Haunted Wood Home

Odette listened to his words thoughtfully, then watched as she turned away.  "Bye Charon!"  She squeaked then turned around to head back home to Broken Antler Fen.  At first she felt confident through Charon's words, she would be just like him and soon he would travel all that way to see her!  She felt this way for a while... until she realized that she had been so much in her thoughts that she had gotten very, very, very lost.  At her sudden realization she sucked in quick, nervous breaths, feeling quite like she might hyperventilate.  Now she was in a dark, foggy place with gnarled trees and it was very creepy... it seemed like monsters were lurking around ever corner.

Odie began to tremble.

She stood there, shaking, and huddled herself into a ball, staring out with wide scared eyes into the creepiness beyond her.  She wanted to run... she wanted to hide... she wanted to be home.  Where was home?

For the longest time she stayed there, fearful.  Until she heard a soft scratching noise, and in all of the silentness and scariness, it seemed not as scary, so she followed the noise.  

It always stayed just out of reach, just ahead of her.

Her little frame pounded against the earth as she ran.  She didn't know where she was going as she did.  Was she heading towards Broken Antler Fen?  Away from it?  She didn't know, she kept running.  A glimmer of light suddenly caught her eye in front of her and she ran faster, towards the light and towards then scratching sound.

She ran into the light and kept running... the next thing she knew she had gotten back to Broken Antler Fen.

A little slate furred rabbit darted out of the bushes with wide black eyes, looking fearful... then it ran off while Odie stood frozen.

And then she began to laugh.

Not of happiness, not of saddness, not of anger, not of pain... she just laughed and didn't know why... and then she did.  She was home.  Home was family and friends.  Not a place.  She was home now once again among her friends.

Home.