“Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker…”, Astor stirred in her sleep as the dream shifted to one of childhood memories. “Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker…”, again she heard the chant said by her dad countless times as he “walked” his index and middle fingers up her arm or leg to tickle her. “Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker…”, but something wasn’t right. There was mild pain…and her dad never whispered it…he always said it in a deep voice filled with gravel. “Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker…”, Astor stirred more as she tried to see her father in the dream and ask him why he was whispering. “Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwa…”, the chant was cut off when Astor jerked straight up in her bed and scurried backward to press herself against the headboard.
She reached for the bedside lamp so fast that she had to grab it in mid-rock. She managed to get it turned on with trembling hands and scanned the room–bed, dresser, armoire, vanity, nightstand, mirror–nothing else. The bedroom and closet doors were closed while the bathroom door was left open. Everything was exactly as it should be. So why did she scare herself awake? She had always loved that game when she was little. Her gaze slowly traveled down the covers to the foot of the bed and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they lay flat and did not house an entity waiting to drag her into nothingness.
Astor smiled and then chuckled to herself at the thought of a childhood game in her dream leading to childish fears and reactions. She slid her legs out straight and was in the middle of a stretch when she started shaking uncontrollably and once again landed against the headboard. It had not been the game in the dream that scared Astor, it had not even been the odd whispering. No, it was that horrifying moment when dream and reality crashed together in the realization that the fingers walking up her legs were not actually in the dream at all, but were in her bed. In that split second that Astor had looked down at her legs she discovered that childhood fears were not only very real…they were here and now.
#
“They look like puncture marks.”, Jessi said as she examined her best friends legs the next day. Astor had spent the remainder of the night sitting on her bed wide awake with a lap full of shepherd. She usually left Sherman–-Sherman the German as he was affectionately named by her nephew–outside of the bedroom so he could get to his food and water, but after what happened she had wanted him close. As soon as the streetlights went out and daylight peeked through the blinds, she was up and throwing clothes on as fast as she could. She finally had to call Jessi because she was still shaking too bad to text. All Jessi could make out was that Astor needed to come over right then because something bad had happened.
Jessi paced until she heard tires screeching to a stop outside and then looked at the clock on her mantle. Only seven minutes had passed when it was a fifteen minute trip…’Oh, no’, she thought, ‘Someone’s dead’ Jessi jerked the door open and almost toppled over when Astor rushed in and wrapped her arms around her. Jessi pushed the door shut with her foot while she stood and held her friend. After a couple of minutes she gently led Astor to the small dining room on the right and guided her into one of the four chairs while she knelt down in front of her. Astor looked at her surroundings. The apartment had a living/dining room combo with a small kitchen past the dining area. There was a doorway off the living area that led to a hall and two bedrooms with a jack and jill bath. Everything was just as it was supposed to be, so familiar that it had to be right, but that’s what she had thought last night, too. She kept trying to tell Jessi what happened, but when she opened her mouth the words wouldn’t form. She finally resorted to simply lifting the legs of her sweats and pointing. Jessi’s eyes got big as she lifted Astor’s feet and propped them on her own legs so she could look more closely. “Seriously Astor, they look like someone stabbed you over and over again with a giant needle. What in the world happened?” Astor looked at her friend of so many years and for the first time had no idea what to say.
They had grown up together. Same street, same schools and according to many the same brain, but none of that helped her find the words to tell her closest friend what couldn’t possibly be true. Astor just stared at her so Jessi stood up. “I’ll be right back, honey. Don’t move, ok?” Astor nodded and Jessi went to the bathroom and then to the kitchen. She came back and knelt again with a towel, a first aid kit, peroxide and a bottle of water. “Sip this.”, she said handing Astor the water. She took her friends shoes off noting that she didn’t wear socks…something Astor Wilmington would never do. She said it promoted bacteria and made your feet stink. Jessi soaked a cotton ball in peroxide and started cleaning the wounds.
