After hours of driving down rough rocky roads in the middle of nowhere, I arrive. The logs come into view, and I can make out the pointed peak of the roof. The little cabin in Vermont stands before me.  Every time I take a step the leaves crunch beneath my feet. The sound of the wind rushes past my ears. The trees are swaying in all different directions. Leaves are slowly tumbling off the branches and onto the ground. The soil path is filled with red and orange leaves. Some look old and crumpled while others look new. The blue sky above makes an ideal crisp autumn afternoon. It’s the perfect weather for a weekend at the cabin on our one-year wedding anniversary.  I can smell all of the fresh fall leaves that have been waiting for me, drifting in the wind. My wife Mary and I grab our suitcases and quickly run inside. The chill in the house makes us shiver as we walk through the door. Everything is how we remember it. A year has passed but it still feels like home. All that we need is a nice, crackling fire. Jumping into my boots, I grab my ax to head outside, but before I can leave Mary insists that she should come with me. 

“Come on Sam, you can’t go alone, it's not safe.  The sun is setting and I will be worried about you.”  She pleads. 

“Mary, I go to these woods every year. I will be back before you know it. In fact, it will be like I never even left!” I say with a smile.

 I quickly grab a flashlight and run out.  Boom!  A huge gust of wind blasts the door into my face, almost knocking me over.  I push the door open with both hands.  The wind is now swirling around me, as leaves cling onto my beanie. As I walk through the woods I can feel the cold metal of the thick flashlight through my jeans. Looking up, clouds are starting to fill the sky and block off the sun. The perfect afternoon has taken a turn.  I know I need to be quick and not run off too far. I would hate to get lost in the woods, my thoughts echoing in my head. Slowly, drops of rain start falling, and the sun starts to fade away into the sky. Now I really need to get going. 

After searching and searching there it is. Several fallen dead trees from last winter.  The perfect firewood.  I sprint over and raise my ax and the wind comes again with hurricane force. 

Then everything goes black, pitch black. 

My hands grip the ax tighter, my knuckles turning white. I take out my flashlight and try to turn it on, but when I click the button, nothing happens. I tried again, but nothing. My entire body feels numb, I tell myself not to freak out and take a deep breath, but I can’t stop myself. The sun faded and there was no light, just me and the emptiness of the woods. I hear rustling in the trees as the sound gets louder I start to see a shadow grow bigger. Fear fills me and I think I am going to die. What could possibly be out here with me, a bear, a wolf, maybe even an ax murderer? My palms start to get sweaty, I try to run but I am frozen in place. Shaking in my boots I prepare myself for what’s about to come out of those bushes. I close my eyes and bring my ax to my face. I am ready for anything that comes my way. The rustling stops, I slowly open my eyes, and everything is still. I look down at the bushes waiting for any sudden movement. The bush starts to shake again, this time with my eyes open I am ready. Suddenly, a creature crawls out of the bush. A thick fuzzy tail, and small paws, a squirrel.  Phew. I was scared of a squirrel. I didn’t know what to expect but it definitely wasn’t a squirrel. 

Looking around for a way to get back home I realize I am stuck. I try to trace my footsteps but with no light, nothing works. Maybe I could use Google Maps to get back to the cabin. No cellular service. I am lost in the woods and all I can hear is the quiet screams of the night forest. Every raindrop that lands on my back makes me jumpier than normal. I don’t know if I will ever make it back to the cabin. 

An hour passes and I still haven’t found my way home. I am drenched. I decided to camp out in the woods and try to find my way home in the morning. Now, instead of searching for wood for the fire, I am searching for shelter for the night. Through the thick trees, I spot a small flickering light. It’s a small light but it’s bold and bright. I wonder if this lantern could help lead me to a chance of survival. I start to creep over to the light. I get to where the lantern is and I see a camping station set up just behind it. I wonder if maybe I could ask for directions from them? Hope fills me and I begin to think I might be able to find my way home. As I get near I can make out three girls, two of the girls are holding lanterns. The lantern light was what guided me here.  Slowly I begin to make out their faces.

