A Man in the Woods | Teen Ink

A Man in the Woods

March 3, 2015
By Kclanc17 SILVER, Skokie, Illinois
Kclanc17 SILVER, Skokie, Illinois
6 articles 32 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
~Thomas A. Edison


         He turned the key in the lock and opened the door. To his horror he saw himself standing in the corner with a smirk on his face that could curdle dairy. How could this be? That couldn’t possibly be him, could it? How was this possible?
         All of a sudden he yelled, “Pause!”
He had frozen time everywhere. He needed a moment to think out everything that had happened that day starting from the scream he woke up to.
         Jalen was no ordinary fifteen year-old. He was powerful, more powerful than anyone in his family. He had a gift that no one, in the history of the universe had. In the Navarette family getting your powers was a big day that had to be kept a secret.  No one knew what his power would be.
         He woke up to his mom yelling to him that he was going to be late for his big camping trip.
         He was exhausted so he yelled, “STOP! I know!”
         But the world actually stopped. He was so confused, until he realized his day had come. He got his powers. He used his power to his advantage. Jalen got ready and made sure he had everything he needed for his trip. Then he tested his ability to unfreeze everything.
         GO?,” he yelled, unfreezing time.
He told his mom about his special powers and left for the trip, making sure he packed everything but the kitchen sink.
He was on his way to a camping trip in the woods. Jalen was to meet up with his best friend, Kyle. He set up camp and waited, and waited, and waited for Kyle to make a grand entrance.
         He decided to speed up time and yelled, “FAST-FORWARD!”
         He started time back again when his best friend finally arrived. They had an adventure trying to put up their tents. They then went to gather wood for a fire. Suddenly a gust of wind had come through their camp area. Jalen and Kyle couldn’t see what was going on.
         That was only the beginning of phenomena they saw. After they had put their tents up again and started hearing scary noises. A man was seen near a tree far in the distance. You could clearly make out the man’s figure. Kyle got up to see what happened while Jalen kept the fire burning. Kyle had been gone for what seemed like hours and hours to Jalen.
         Jalen journeyed out to find his best friend. He searched for literally hours and hours for his friend. To no avail he had given up and decided to continue to look for him in the morning. It was darker than a moonless, sunless sky.
         Jalen went back to their campsite and found a note that read:
         “Jalen, you silly boy. I know you want your friend back. Come and find him.
Follow the trail of red stones I left. Hurry, before it’s too late.”
         Jalen immediately sprinted following the curvy path full of twists and turns to his best friend. It led him to a cabin in the woods. There was a key left in the door.
A note that clung to it said, “Enter, if you dare.”
         He turned the key in the lock and opened the door. To his horror he saw himself sitting in the corner with a smirk that could curdle dairy. How could this be? That couldn’t possibly be him, could it? How was this possible?
         This is when he started time once again and said to the boy who couldn’t possibly be him, how are you and I the same? There can’t be two of me. The other Jalen had not answered. The one, true Jalen felt a force of anger come through him and he swung at the imposter only to shatter the glass that hung on the wall. He broke the fourth wall.
         It was only a mirror. It was only a thought. Nothing had ever really happened. This imposter was truly imaginary. Kyle had not been there. The cabin was not real. Jalen was just hallucinating. Nothing was real.
         Jalen was just a man in the woods.



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