How it all got started!

WordWednesday #19

Yesterday, I told you about the first book I wrote. I mainly told you about my writing process, so I promised I would write another post about the actual story, however there is a slight change of plans. For this post I translated the prologue that started it all into English (I wrote my book in Dutch), however it was longer than I thought. So I will write the synopsis in tomorrow’s post. For now, just enjoy the prologue!

Zoë is wandering the streets of her home town. Something is bothering her, but she can’t figure out what it is. She is not sure where she is going, but she knows she has to keep moving. She gets to the playground where she used to play as a kid. She broke her arm there once, trying to jump off the swing. She has always been a reckless kid. Getting in trouble was second nature to her. It’s when she passes the slide, when she realises she is all alone.

Strange, she thinks, usually the streets are full of people.

Her brain is telling her to go back home, but she keeps walking. She turns a corner and realises she’s lost. She’s never been to this part of town before. Still, she keeps walking. She is determined to keep going.

Zoë looks up to the sky. The clouds are so close. She can almost taste them on the tip of her tongue. One of the clouds is shaped like an eagle. It’s comforting. Whatever was bothering her seems to have disappeared.

In the distance a forest slowly appears. She’s no longer in her home town. The forest keeps coming closer and just near the edge, Zoë stops. One more step and she will be surrounded by the trees. She can see the path that leads into the depths of the forest. It’s calling her. She can feel a shiver running up her spine. She is certain she’s never been to this forest before, still it feels familiar. She may not remember the forest, but the forest remembers her.

She takes a deep breath and can smell the trees, the flowers, and the earth underneath her feet. The feeling of familiarity keeps getting stronger. She walks towards the path that leads into the forest. She wants to keep moving forward, but a few feet away a massive oak blocks the path. It seems like the oak is warning her. It was placed there to keep strangers out, but Zoë is not a stranger.

The memory comes rushing back. She has seen this oak before when she was just a little girl. Her father is holding her hand, while her mother is pointing at the tree. Her mother is warning her not to go into the forest. She’s telling Zoë that the tree was planted there to let intruders know they were not welcome. Both her parents warned her never to go anywhere near the forest.

But it’s calling her.

Zoë starts walking towards the oak. The moment she enters the forest, she feels she’s no longer alone. Part of her knows she should be worried, but her determination to keep going is much stronger. She places her hand on the oak and in an instant everything changes. She can feel a sharp pain in her hand and immediately lets go of the oak. Darkness is taking over. Zoë desperately looks for the light, but the sun has disappeared. Darkness has swallowed up the world. Slowly, the forest is coming alive. She can hear the birds in the trees, she can smell the rotting earth, and she can feel the darkness coming closer.

The eagle in the clouds that had accompanied Zoë on her journey had disappeared. The darkness was overpowering her and Zoë felt like she would never see the light again. Someone was coming for her and she would not be able to stop them. It’s too late to run. This is her destiny.

Someone is watching her. She anxiously looks for the eyes that are watching, but all she finds is emptiness. She starts to panic. Fear has taken control of her body. It’s getting more difficult to breathe. Her heart is beating too fast. The cold has surrounded her. Every breath she takes, a piece of her soul escapes her body. She can feel the cold air filling her lungs. All her senses are telling her to fight. She takes a deep breath. She can feel the cold air rushing through her body. She is ready to fight.

‘Show yourself, coward,’ Zoë yells into the nothingness.

There is no reply. She has control of her breathing again. She is calm. She is strong. She is ready for whatever will happen next.

In the distance the sun has returned. She runs towards the light. The last thing she sees are two silver eyes watching her and in the distance a voice is calling her name.

Have a nice Wednesday!