The wood remained silent as I watched the still outline of the black mass in front of me.
Not wanting to walk forward but unable to stop my feet I made my way to the outline.
Ratty jeans and a thin tank top offered weak protection against the tangled mass of weeds and thorns.
I kept my hands pressed tightly to my chest, just below my chin.
I tried to ignore the tiny trails of blood tracing down my arms, from thorns that had dug in.
The closer I got to the form, the harder it was not to cry.
In a barely audible whisper I called out the automatic "hi?"
Unsure of why I was filled with fear, I stumbled closer and slammed into a cement wall of smell
Putrid and disgusting, the scent of someone else fear, I gagged choking on the air.
Coughing I covered my mouth and nose with dirt covered hands.
Shaking my head quickly, I tried to understand.
Calling once more the shadow, I silently prayed the figure would move.
But as I stepped closer, I realized that this outline never would.
Dried blood and grime were streaked down the metal mast
Still unbelieving, I slowly circled the spike and the figure clothed in black
Like a doll, the child stared back at me, empty sockets where her eyes should she be.
Her mouth partly opened, revealed a mummified tongue.
A face dirty and bloodied but small trails showed where tears graced her cheeks
Her tiny hands were clenched tightly against the pain she was forced to endure
The metal tip of the spike protruded where her heart should be.
I stared at her in horror, my mind reeling in the pain she must of felt.
Breath catching in my chest, I turn and ran from her metal grace
Tears in my eyes and a scream in my throat, I finally woke.
Alone in the darkness I closed my eyes willing them to forget the way she looked.