“Astor…you’ve been bleeding, you have no socks, no purse that I see and you got here in record time. I know it’s bad, but you have to talk to me. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.” Jessi was done with one leg and starting on the other when Astor said, “Tomwalker is real.” Jessi stopped and glanced up sure that she had heard wrong. “What?”, she asked. Astor took a deep breath and replied, “You’re not going to believe me, but tomwalker is real. That’s who did this.” Jessi looked down to Astor’s legs not only because she was pointing to them, but because she didn’t know what to say. “Tomwalker? You mean the game your dad used to play with us?”
“Yes.”
“Um…I don’t know how to respond to that, Astor.”
“Neither do I, but there it is…the proof.”, she said pointing again. Jessi had finished cleaning the wounds and was examining them again. With the dried blood gone it was easier to see that they didn’t seem too deep, but they certainly were unusual. They reminded Jessi of a needle that her mother used to shoot Cajun flavoring into their Thanksgiving turkey one year and there were about ten on each leg from ankle to knee. “Don’t bite my head off when I ask this, but are you sure this wasn’t your cat? I mean, he could’ve been under the covers and you know how he loves to attack when you move.”, Jessi said as she moved to the chair across from Astor and propped on her elbows. “Sam wasn’t inside and even as big as he is, he couldn’t have made these marks.”, Astor said, but looked horrified when she saw why Jessi had suggested something so ridiculous. Before the wounds were cleaned they were deep…very slowly seeping blood most of the night…and about the size of a ball point pen. Now that they had been cleaned, they were much smaller. Barely noticeable, really. As a matter of fact, they seemed to be disappearing before her very eyes.
“Maybe he snuck in and hid.”
“He wouldn’t have made those marks, Jessi. You’ve played with him enough to know that.” It was true. Jessi loved playing with Sam because he was a giant baby and no matter how much you riled him up, he never scratched…much less punctured the skin. It had been nothing more than wishful thinking on her part. The simple truth was that she was terrified that the best friend she’d ever known had experienced something so traumatic that her brain was forced into making up a story to cope with it. “Tell me everything from the beginning.”
Jessi wasn’t sure what she had expected, but the story Astor told wasn’t extraordinary at all. This all stemmed from a dream about when they were kids. A simple dream. Jessi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Astor…it was just a dream. Do you have any idea how many times the phone has started ringing in my dream only for me to get jarred awake because it’s really ringing?”
“It wasn’t just a dream. Someone…something was there. It was in my bed, Jessi!”, Astor said slamming her hand down on the table.
Jessi jumped and replied, “Please calm down, Astor. I know it seemed very real…I hate it when dreams do that…but, you’re safe. Look around, babe…it wasn’t real. If it was really something trying to hurt you, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now.” Astor took a deep breath and looked around once more at the apartment. She knew everything in it so well, right down to where the extra remote batteries were kept, that it might as well have been her own place. Safe…another home. Yes, Jessi was right, if something had really been in her room she wouldn’t be sitting here. “I guess you’re right. It all just seemed so real, and then the marks. I guess I’ll have to keep a closer eye on Sam.”
The rest of the morning was passed by watching talk shows and eating nature’s remedy to everything bad…chocolate ice cream. By lunchtime both girls were ready for a nap so Astor stood up to leave. “You sure you don’t want to stay?”, Jessi asked. “No, I have to get home and walk Sherman. I ran out so fast that I left him inside. I’ll call you later. Love you.”, she exited with a hug and was off.
#
Astor was lucky enough to have found a furnished house to rent near campus and her job. She was working toward a degree in psychology and worked part time at a nature center. The town was small enough that you always ran into people you knew and the living costs were…well, livable. As she pulled up to the tiny one bed/one bath cottage she couldn’t help but look at the woods surrounding it. She got out of her car and walked slowly towards the porch while staring off into them. She had never really looked at the woods. Never noticed the endless shades of green and brown. The way the sun shone down in some areas, while leaving others in the darkness of shadows. How it bounced off of leftover morning dew on the moss when it reached those shadows. The contrast of colors that many would consider dull as a backdrop for the full rainbow of flowers and bushes the owner had adorning the yard was actually quite stunning. They were so pretty they even gave her a bounce in her step as she continued up the walk…until she heard a familiar cry.