“Umm I saw your camp set up and I was wondering if you would know how to get back to 14 Square St?” I ask nervously 

The blonde gives her friends a look gets up and starts screaming at me she says,

“Does it look like we know our way around these woods? Look around, we are in the middle of the woods!  It’s pouring cats and dogs, and it's pitch black out. We are making sure the fire is completely out, then we are getting in the RV and leaving!” She sits back down. Everyone is staring at me. Clearly, they want nothing to do with me.  I don’t know what to do. I just stand there. I should have noticed that they wouldn’t be any help. They are barely even camping; it's practically glamping. No tents, just 3 RVs, one for each girl. I quietly walk away and when I turn I can still feel their eyes on the back of my head. 

 Disappointed, I turned around to look for shelter. It’s so dark now and I can only see a few feet in front of me.  Then I remember the lantern that I saw when talking to those girls. I run back trying to be quiet so they don’t see me.  I quickly snatch up the lantern from the ground and run away. With the lantern projecting a path through the forest, I once again look for shelter. After what feels like eternity there is still no shelter to be found.  Maybe I will have to sleep on the soil tonight, I think to myself. No! No,  I won’t give up looking, I know there has to be something as long as I keep walking. Suddenly, I notice two large boulders leaning against each other, with a space in between.  This could be where I sleep a perfect amount of space to cover me from the monsoon rain for the night. I climb in between the two rocks and make myself as comfy as I can. I pull up the hood of my sweatshirt over my beanie and lay down ready for some rest but then my stomach grumbles. I realize I haven't eaten anything since lunch. As I am dozing off I remember I had spotted some berries just outside of the boulders. They looked like raspberries but what if they were poisonous, I think to myself. If Mary was here she would be able to tell what they are just from the way they look. I regret telling her not to come. If she was here, she would know how we could get food, and what those berries are. She would know exactly what to do in this situation. In fact, if Mary was here she would know how to get back to the cabin. Why did I tell her no? Why did I say what I said? If I could go back in time I would tell Mary to come with me and prevent this from happening. Falling asleep to my spiraling thoughts of regret fills my insides. 

In the morning I wake up to the sound of birds chirping. The sun is beaming and coming over the forest. I sit up and pull off my hood. I get up and know I need to make it back to the cabin soon. I wonder what kind of panic I sent Mary into. She said she was worried about me going into the forest for a short period of time let alone not coming back at all.   Everything is still damp from last night.  Uncomfortable and cold I pick up my things and begin to find my way home.  

After every step, my feet start to ache more and more. I have been walking around the forest for so long. Blisters the size of the moon are starting to form.  Bang! Bang! I hear gunshots practically shaking the entire forest. Not too far away I spot a hunter. He is in camo from head to toe. He shoots his head around and spots me standing in between two large trees. I slowly walk up to him.

“Good morning, I was wondering if you know the directions to 14 Square St?” I questioned. 

In my luck, he responded with “Yes, I do! If you want I can show you the way there!”

“Yes, please! I would love that!” I responded relieved to know I am getting home. 

We start our journey walking back to my home and he asks what I was doing out in the woods by myself. I tell him how I went to get wood and ended up getting lost. Step after step after step, it feels like we are walking a never-ending trail. 

As we turn the corner, the small wooden cabin comes into view. I see the pointed roof. The little white fence that surrounds the yard.  A smile starts to spread across my face.  My heart is pounding, I am smiling from ear to ear. I take it all in before I walk into the yard. Being home again after feeling so lost filled me with such joy it brought me to tears. I can’t believe everything that happened last night was really true. I thought I was going to die. Now looking at the cabin I realize how lucky I am to even be home.  A weight lifts from my shoulders, I take a deep breath and head in. 

As I pull open the door it slams outward just as it did when I left. Mary is sitting on the couch, tears rolling down her face.  Before she notices me tears start to fall down my face. I step inside and her head turns. She gasps and jumps up into my arms.

“Sam, your home,”  she says. 

I try to speak but I can’t get the words out. 

“I’ve missed you so much. I thought I wasn’t going to see you again.” I managed to say. 

She lets go and we walk into the kitchen. I take a seat at the counter, Mary across from me. 

“I was so worried about you. You are never going in the woods alone. Never, ever again and I am serious,” she says sternly.

“Never again,” I promise, letting out a small laugh. 

“I am so glad you're ok. Tell me what ever happened to you?” she questions. 

“It’s a long, long story”

Mary rolls her eyes “Well we have nothing planned for today and I want to know everything.”