making supper." Jane feels comforted by the presence of John. John is very nice. Maybe John will be her friend.
"Well, let's go, then?" John smiles at her, and together they walk home. The woods don't seem as scary anymore, and Jane happily hums to herself the whole way. John doesn't talk. He just walks with her. Jane is happy like that.
"There it is!" Jane calls when she could make out her house in the thinning trees.
"Very good, Jane." John whispers. "I'll let you go now. Your parents must be worried." He pats her shoulder. "You've been very brave, Jane. Go find your cat," He whispers, but Jane is already running towards her house.
When she steps on the back porch, Jane remembers her manners and turns around to thank John. But she can't find him. John is nowhere in sight. Frowning, Jane turns and goes inside.
"Where have you been?" Her mother asks.
"Trying to find Button."
"Button is upstairs sleeping on my bed. Now go wash your hands. Dinner is ready."
Confused, Jane picks herself up and runs up the stairs to find her lost cat, John forgotten. "Button?" She asks, peeking her head into her parents' room. "There you are, silly kitty." Jane grins and sits next to her precious cat. "I thought you went outside." Jane began to pet Button blissfully ignoring her parents' calls.
"Jane!" Brought out of her own little world, Jane looks up at her father.
"Hi, daddy," She smiles brightly, still petting the cat.
"Jane, it's time for dinner. Come on, you can bring Button with you, if you like." Her father's voice is kind and understanding.
"Alright." Tucking the protesting cat under her arm, Jane takes her father's hand and goes down to dinner.
--
"I'm scared." Jane's mother whispers to Jane's father. "She said she met a man in the woods."
"Do you really think she met a man?" He shakes his head. "Or maybe she just imagined him?
"You can't blame everything on that, Peter," She says reprovingly. "Will you call the police?"
"Susan, she says she met a man who walked her home and then disappeared. I think she went into the woods, and got scared. Then she imagined some man who made her feel safe." Peter says as gently as her can.
Susan doesn't want to listen. "Just promise me you'll call the cops?"
"Alright, Susan. If it'll make you feel better. But, this isn't the first time it's happened." He points out.
"I know." She whispers.
"Goodness knows I'm violently allergic to cat hair. Button is a cute name, though. If we had a cat, I'd have let her name him Button."