She had been thinking on her way home of all of Sam’s hiding places inside so she could find him when she got there, but now she saw there was no need because he was coming around the corner of the house. Astor knew that in that moment she should be very afraid because if Sam was outside that meant there was no way he could’ve caused her injuries. But for some reason she wasn’t scared. It was like the beauty surrounding her was literally pushing the fear to the back of her mind. She scooped Sam up and cuddled him, “Look how good you have it, Sam. All of this pretty grass to play in, trees to climb and bees to chase. Let’s get you something to eat.” Astor walked Sherman, fed him and Sam and settled at her desk to write a paper for class. Before she knew it her paper was done and the day was gone. She microwaved herself a pizza and sat on the couch channel surfing, but after ten minutes finally gave up on both. “Guess all of that ice cream took care of me for the day.”, she said as she patted Sherman before heading down the hall.
Astor snuggled down in her bed with Sam curled behind her knees as she lay on her side. Her last thought as she drifted off to sleep was that Sam better stay on top of the covers so he didn’t claw her again. Again?
#
“Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker…”, the voice whispered. Astor was walking in a forest enveloped in the most beautiful colors she had ever seen. She could swear there were colors that had not even been discovered yet, ones that had no name in her current world. “My current world? Where did that come from?”, she said. “This is your dream world…your next world.”, came a whispered reply. Astor stopped walking and jerked her head around looking for the source of her newfound fear. It seemed whispers came from every direction as she turned. “Your next world”, “Better than your current world”, “Prettier world”, they said. Astor kept spinning faster and faster until the path became a blur. When she woke up her head was still spinning with the echo of a single whisper, “Tomwalker, tomwalker…”
Astor jumped up and barely made it to the bathroom before getting sick. She sat on the floor by the toilet and stretched out her legs. That’s when she noticed the puncture marks were back and leaving the skinniest of blood trails on the tile that just a moment earlier had been a cool refuge to her fevered skin. “Sam!”, she said lunging up, but had to sit back down on the tub from the dizziness. When she finally stood and went to the bedroom Sam was on top of her armoire cowering with his ears back. “It’s okay, buddy, you’re not in trouble.”, she said reaching toward him. He scooted back out of her reach. “Oh baby, it’s okay. Come here, I’m sorry I scared you.”, she said rubbing her fingers together in the gesture he could never resist. Still, he cowered and moved further back out of reach. She pulled over the chair from her vanity to stand on and looked at Sam. He was as close to flat as he could get, ears pinned and eyes huge. Now she understood that expression ‘eyes as big as saucers’. She didn’t want him more afraid and she certainly didn’t want her face to match her legs so she just propped her elbows on top of the armoire and looked back at him. “It’s okay.”, she said slowly reaching for him. All at once he swatted, hissed and was gone.
When Astor opened the back door to walk Sherman, Sam scurried out from under the kitchen table. She couldn’t help but laugh at him running in place as he tried to get traction on the hardwood floor before barreling past her and into the nearest tree. She had never seen him spooked like that. Then again, she had never yelled at him, either.
She had no idea what Sam’s prior life had been like. He’d shown up on her porch emaciated to the point that she could count every rib, so she gave him a bowl of tuna and some water while she sat on the ground next to him so the neighborhood cats didn’t come and take it. After he ate he crawled in her lap, turned 2 circles, laid down and went to sleep. She was done. She tried to make him a house cat, but he wouldn’t have it. Came and went as he pleased and once he got healthy there wasn’t even a dog that would mess with him. The vet said to be careful because he had some bobcat in him, but he was just a huge baby. “Oh well, we’ll make up at supper time. All done, Sherman?” The dog came galloping back in and followed her to the bathroom. Astor propped her leg on the toilet to look at her new wounds, but was surprised to see there was no blood and they were barely there. “Hmmm.”, she said. It never occurred to her as she cleaned the blood from the floor and went on about her morning that she should be very much afraid of what was happening to her.
