I open my eyes, but I still see darkness. I rub my eyes, but when I stop, I still can’t see anything. Where is the sun? I thought. More importantly, where am I? I get my phone out of my pocket and use the screen light to illuminate my surroundings. Trees? Why am I in the woods? Then my memory came back. I overslept.

Every chance I get, I go out in the woods and explore with friends or by myself. There is a wildlife reserve park less than a mile from my house, and we are connected by a large stretch of untouched woodland. I found all of it interesting: the sights, the sounds, the feeling of being isolated from the rest of the world. It was peaceful to me. Today, I had found a large stretch of bedding, likely used by the deer in the area. I was drowsy after my recent dinner, so I figured I would take a little nap before I continued my little adventure. The thing was, this short nap turned into a 5 hour slumber. The sun was set now, and I now have no idea where in the woods I am, which way my house is, or what else was there with me I am in the 6th grade now, and it is far too late for me to be afraid of the dark. I’m practically a teenager now. Still, something about the woods at night makes me uneasy. The sounds are eerie, the sights (or lack thereof) are menacing, and I am still separated from everyone, but I don’t think I want to be alone now. Everything is different, and I don’t like it.

So I’m alone in the woods, it’s almost midnight, no one knows where I am, and I have no idea how to get home. The woods that were always so familiar to me have become a dark labyrinth that I don’t think I can get through. There is literally no source of light anywhere near me besides my cell phone, which I predict will be dead in less than 10 minutes. I can’t call my parents either, not only do they not know about my woodland adventures, but the reception out here is nonexistent, so I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I don’t even know which way to go to get to my house (thanks mom for not buying me a smartphone, there was an app for that!). I came to the conclusion that I had to take a shot and see if I could find some sort of civilization by walking straight ahead.

I have never been so scared in my life. These woods, the place I went to to escape from my problems, was now a haunting maze that preyed on my fears. It’s hard to believe that I can go from taking a peaceful nap in a brightly lit clearing to wandering aimlessly in the pitch black looking for a place to sleep. I swear, if I make it out of here alive, I’m never going woodrunning again.