My Safe Place

Leaves. Leaves everywhere. Crunchy and loud under her feet, like walking on a pile of crisps. The trees towered over her like silent stalkers, swaying away with the wind. The sky was pale grey, like wet paper, while the wind whistled through the branches. Aurora stood on the rocks, her soft hair drifting about. Alone. Always alone. At home, she was the quiet one. The disappointment. The mistake. At school, she was just a shadow in the hall. No one cared when she spoke,laughed or cried. She was nothing. But here, among the oceans and trees, she could breathe. She was someone.

She had come back to her safe place. When the shouting at home got too loud, or when the criticism and bullying in school got too much. When the silence made her heart ache. Why did no one see her? Why does no one care or understand her? Why did everyone pretend that her feelings didn't matter? it? She screamed into the wind, “I matter!” The sea didn't laugh or mock her. The trees didn't pretend not to notice or care. This was where she could secretly be herself and at the centre of attention without being judged.

She knew the forest in and out, even with her eyes closed, and had been everywhere. However, there was this dreadful part of the forest that kept everyone away, which made it a perfect space. Strangely enough, she always found herself drawn to it, but always at the last second something would just click in her, snapping her out of it like she was hallucinating. Sometimes, when she fell asleep in the forest, she would dream about a mysterious voice, saying things like, “Don't you want to be seen? If then come on.” Then every time she woke up, she would be soaking wet, which made her sometimes distance herself from that part of the forest. But that was her safe place. Nothing was going to drive her away from the place she felt... Free. Visible to every living thing out there.

She decided she could not allow her safe space to be taken by whatever thing, so she decided to go deeper into the forest. The air smelled of moss and something damp. A branch snapped behind her. Aurora froze. Then another. Hello? she whispered, as fear started to creep in deep. She kept moving closer, heart pounding, fingers trembling.She turned around. Nothing.

Then she heard it. A whisper of her name, barely audible. “Aurora….” She froze, then saw something.. A shadow, moving quickly through the trees . She took a step forward. Then another. Then the shadow looking thing stopped. She could see it. A face. It wasn't frightening. That was the worst part. It looked like it knew her. Like it had always known her. Aurora reached out before she could stop herself. The moment she touched it, the world seemed to take a stand still. And the voice whispered gently: “Now they’ll finally see you.”