#
“Good morning, Beatrice”, she sang as she walked passed the greeting center to the back room. “Good morning. You’re in an awful good mood this morning.”, the woman answered. Astor continued through to the back room and put her purse in her locker. She knew she shouldn’t encourage where this conversation was certain to end up if she engaged, but for some reason she couldn’t resist today.
Beatrice had always amused and mildly fascinated Astor. She was in her sixties, short, round and funny, but seemed to have no life whatsoever. At least that is what everyone was forced to believe because she never spoke about anything personal. On the other hand…she wanted to know everything personal about everyone else. Astor thought the looks that Beatrice got while being nosy were priceless because there was nothing the woman thought was off limits to her. If she wondered, she asked. Astor once heard her ask the board president of the nature center at a fund raising event if she was yawning because her husband had kept her up all night…in front of the top donors. When the woman tried to ignore the question by sipping champagne, Beatrice followed it up with, “Have you two ever tried doing it in a rocking chair? The chair does all the work!”, making the poor woman choke. Luckily for Beatrice, the husband had a sense of humor. He patted his wife’s back and said, “I know what we’re buying on the way home.”, and winked at Beatrice as he led his wife away.
“Yes, I am in a good mood.”, Astor replied coming back out.
“Care to share?”, Beatrice asked wiggling her eyebrows.
Astor laughed, “Not for reasons you’re thinking of gutter-brain, just got a good night’s sleep. I’m going to start my rounds.”
Astor walked out the side door and turned left toward the trail that stretched through two miles of animal enclosures. She was immediately greeted by Macy, one of the deer that lived at the center. Astor pulled a handful of corn out of her satchel and fed her before continuing on. As she walked the trail she took in every detail as she did every morning. Was there any damage to the fencing during the night? Are the gates secure? Is there any part of the equipment that needs looking at and/or repaired? Are the animals up and moving about? Another deer approached her as she was emptying the quarters from the corn machines provided to the visitors. “I don’t need a quarter…here you go.”, she said pulling more corn from her satchel. As the deer ate from her hand, Astor looked around. “Just look at this, would you? How many people get to work somewhere so beautiful?”, she said and walked on. She continued down the trail doing her checklist until she reached the mountain lion, Sadie.
Astor reveled in Sadie’s beauty every day. She had always had a slight obsession with big cats. “Good morning, gorgeous. Did you sleep well?” Astor loved these moments when it was just the two of them because Sadie always seemed to actually be listening to her. Some days she would lick her paw, some days she would tilt her head, but Astor’s favorite reaction was when Sadie would purr in response like she had missed her. But something was wrong this morning. Without getting up from her usual spot on top of her rock formation, Sadie inched backwards and actually growled. Astor was so shocked that she spun around to see what was behind her. Nothing. There has to be something or someone out here that Sadie doesn’t like, she thought. She looked around for escaped animals, listened for distant thunder, looked for early visitors that may have snuck in, but didn’t see anything. Sadie was still on her rock, but had her back end slightly lifted with her tail twitching like she was ready to pounce. “Oh, you want to play, huh? Go get your ball”, she said pointing to the cats favorite toy. Sadie showed teeth as she growled again, louder this time, and started slinking down from rock. Astor had only seen her act like this when she felt threatened. There had been a volunteer who mistreated the cat and Sadie’s growling had been the only tip off to the employees. Astor wasn’t sure what upset the cat, but decided she would check back later because she had to finish her rounds.
She continued down to the point where the trail wrapped around the owl enclosure to head back towards the centers main building. Considering the past couple of nights, one would think she shouldn’t be having such a good morning, but the more she walked around, the happier she became. “Astor…”, the slightest of whispers came. She stopped and turned back to the woods at the curve in the trail. She put her hands on her hips and stared into them sure that one of the other employees was pranking her, but saw nothing. She started back in her original direction and only slightly slowed as she heard the next voice, “Soon, Astor.”
The day passed quickly and Astor was clocking out when Beatrice came up to do the same. “You’ve been humming all day, girlie. What gives?”, she asked.
