The silent stillness of a forest captivates your every thought. I walked through the dim lit trees, it was too quiet to be normal. The sun beamed through the trees in golden shafts. I realized I was holding my breath. I didn't let it out in fear of disrupting the serenity. I continued walking down the leaf covered path, but I still made hardly any noise. Birds rustled above, and I stood still. People walk through this forest almost everyday, hence the worn down dirt path. But can anyone ever really take in its beauty, it’s magical feeling it provides? Once again there it was, that feeling of danger, of odd happenings. It wasn't normal, perhaps it was a magical forest. I heard another rustle, and suddenly the forest seem to show a different shade or filter of itself. It started to get too dark for comfort, and the trees appeared to look evil. I turned around quickly, and was met with a figure in the distance. I had let out my breath, and was starting to gasp, my breaths were short and quick, heart thumping. For a moment everything froze, and the shadowed figure was hit by a beam of light. For that second I stand, for that second his black hair glides through the air past his ice-blue eyes, his black boots, black gloves, black vest and black pants. For that second he stands there, staring at me, and then I blink. In a flash he’s gone. I exhale, and look around. Where did he go? I realize that once he left the forest once again feels happy, almost happier than before. Chipmunks rustle, birds chirp, and a creature in the distance. I can't get his face out my mind, he was staring at me, and then he left. The moment of magic in the forest had left. Who was that? Where did he go? The chill that was running through my being settled, and I remember that I was late. I was going to visit my little brother Tommy. He was turning 6 next week, and I was going to go ask him what he wanted for his birthday. My grandma will only let me see him for an hour, 2 days a week, before she kicks me out like she did 2 years ago. The sound of crunching leaves drifts to my ears, and I realize I’ve already started walking. It was getting dark. I walked the rest of the way and arrived. Knocking on the house and sat on the steps outside. Tommy opened the door and came by me, giving me a great big hug. I smiled, “Hi Tommy!" My brother reminded me of the black and white photographs I had of my parents. His black hair and soft brown eyes. He reminded me so much of my father, even though I don't remember my father. Memory is a strange thing.
“So how have you been doing squirt?” I ruffled his hair and looked into his eyes.
“Good, guess what! I got 100% correct on my spelling test, and I got..well half of my math test right..” He hesitated, “But that’s half more than last time!” I smiled,
“That’s fantastic! Have any plans for your birthday?” He got quiet, and then seemed to remember what he’d forgotten. “Yes! My friend Ryan is coming over! We’re going to...” He trailed off. He grimaced, and then turned away.
“Hey,” I grabbed his shoulder, “What’s wrong?”
“I lied, I don’t have a friend named Ryan. I don’t have any friends.” My poor tommy.
And then the little part of my heart I was holding onto for ever so long, just broke. It fell to the ground and started to wither. “Come on.” I grabbed his hand and stood up. I looked him over, “Where are your shoes?” He glanced towards the house, then looked back at me,
“Where are we going?” The chill in the night air made my breath come out of my mouth in a white fog.
“Get your coat and shoes, but be quiet. If grandma asks, just tell her you were getting chilly. Be quick.” And I nudged him towards the door. I held my jacket closer to me, trying to keep in the warmth. He came waddling out like a big marshmallow, “Good boy! Now come here,” I lifted him off the ground and started walking. I looked back, the house had a single candle alit. In the second floor, in grandma’s room. She had begun her ritual and wouldn’t be done for another 10mins. We have 10 mins.
A wind started to pick up as I ran back through the forest, Tommy bounced in my arms as he hugged me close. My hoodie wasn’t enough to protect me from from the cold, but at least I had Tommy’s warmth. The sky was ominous, and the wind howled, my breath wavered and I ran crunching the leaves beneath my feet. Darkness consumed the trees around me. The fog slowly set in, and I tried to be vigilant. Every snap of a twig kept me going. Almost there Tommy. A loud howl of wind made him start to cry. Then in a flash, my foot skid and caught on something. My breath was taken and I lunged forward into the air. Tommy held on but was released from my grip. I was falling forward, Tommy under me, and I saw the hooded figure. My descent in slow-motion, I turned away from my brother so I wouldn’t crush him in the fall, but the figure got to him first. I crashed in the leaves feeling helpless.
I looked up and saw my baby brother being kidnapped.

It might’ve been my dream, for one of us to be taken away from this horrible life. But it was also a nightmare, I had lost him. It was my fault.
I was sprawled on the fallen leaves and frantically looked around, “TOMMMY!!!” I screeched. A bird was startled and flew away into the darkness. I closed my eyes, maybe it was all a dream! I opened and found the man. The shadowed figure. Staring at me. I blinked, he came ten feet closer. I stared at him, fearing the worst if I blinked again. His pale skin and blue eyes pierced mine, blink. He breathed on my face a cold shiver. (It’s very hard to describe what it was, it was like feeling a cold shiver. The tension in the air, as you hear something in your bathroom, although you live alone. That kind of cold shiver, but in a single breath.) I looked into his eyes, and his lips were inches away from mine. I stared into his eyes, they were ice with a black center. It was a black hole sucking in it’s surroundings. We were frozen, just sitting there, me on my knees and him crouched before me. Tommy. A thought came into my mind, and as if he knew, the shadowed figured retreated. It was so uncanny, the way he just moved into thin air. Who was he? Did he have a name?
“My name...is..”’
“Ah!” I screamed. “What was that?” I clutched my head. Those were thoughts, but I didn’t think them. It was a raspy voice, like scratching sand paper. “What did you do to me!?” I could feel him in the back of my mind, somehow he had implanted himself there.
“Go right.” His voice came again. “Look.” I could hear him breathing, and my palms started to sweat. Wiping them on my pants, I turned slowly. The darkness faded, spotlighting a clearing. In the clearing was, “Tommy.” His mangled figure was pale white. His lips chapped with blood dripping from them. My knees buckled and I pounded the ground. “No! NO!!!!” In a desperate rush, I tried to run to him with the strength I had left. I ran and toppled over, trying to grab him and hold him close, but his body evaporated. I looked in disbelief and sputtered. I washed the snot off with my sleeve and stood, “WHERE IS HE?” I screamed. I waited for the calling, or the shadowed man to appear. But he didn’t. “Forest, please, give him back to me.” I pleaded.I curled up in a ball on the ground. I covered my head and cried. “Please forest please.”
“That’s my name. I am. Forest.” The man appeared before me. I saw his black boots in front of my face. Ever so gently he picked me up and took me away as well. He didn’t seem to walk, or to fly, but to just, appear. I leaned into his chest and felt his arms around me. “My forest.” I looked at him. It was both of our thoughts.
We were nowhere near the clearing or the path, but atop a mountain. There was a grassy patch underneath a tree. It was the perfect secluded spot. “Thank You.” I thought to him.
“No, you must speak with your tongue, for I have no voice, so I speak through your mind.” I nodded and looked around. “Tommy!” I hesitantly knelt beside, then stroked his cheek. He was real. “Oh Tommy!” I hugged him, and never let him go.

He looked up at me, his little chubby face and said, “Be careful Lydia, dreams can be nightmares.”
And then I woke up.