FicWad

What’s wrong with yer lass? You’ve thrown away the love of a good young man
Nettie asked her daughter.

That day Embeth had told Markus she didn’t want to marry him, but the question was why?. And so far Embeth had no intention of telling the truth.

She had told Markus her heart belonged to someone else....but she failed to mention who.

Of course he was angry, bur what could he do? He just wanted her to be happy, he wouldn’t stand in her way.


She hadn’t told Nettie anything besides the fact she just didn’t love Markus, she just didn’t have the courage to tell her mother her heart belonged to another, let alone who!.

Now she was free to give her heart entirely to Jan, she longed to run away into the woods.....into his arms.

But so as to not arouse her parents’ suspicion she must lay low.

She would not have left Markus at all...nor fully admitted she only wanted Jan had she not read a book.

She had only read the book to take her mind away from him in the first place; but it had, had the opposite effect.

She wondered if it was a sign from God, either way it had helped her in making the decision.

The book happened to be about a woman who like her, had been taken captive by a monster...she had to choose to marry him or her sweet heart.

3 days later, the time was approximately 4am, still dark outside.

Embeth dressed as swiftly as she was able and tiptoed down the steps.
As lightly and soundlessly as she could she lifted the black iron bar which locked the door, opened it slowly so as not to make the door creak or the lock rattle, and out she went running as fast as she could into the woods, stopping only to catch her breath.


She prayed her heart would lead her in the right direction.


For over an hour she walked, shaking with cold.

She looked about her hoping to see something which would help her either find the right path to the tree or the path back to the cottage when she spotted a small rosebush.

She thought it strange to see such beautiful red roses at this hour....even stranger was the fact it were February.

Then she remembered the rose Jan had given her the day he had brought her home.

She approached the bush hoping it would lead her to the tree and sure enough, within minutes of walking by it she found herself in the familiar surroundings leading to her destination....

However as she stood beside the tree she realised she couldn’t actually get in.
So for 20 minutes she called his name until her throat became quite raw, She knocked on the dead wood until her knuckles became red and sore.

She had, had enough, angry and defeated she punched it causing the skin on her already reddened knuckles to tear, and as the blood mingled with the cracks and crevices of the tree the ground beneath her feet began to vibrate softly, intensifying with each passing second until it were shaking like a mini earthquake.


The great tree began to creak and groan as it twisted this way and that.

Embeth stared in fear, frozen like a statue, eyes fixed on the seemingly living monstrosity before her.

Suddenly the terrifying tree opened with a crack so loud the birds in neighbouring trees flew away with a clap clap clapping sound.

It was such a fearful sight she almost ran away, but she didn't.

She took a few small steps into the suffocating darkness, her heart pounded, her limbs felt leaden with terror as the ‘’walls’’ around her pulsed and throbbed grotesquely, blood dripped down from them.


The stench of death and rotting flesh overwhelmed her, she choked on it and wretched.
Desperately she turned around, she had to get out of there NOW or she just knew she would die.


Horrified, she realised the gate way had closed behind her...