Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  “Honey, you’ve got it bad, but remember that these heightened emotions and euphoria will eventually fade.”

  “I don’t want them to—not ever. I’ve never felt this wonderful before. I don’t even know how to explain it. I just...I wish we could be together all the time. He makes me feel so calm, so serene, so...safe.”

  “I’m sure you’re feeling physical attraction and some infatuation, but love has to be based on more than just that. It evolves in time. You’re in the beginning stages, but it has yet to blossom and grow before it will get stronger and deeper.”

  “I’m not saying I love him, Mom. He just...”

  “He’s swept you off your feet?”

  “Yeah. Definitely that.”

  “It sounds like a pretty severe crush to me, but whatever it is that has made you so happy, I’m just glad to see it. Your father and I are just as happy as you. I wasn’t so sure at first, but now I know it was a great idea to move here.”

  “Mostly, I can’t believe how well I seem to fit in here, better than I ever did in New York. Maybe I was never a city girl after all.”

  My mom motioned toward the house. “Let’s go get lunch.”

  I smiled. “Thanks for listening, Mom.”

  * * *

  Chapter 10

  It was Monday morning, time to go to work. As I ate pancakes with my parents, my dad smiled.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’ve never seen anyone so happy to go to work.”

  “I love working with the animals.”

  “I’m sure the animals aren’t the only perks,” he said.

  “Dad!” I said.

  “Don’t embarrass the poor girl,” my mom admonished.

  My dad set his newspaper down, folded it up, and looked at me. “She has to have met somebody pretty special, because I haven’t seen her eyes sparkle like this since...”

  “Sean,” I finished for him since he didn’t have the nerve to say it.

  “I’m glad you’re over him. He wasn’t right for you.”

  “Sean’s a jerk,” I said. “I’m so over him.” I quickly guzzled down my orange juice as fast as I could. I didn’t want to talk to him about Jesse or my love life, at least not yet. “I’ve gotta go,” I said.

  “You never used to keep secrets from me,” he complained.

  “Dad, it’s no big deal. It’s just someone who—”

  He smirked. “Is he cute?”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I’m gonna be late.” I kissed his cheek, then gave my mom a huge hug and kiss. “See you guys later.”

  “Have a great day at work,” Dad said with a grin.

  I smiled back at him. “I will.”

  “Only one thing could put a look like that on a girl’s face,” I heard my father say as I walked out and shut the door behind me.

  Like most seventeen-year-olds, I found my dad so embarrassing. I was almost grown, perfectly capable of handling my relationship without giving him a blow-by-blow description. Shaking my head, I started my car and screeched out of the driveway. I drove a candy metallic blue Ford Focus and loved it. I rolled down the windows and the music blasted.

  *

  Jesse rushed over to greet me when I clocked in at the zoo. “Hey, you!”

  “Hi,” I answered, smiling up at him.

  He smiled back. “I’ve been dying to see you.”

  Before I could respond, Ms. Aikers walked straight toward me. Her hair was pinned up, and she was barely wearing any makeup, if any at all. She always looked nice but in a much more natural way than my New York bosses, who were always elaborately made up, with their hair perfect, wearing only the latest fashions. The people in Big Bear Lake dressed nice but nothing over the top like the people in the Big Apple.

  The truth was, my parents had never liked New York. They’d only moved there when their books had taken off, at the demands of their publishers, but they’d never really been happy among all those skyscrapers. Big Bear Lake was different. My parents were more relaxed, happier, and loving it, and I felt the same. Of course it was more relaxing and scenic, but there was also a hot guy with light blue eyes that I just couldn’t stop staring at. Because of Jesse, I wanted to stay there forever.

  “Taylor, I’d like you to work with Jesse today to move the ducklings to a larger enclosure,” Ms. Aikers instructed.

  I nodded. “Sure. I’ll get right on it.”

  She wrote something on her clipboard, then handed Jesse a summary of what we had to do.

  At first, we worked together on the items on the list, but then we decided we could get things faster if we did our own thing for a while.

  “Where should I set this?” I asked when I dragged the kiddie pool inside.

  “In the corner,” Jesse said, “but let me help you.”

  “I can handle it. I’m not some dainty daffodil. Besides, it doesn’t weigh much.”

  “Wow. I’m impressed. I love a girl who can handle her own.”

  I smiled. “You have no idea what I can handle,” I teased.

  Jesse picked up the water hose and adjusted it to fill the pool. “These little guys and gals are gonna love their new swimming hole.”

  “It’s so much bigger,” I said. “They’ll all have plenty of room now.”

  “I know. I love watching the babies grow up, getting bigger and stronger every day.”

  “There’s no better feeling than helping them out.”

  “Let’s go get ‘em,” Jesse said.

  We quickly scurried to the other room and each grabbed a fuzzy duckling. Jesse’s went right into the water, but mine squeezed out of my hands. Jesse and I laughed as we chased the squawking bird. Just as Jesse picked the stubborn little one up, I reached for his hands and suddenly lost my balance when I slipped in a puddle of water on the ground. In reaction, trying to catch me while still holding on to the duckling, his body twisted, and he tumbled backward. We burst out laughing when the duckling looked at us like we were silly and just waddled away.

