I grew up in the woods in a time when kids were allowed to wander aimlessly for hours on end without a parent in sight. And in those woods I saw creatures. To be fair, a lot of people see creatures in the woods: birds, squirrels, bugs, foxes, wolves, bears, yada yada yada. But those weren’t the creatures that I saw. The creatures that greeted me were nothing you’d find in any zoo in *this* world. If I’m to be honest, here, I must admit I still see them. Everywhere I go. It’s a little disturbing sometimes, but I figure SO FAR, none of them have tried to hurt me, so I should probably be fine. Probably…
I See Tree People…
Whether it’s faces peering out at me from within a twisted trunk, roots reaching for my feet, or sinewy bodies wrapping and twisting, reaching for the sky with their skinny arms, the tree people beckon to me. I swear it! Tell me you DON’T see Happy Tree Dude reclining on the hillside here!
Or these lovely ladies twisting and reaching for the sky?
If you’ve ever read JRR Tolkien, you might remember the Ents, keepers of the forest? I assure you they are alive and well in our modern world…although this one looks a little shorter (and more surprised!) than most I usually see…
The Moss is Alive…
And in case you’re thinking I’m nothing but a tree-hugger, the hallucinations don’t just end there. Have you heard of moss mice? The little critters who live in the forest looking all innocent and immobile until you piss them off, then they swarm and mass into a giant ball of moss, cover you from head to toe, then turn you into stone? No? Well neither did these poor souls, who just sat down for a little meditation.
And for crying out loud, if you EVER run across a building that looks like this DO NOT ENTER!!! Those Moss Mice on the roof are just itching to drop onto your head and turn you into stone!
And speaking of Stone…
Oh, yes, there’s more. One day I was minding my own business watching the waves crash on the beach. I felt eyes on me. My hair stood on end and goosebumps covered my body, but there was no-one around. Then I saw him…the Stone Giant who lives at the beach. Fortunately for me, he was pretty well ensconced in the clay soil so I was able to hightail it outta there before he got me.
Who knows? One of these days one of these creatures might actually reach out and drag me (or you!) into their world.
Best keep your eyes open…and report back to me if you see any woodsy, rocky, tree-y, watery, or other well-hidden creatures that the rest of the world has missed…