Read Part One here.

I leaned against a tree; hot tears fell from emerald eyes.  I slid down the tree into the icy snow.  “What’s happening?” I whispered, half expecting an answer from the ghostly forest.  I rested my head on the swaying tree for quite some time.

Finally, I got up and trudged along—still in search of answers.  I needed to find someone who could help me.  Soon, my nose picked up on the smell of burning wood.  “A fireplace!” I thought.

I followed the welcoming aroma until I came upon a small cabin.  I knocked gently, and an older gentleman answered the door.  He had a white beard and friendly-looking eyes with a warm smile.

“Hello,” I said.

“Are you alright, Miss?” he asked, seeing the blood trickling down my face.

“Um, no, I can’t remember how I got here.”

“Do you have a phone? I need to call the police.”

“No, Miss, I don’t, but come in. I can fix that cut, and you can get warm.”

“Thank you,” I said.

I walked into his cabin; it was modest.  He led me to a chair next to a wood-burning stove.  I began to feel the cold melt away.  He left the room and went into what I assume was the bathroom.  I rubbed my hands together next to the stove.  He returned a moment later with a first aid kit.  He gently cleaned and bandaged my wound.

My stomach growled as I smelled a tantalizing scent coming from the kitchen.

“Are you hungry? I’m making stew.”

“Yes, thank you.”

He left for the kitchen and came back with two steaming bowls of stew.  I ate ravenously.  The cabin and this kind man almost took my mind off my non-existent footprints.

After I finished with my meal, I looked at the man and asked, “Is there anything strange about these woods?”

He looked as if he knew something.

He quietly said, “What do you mean?”