“Nothing, it was just a great day. The weather was perfect, the animals were perfect, the visitors were great. It was just a really good day. I love it here.”
“Yeah, you’ve been singing the praises of the woods so much you’d think the nymphs recruited you.”
“I can’t help it”, Astor chuckled, “I never paid any attention to how pretty it is around here.”
“Hey, you won’t hear me complaining. The happier you are out there the longer I can stay in here…with the air conditioning.”
#
Astor was sitting in her car going through the play list on her phone when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She was being watched. She looked around in every direction, but didn’t see anyone. She started scanning from the entrance on her right, her gaze moving painstakingly slow as she knew someone was watching her. Main entrance, parking lot, welcome center, trailhead, buffalo enclosure. She continued over the trail and every enclosure determined to find who it was. She was sure it was the same person that had been pranking her that morning. That’s when she saw them. No, not them…her.
Astor couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The eyes that set her whole body on edge belonged to who she least expected. They belonged to Sadie. Through all of the people, cars and end of the day chaos Sadie was dead focused on Astor…with every one of her teeth bared.
She sat in her car with tears in her eyes and her heart broken. Astor was sure something was medically wrong with Sadie. She had always been a favorite to the visitors because even though she was a wild animal, she always acted more like a pet. She would pounce her toys, rub against the posts to scratch her back and sides, and even roll around on the ground and look at them upside down. Now she just wasn’t acting right even to those she had always seemed to care about. Something was definitely wrong. Astor called her boss and set up a visit from the veterinarian first thing the next morning. After that she felt so much better that she called Jessi. “Hey! Want to come over for dinner? I’m heading to the grocery store and am going to buy the biggest, juiciest steaks and fattest potatoes I can afford”, she said as soon as Jessi answered.
“Sure, what’s the occasion?” Astor briefly filled Jessi in.
“So you’re celebrating a visit from the vet when you think there might be a bad outcome?”, Jessi asked.
“No! I’m celebrating because…well, I’m not sure why I’m celebrating, but I am. I guess I’m just not going to worry until there’s a reason to worry. Do you want the steak or not?”, she snapped.
“Wow…for someone celebrating you sure are testy.”
“Sorry, I’ve been dodging questions about why I’m this or why I’m that from Beatrice all day. I don’t understand why I can’t just be happy. Why does there have to be a reason?”, she sighed.
“There doesn’t and I’m happy you’re happy. I’m on my way.”
“Perfect! Walk Sherman if you beat me there.”
“Will do. Love you and drive safe.”
“You too.” Since Jessi had just come in from work herself and changed into her “comfy clothes”, all she had to do was grab her purse and go. She replayed the conversation in her head on the way and couldn’t help but worry. Astor was the type that would make herself sick worrying about animals. Her father had always said she should become a vet, but Astor said she’d never be able to take the pain when they were hurt or died.
Jessi got to Astor’s house and let herself in. The girls each had a key to the others place just in case it was needed. She was greeted by Sherman who was practically standing with his legs crossed at the back door. She let him out and called Sam while Sherman wandered and sniffed. She heard him cry above her and looked up to find him on top of the back porch rafters looking down at her. “Hey, buddy. Come here.” She reached up just as he leaned down and pulled him into her chest. She snuggled into his fur and listened to him purr while he head-butted her for more attention. “You are such a big baby.” The sound of the front door drew her attention and she yelled,” Need help?”
“No, I got it. Thanks.”, Astor replied. Jessi was still holding Sam when Astor came out to light the grill. “Hey.”, Astor said and leaned over to hug her. “Hey back.”, Jessi said reaching to put her arm around her, but jerked back when Sam hissed and used her chest as a catapult back to the rafters. “OUCH!! What in the world was that?”, she yelled rubbing her chest.
“Beats me, he’s been acting strange since the other night. Are you ok?”
“I don’t know.” Jessi pulled her shirt down to reveal eight thin lines of blood beginning to surface where Sam’s back claws had dug into her skin. “He really got me.”, she said.
