Months had passed since Ellie's bizarre experience in the ancient woodland. She had returned the next day, longing to be given another glimpse into the frightening and magical world that the creature had shown her. It was true that the monster had terrified her, even hurt her, but she wanted that again. The feeling of being totally in the control of that huge, powerful presence had been the most intense experience of her life. To Ellie's aching disappointment, there had been no trace of the wild man. Her boyfriend had been baffled as to why she was so keen to walk in the woods again. He only remembered the two of them being so drunk that they had fallen and passed out. Perhaps there was something else in him, too, an instinctive sense of the danger. Ellie wondered whether there was a deep memory buried inside him. Had he woken and seen what had happened to her? Had he realized that he could never compete with that? Had he forced himself to forget?
When the wild man did not show itself, did not even give a sign that it had been real, Ellie began to tell herself that nothing had happened. It made more sense to believe in a drunken hallucination than a monster that lived in the shadows of ancient trees.
With a deep, miserable resignation, she was forced to return to mundane life. There was nobody she could talk to about what had happened. Her friends would either think that she had gone mad or they would think she was lying. In truth, she did not want to share her secret with anyone, not unless they could tell her how to find the wild man again. It was not just that she wanted that feral, inhuman sex, she wanted the sense of wonder and magic too. For one brief moment she had been allowed to look into a world that was both more terrifying and more wonderful than her own. Now she had to return to a world of bills to pay and laundry to wash. It was painful to have tasted magic and then be denied its flavour again.
There was one change in Ellie. She had started to seek out old, natural places. She liked ancient woods and ruined churches. She could not properly explain why, but part of her felt that old places might bring her close to the old god. Her boyfriend found it strange. He had no interest in joining her on her walks. She wondered if he had developed a fear where she had developed a fascination. Whatever the cause, he left her to wander alone.
Ellie had driven for an hour to get to a beautiful old wood that she had found with a quick internet search. People online had recommended the place for its wildlife, its birds and the ancient trees. It was a beautiful Saturday in September, as warm as any summer day. Ellie was wearing a light dress as she was certain that it would not rain, but she had put on boots, knowing that the woods were no place for sandals, whatever the weather. Her boyfriend had teased her for the odd outfit, pretty dress and clumpy boots, but she had just giggled and gone out anyway. She did not need his approval. There had been a time when she might have worried about his opinion on her clothes, but her confidence had grown.
There was a car park near the path into the woods. Thanks to the beautiful weather, there were a lot of other walkers and that made Ellie sigh. She preferred to be alone. It seemed unlikely that the magic would find her if there were other people watching. Nevertheless, she got out of the car and smiled. The sky was a cloudless blue and the trees had not lost their summer colour. It was as though a moment of midsummer had been suspended in time, just for her. Feeling cheerful, she followed the path into the woods.
There was a map at the start of the trail and Ellie chose a four mile route. She would walk slowly and take all afternoon. Even if she could not find another forest god, she could daydream about one. It was amusing to pass middle-aged walkers, secure in her secret dreams. They wished her good afternoon and she wished them the same. They could not guess that her head was filled with rough, wild fucking.
Ellie was so lost in thought that she was not sure how long she had been walking. She took out her phone to check the time. She had been out for half an hour, no more. The path was quiet now, the other walkers must be taking different routes. The woods were lively with birds and breezes, though, so she did not feel alone. She wondered if she would be able to get a signal and find herself on a map. She opened the phone again and frowned. There was no signal. Sighing, she slipped it back into her bag, alongside her bottle of water. A map was not really necessary. The path was clear and there were helpful markers at all the junctions. The forest was old, but it had been tamed by generations of walkers.
Ellie went on, admiring the size and age of the trees. Huge, gnarled branches were thick with moss, like green fur. Bracken and brambles crowded the edge of the path. Amongst the greenery, Ellie saw all sorts of wildflowers and felt slightly ashamed that she could identify none of them. She felt as though she ought to know more about nature. Perhaps if she learned everything about the woods, the old god would return to her.
There was another walker coming towards her along the path. The woman was much taller than Ellie. She had masses of black, curling hair and brown skin that looked Mediterranean. She was wearing a white, billowing blouse that tied at the neck and a peasant skirt that floated around her. Ellie was surprised to see that the woman had bare feet. Perhaps she had no fear of sharp stones and prickly brambles. On seeing Ellie, the woman gave a wide, shining smile, her full lips spreading over white teeth. "Good afternoon," she said. She sounded like a local. It was strange to hear a rural accent from such an exotic-looking woman.
"Hiya," Ellie replied. She suddenly felt shy. The woman was distractingly attractive and she looked totally confident in the woods. Anyone brave enough to have bare feet in a forest had to be bold or mad.
"I'm Donna," said the woman. The name did not seem to suit her, Ellie thought, but she could not really talk about suitable names.
"Ellie," she replied, wondering why they were introducing themselves.
"I don't want to be rude, but are you lost? I don't usually see walkers in this part of the wood," Donna said, looking curiously at Ellie, almost as though she were studying her face, trying to read some secret hidden in it.
"Um, I don't think I'm lost," Ellie said. She felt a moment of doubt. She had never walked this path before. She had no way of knowing whether she was going the right way. "I tried to find a map on my phone, but I can't get a signal."
Donna smirked, as though the idea of a phone was just silly. "No, you won't get a signal around here," she said, sounding amused. "You're very close to my place. Come down with me and then I can put you back on the right path?" she said.