  Heat rushed to my face as I looked over at him. “Sorry,” I said.

  “Don’t be,” he answered, pushing a long, curly piece of hair out of my eyes. “You can knock me off my feet anytime.”

  When our eyes locked, my smile was automatic.

  “You have the most beautiful smile,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  He locked his fingers in mine and brushed his thumb over my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

  Suddenly, I felt tiny webbed feet walking over my shoe. I gently picked the naughty duckling up and set her in the water. She happily glided through the water, loving her new pool, and the others looked just as happy when Jesse placed them in with her.

  “Are you ready to feed them?”

  “Minnows?” I guessed.

  “Try crickets,” he said as he picked up a Styrofoam cup with hundreds of chirping insects inside. “We need to make sure the ducklings can eat when they’re released. Let’s throw a few in and see if they’ll catch them like they’ll have to in training.”

  I picked up a wiggly cricket and smiled. “Here it goes!” I said as I tossed the bug into the water.

  Jesse tossed a few in as well, and within minutes, the babies started diving and swallowing them up. It was a good sign that they were learning how to feed themselves, even without their mother around to teach them. It was refreshing to know that in some small way, we were preparing them to survive and live a happy life outside on the lake, where they really belonged.

  *

  When I got home from work, I found a note letting me know that my parents had gone out to dinner and a movie and would be home late. My mom had left me some chicken and mashed potatoes in the microwave, so all I had to do was heat my dinner up. I still had those pesky butterflies dancing around, though, having spent the whole day with Jesse, and that totally killed my appetite.

  I watched television until about eight p.m. After flipping through the unopened mail, I jumped into the shower. As th
e soothing, hot water danced across my skin, many thoughts ran through my head, most of which were about Jesse.

  About twenty minutes later, I dried off and slipped into a fluffy pink robe and slippers. When my stomach began to growl, I decided to heat up my dinner while I got dressed for bed. I walked downstairs to the kitchen and threw my food in the microwave.

  I jumped when Max started barking. “Max! Be quiet. You scared me to death, boy!”

  As I walked over to sit at the kitchen table, I saw why Max was barking: Through the sliding glass doors, I could see a figure moving My heart lurched. It was only for a split second, but I could have sworn it was someone dressed in black from head to toe, including a black ski mask.

  Max ran to the window and started growling and barking.

  I frantically reached for the landline phone, only to discover that it was dead as a doornail, just as I feared I was about to be. My gaze shot to my purse. “My cell!” I exclaimed. I reached my purse in two strides, but chills flooded through me when I realized my cell phone wasn’t in it. It suddenly dawned on me that someone else had been messing with the phones. I swallowed hard as I spun in a slow circle, my nerves on complete edge. My stomach dropped when I came to the realization that someone was outside, so I couldn’t even run. My biggest worry was that someone was inside as well, because I knew for a fact that I’d left my cell in my purse.

  My fingers hurriedly rummaged through the kitchen drawer for a knife. When I found one that I thought sure would do the trick, I clutched it tightly, then glanced out the window. The moon sliced through the darkness, and shadows shifted in the blackness beyond.

  I didn’t see anyone, but when the television shut off and complete silence filled the air, I had never felt so utterly alone. “Max!” I said. “Come here.” As the dog sat by my feet, I sucked in a trembling breath.

  Next, the power went out, and everything went black. I forced myself to walk to the drawer where I knew I could find a flashlight. My trembling fingers wrapped around the cold metal, and I switched it on. The beam wavered in my shaking hands.

  A growl echoed from the living room, one I knew didn’t belong to Max. What the heck was that? The knife in my hands shook. I’d never been so frozen with fear before, not even during the mountain lion attack or when we’d been surrounded by wolves. I was scared to go outside, but I was more terrified of whatever was in the living room. I tried to reason what could be growling. Maybe a stray dog got inside somehow. Maybe my parents adopted another dog and didn’t tell me.

  Max kept growling and barking, then shot off into the living room.

  “Max!” I cried, but the only answer was silence.

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  My loyal and faithful companion had taken off into the dark living room.

  With my heart pounding nearly out of my chest, I took a few daring steps forward. “Max?” I whispered. “Max, come back.”

  Heavy breathing echoed in the air, and my heart thumped wildly. A few long growls made the hair on my neck stand on end. I gripped the knife tightly. Feeling like I was cornering a wild animal, I took slow, measured steps. A howl pierced my ears, a sound that only a wolf could make. Nearly paralyzed by fear, I somehow managed to carefully back up, abandoning my plan to take a good look.

  “No! I have to help Max,” I said to myself, shining my flashlight around the darkness.

  At the sound of another howl, I jumped back. My heart had never beaten so fast before, and the floor creaked with every step I took. My flashlight beam swung around, but I didn’t see anything in the dim light. Sweat coated the palms of my hands as I stood there holding my breath, listening for any sounds, trying to hang on to what was left of my sanity.

  Then, a ravenous moan echoed from across the room, and a sudden panic flooded through me. I paused, drew a deep breath, and pressed myself against the wall. I could hear something shuffling in the living room. I took a deep, trembling breath, my beam wavering as I whipped my flashlight all around.