“Oh, wow…looks like.”, Astor said briefly staring at the blood before reaching over and rubbing her fingertip over one of the lines, “You better doctor that.”, she said turning her back and licking her finger, “I think I’m going to have my steak rare, how about you?”
“Order up!”, Astor yelled later as she pulled the steaks off the grill.
“Perfect timing!”, Jessi yelled back from the kitchen while she took the potatoes out of the microwave. As she turned to put the salad on the table she tripped over Sherman. “Are you trying to kill me? Move over.”, she said nudging him gently with her knee as Astor came in.
“What’s up?”, she asked.
“He’s been under me the whole time. I figured he’d be out there with you and the steaks.” Astor looked down at Sherman peeking from behind Jessi’s legs and shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say? Animals are weird.” The comment caught Jessi so off guard she almost missed her chair as she sat. “This isn’t Astor”, she thought.
They spent the next two hours talking, eating and cleaning while Jessi looked for any other signs for what was wrong with her friend. “Ok, I’m out of here.”, she finally said. She hugged Astor and headed for the door only to be blocked by a whimpering Sherman. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you bye, didn’t I?” She squatted down hugged his neck, and moved him over so she could leave. As soon as the front door shut behind her she heard him scratching at it. Jessi called Astor as she got in the car, “You better let Sherman out again, he’s pawing at the door like a wild man.”
Astor rubbed her shoulder while in the shower that night. She couldn’t believe Sherman. As soon as she hung up from Jessi, she had opened the back door and called him, but he refused to move from the front door. Giving in, she headed for the front door only to have him bolt towards her and the back door with a growl knocking her to the side and into the wall. He slammed into the back door with such force that he yelped in pain. Astor went in the kitchen and snatched the door open, “Serves you right you filthy mutt! Get out!” Sherman flew past her and spun around with a snarl.
Astor had cleaned the whole house to let off steam before trying to let him back in. When she opened the door he seemed to waiting for her in the exact same spot. As soon as he saw her, his head lowered, his lip raised and he let loose the deepest chest growl that Astor had only ever heard coming from one place…the wolf enclosure at work. When he started inching closer to the open door, Astor had stepped back and quickly shut it. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she remembered what she had said to him. She had never said anything mean to an animal before, especially one of her own. Just as suddenly as they appeared, the tears went away, justified by Sherman’s behavior and the pain in her shoulder.
#
Astor was walking around the trail at work gazing into the surrounding woods, but she wasn’t in her usual uniform. Whatever she was wearing blended into her surroundings to the point that it was hard to tell where she ended and they began. She looked up at the sky, lifted her arms and twirled slowly while admiring the beauty. “Yes, Astor…beautiful”, came the first whisper followed by a symphony of others. “Your new world”, “It’s almost time, Astor.” Astor stopped twirling and concentrated as hard as she could on the surrounding woods. She knew that’s where the voices came from, but she wanted to see who they came from. “Who are you?”, she asked.
“Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker”, came the reply.
“I know, but what is tomwalker?”
“We only seek those who remember”, the whisper came floating so close to her ear that Astor spun to catch whoever it was. Nothing. “We only take those who believe.” She spun in the other direction. “Release your old world, Astor.” “Join your new one.” “We’re waiting.”
Astor’s eyes popped open and she focused on the ceiling in her bedroom. She lay still for only a heartbeat before sitting up and jerking the covers back to see what was crawling on her legs. Astor’s mouth dropped open when she saw what appeared to be very thin vines retreating back into her skin with tiny sucking sounds. “What the…”, she said rubbing her hands along them. Astor could feel tiny bumps and the slightest of movements just beneath the surface. She snatched her phone from the nightstand and yelled, “There’s something inside me!” when Jessi answered on the other end.
“And you’re what, calling to brag?”, she said with a chuckle.
“I’m not kidding”, she snapped, “get over here!” Jessi entered her friend’s house in a run and calling her name. “In the bedroom.”, Astor answered. Jessi ran in to find Astor standing at the mirror putting on make-up. “Hey”, she said.
