Nightmares

The Crooked Forest

"Fuck out of my forest, Shane."

"Where is my son?'

"You have a son?"

...

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" A girl asked doubtfully.

"What, are you scared? Emily, I thought you are one of the brave ones," a boy joked.

The three teenagers were exploring the forest holding their torch. All of them are terrified because long since they were babies crawling on the floor their family had to warn them about the crooked forest.

"Be quiet, the both of you!" an older boy scolded.

The two younger children were startled by his rough voice but kept walking. Until Emily had thought of a good way to play a prank on her authoritative, arrogant brother.

"Remember the tales our parents told us about Monsters looming in the forest? I mean no one believes in it for sure, but my grandma had told me a new version yesterday." Emily said.

The two boys quickly exchanged a glance quickly, then the younger boy called Tom said: "What is it Emily? Are you making up a ghost story to prove you are not a scared cat?"

Emily said nothing.

"Oh shut up Tom! Let her finish." The elder boy Evan cut Tom off, curious for the new story.

Emily paused for a moment, seeing the glint of interest in her brothers' eyes.

She said: "My grandma said the monsters in the forests belongs to a witch. The Only Witch. She said the monsters patrolling in the forest belongs to the Witch."

"They call her, Mother."

Emily shook the shudders off her shoulders, staring into the fog in front of her. The branches of trees are crooked, like twisted nails of beasts whom are gnawing on flesh.

"The green-eyed Witch allowed her monsters called her that in order to salute to her creator."

"Creator, you mean God?" Evan asked, even though he pretended ti be an adult, but he is clearly the most childish amon the three.

"No, not the human god, I mean, the Monster God. You know, the one who twisted the time and space of this world and build homes for Monsters."

"My grandmother said the Monsters want to wake their God from his dreams."

"She said the Witch longs for the love of God, just like the others."

"The Witch was God's favourite, because she had the same features as him-"

Emily stopped due to the rude behaviours of her brothers, Tom was pointing behind her and Evan suddenly sat on the ground, both shaking from cold.

Emily looked back.

It was something she could never describe with words, a creature, no, a monster. It holds slender but huge blades as hands, mysterious marks around its body.

And eyes.

Lots, and lots of eyes.

...

In the bright light of the manor house, he saw on the stairs the three men locked in cages below.

The cage was elaborate and the family in it each looked pale and frightened.

Today's events had turned the family's image upside down, that in such a society governed by the rule of law, they could be kidnapped by the Witch and put in such humiliating cages.