  A scratching noise made me jump, especially since it was coming from directly behind me. Gasping for breath, I turned around. There was Max, outside and scratching at the glass. I had no clue how he got out, but as I was trying to figure that out, my poor dog let out a long yelp and then started barking.

  I bolted into the kitchen and grabbed my purse. Regardless of what was outside, I had to get out of that house, and since Max was already out, I didn’t have to worry about deserting him. I opened the sliding glass door, my heart threatening to explode. I turned on the back porch light. Holding the knife tightly, jutting it out in front of me like some kind of horror movie menace, I glanced around. My legs took off, carrying me like a bat out of hell to the driveway in front of the house. My senses were on high alert, and I glanced over my shoulder to make sure my trusty canine companion was keeping up with me.

  Just as I opened my purse and grabbed my keys, a howl came from inside the house. When I glanced up, I saw that the front door was wide open, and I realized that had to be how Max had gotten out and whatever it was had gotten in.

  Move! I thought, but I almost couldn’t breathe. Find the right key. I couldn’t hold on to the flashlight, the keys, and the knife, so I slipped the flashlight into my robe pocket. My hands shook as I tried to open the car door. Max was barking, and I knew something was coming. The door opened, Max jumped in, and I started the ignition. Then a thought occurred to me: I’d forgotten to check the back seat. My stomach clenched, and I quickly looked back there. Relieved to see no one and nothing but a few fast food wrappers, I let out a breath and put the car in reverse.

  Everything was a blur as I sped down the road. I was still gasping for breath as I pulled into McDonald’s, still dressed in my robe. I contemplated going inside for help, but I knew I would have looked ridiculous in that getup, and I was sure no one would take me seriously.

  Max barked, as if asking me what was going on.

  I petted his head. “It’s okay, boy,” I said.

  As I looked at the passenger’s seat, I noticed that the dog was actually sitting on my long-lost phone. I had no idea how my phone got inside the car, because I was sure I’d put it in my purse, but I picked it up and, without hesitation, dialed Jesse.

  “Hello?” he said.

  “Jesse! Oh my gosh! You aren’t gonna believe this.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I...we...uh...there was this noise, and then the lights went out and—”

  “Are you okay?” he asked, clearly confused and concerned by my panic.

  “No, Jesse, I’m not.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m sitting here at McDonald’s in my bathrobe, if that’s any indication how not okay I am! There was something in our house, so I got creeped out and bolted. I’m not sure whether to call my parents or the police.”

  “You were home alone?”

  “Yeah. Mom and Dad are on a date, at a late movie.”

  “Okay. Just sit tight. I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay,” I said, then hung up.

  It seemed like it took forever, but he finally showed up. When he pulled up next to me, I ran out of the car and into his arms. “Oh, Jesse!”

  “Taylor, you’re shaking.”

  “I was so scared,” I said, sobbing.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  I explained the entire story, and he listened intently, never doubting me once. “Do you think somebody tried to rob the house?” I desperately asked. “Maybe the intruder was shocked when he heard me taking a shower. Maybe he wasn’t expecting anyone to be home, so he just ran out and left the door open, and some wild animal came in.”

  “Did you notice that the door was open after you took your shower?”

  “I came down the back stairs, so I didn’t notice.”

  “Maybe you’re right, to some degree. Maybe you did spook a robber, and he left in a hurry without shutting the door behind him and something got in by accident. But what I don�
�t understand is why he’d come back. If he was scared off, he shoulda been long gone, so why would he come back and look through the sliding glass doors? If he wanted back in, why didn’t he just use the open door?”

  I smoothed out my robe. “You must think I’m crazy.”

  “No. We’ll figure this thing out. I’m here for you, Taylor.” He gave me a long hug, and I was sure he could feel my entire body trembling.

  “I know I look ridiculous, but I was too petrified to put clothes on. I just wanted to get out of there.”

  “I know. And you just look...cuddly, if you ask me. Let’s go back and take a look,” he said.

  I sucked in a trembling breath. “I don’t want to, Jesse. I’m scared.”

  “It’s your house, and I’ll be right there with you. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, Taylor—not ever.” He paused. “Unless you want to go inside for a shake or a burger or something.”

  I laughed. “In this? No way.”

  He smiled. “Trust me, I’ve seen worse in McDonald’s after dark. Anyway, if you think you’re up to driving, I’ll follow you back.”

  “Okay.”

  Back at the house, I didn’t notice anything out of place, and my parents weren’t home from their date yet. I held on to Jesse’s arm as he glanced around, using the bright moonlight to guide our way.

  “The door is still wide open,” I observed.

  We walked into the living room, and I flicked on the switch.

  “Hey, at least the lights work now.” I glanced around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, no mud or footprints or overturned furniture or broken glass or anything to prove I wasn’t hearing things or going crazy. There was nothing to support my claim. I shut the door and locked it.

  We walked through the downstairs and into the kitchen. Jesse told me to wait at the table while he bravely checked the upstairs. After a minute or two, I heard him yell, “All clear up here.”

  “You must think I’m crazy,” I said when he walked back in the kitchen.