“Hey? Just hey? I swear, Astor, if that call was a prank I’m gonna kill you.”
“No, I just overreacted. I had a bad dream and felt like something was crawling on me.”
“Crawling on you? You said something was inside you.”
“Must’ve been a trick of the light. I’m sorry you rushed over here. I’ve got to get to work.”, she said leading Jessi to the door and hugging her. Just when Jessi started to let go, Astor tightened her grip. “You do remember tomwalker, don’t you? When we were little?”, she asked.
“Of course, Astor. Our squeals probably still echo in the walls of your old house”, she replied.
“Just checking. I love you, Jessi.”, she said letting go.
“Love you, too.”, Jessi said opening the door.
“Best friends always?”, Astor asked making Jessi turn back. She couldn’t help but notice the tilt of Astor’s head as if it was a serious question. “Always, Astor…always and forever.”, she said using the term from their childhood. Astor flashed the biggest smile Jessi had seen from her since the beginning of the nightmares and felt a little relieved as she walked to her car.
“She’s going to be ok.”, she said to herself as she slid behind the wheel.
Astor was anchored to the earth, but felt everything loosen when she swayed. “It’s time, Astor. You’re here.”, the voice whispered. Astor opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn’t just in the woods again…she was the woods. Her feet and legs were tendrils that reached deep and flowed through the soft and damp earth while her arms were longer, thinner versions that had flowering fingers. She reached up to feel that her hair was a mixture of dry and wet moss and realized that this time there was no dream. “That’s right, Astor…no more dreams. You’re here. Embrace your new world.” She looked to her left and found that the voice was coming from a much larger version of what she had become. It reached its arms out and pulled her into it and Astor thought that nothing had ever felt so right in her life. She finally felt she was where she belonged.
#
Jessi stirred in her sleep as she heard the whisper. “Tomwalker, tomwalker, tomwalker…” She called out in her dream recognizing the voice. “Very funny, Astor. Where are you?”, she asked as she wandered through the woods. “Always and forever, Jessi…remember?”, Astor said appearing in front of her, “Come on.”, she said reaching for her friends’ hand. As they seemed to float down the path together, Astor’s whispers surrounded her. “We only seek those who remember, Jessi. We only take those who believe.”
Short Stories
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Woah!
All I have to say is very interesting and very well written. You can often tell by the structure of the paragraphs and the diction used how far along the writer is; and you are definitely good.
My biggest thing while I was reading was what kind of piece is this. I am imagining that it is an excerpt from a larger novel. I hope it is not a short story, because if that’s the case I still have a lot of questions that need answering. Like who is Tomwalker? Like I really want to know.
Speaking of Tomwalker, you’re suspense is really on point. The whole time I was anticipating what would happen next. I am imagining that Astor is some powerful entity like a gigantic storm (you know because the animals are spooked).
Yes, so to conclude, this is one of the best things I read on here. I learned a lot from you, so thanks. My biggest critique is that there is a lot of angles that haven’t been unpacked. But I’m almost for certain this is apart of a larger story.
Oh and I’m asking. When you do dialogue is it grammatically correct to put the punctuation like “.,” Or “!.”? Because you have a ton of that. But despite all that little stuff this was incredible.
The first time I read this I wondered about the punctuation as well, as far as I can tell it’s correct and I’m guessing it’s a style thing. I tried reading into it and got some information on difference between British English and American English but either way online grammar tools don’t seem to mind it.
Oh ok… Because I wasn’t sure if it was her style. Glad I wasn’t the only one thinking.
I really enjoyed reading your story I found myself feeling for Astor especially as her animals began to “turn” on her. Whether or not it was intentional or not the moment the old woman used the word nymphs I pictured her as an old witch who probably knows a lot more about Astor then she lets on.
I also really enjoyed the conclusion when she reaches out to Jessi because she rememebers and believes. It’s like ending with a beginning because the reader can assume what is going to happen to Jessi off the page.
Thanks for sharing I look forward to reading your next piece.