• The Woodland Debate
    By Gracie Anderson

    I opened my eyes groggily. The world around me is dark and the air is damp. My first thought is Am I dead? If I’m dead, I was really hoping to go someplace with more light…and breathable air. I take a large breath of the warm moist air, then I realize, Wait…I can’t be dead. I just breathed! Good, so I still have a chance of light and air. I shift, trying to get a little more comfortable when I hear some sort of scatter. Voices begin to make themselves out to my ears. Is till can’t see right in the darkness, so I’ve no idea whose talking, but they all sound excited. Focusing on the words, I begin to make out what is being said.
    “Oh, oh yes, I know just what to do! My cousin Benny got caught in a trap just last winter. A nasty steel claw. We’re sure it was set by one of its kind, so we ought to show it the pain Benny went through!” There was a twitter of agreement rising up after those words were spoken. At first I wonder, what is this it they talk about? I peek open an eye. The silhouettes of rabbits, and foxes, and mice, and other woodland creatures show up in my blurred vision. Then, it dawns on me. By it they mean me? Well, it only makes sense. Humans do tend to put out nasty steal traps. Wait…then they want to put me in a trap? Well, I’d rather they didn’t. Maybe I can convince them not to. Oh who am I kidding? They’re animals right? They won’t understand. Wait a minute…I can understand. Why can I understand? I’m a human! I shouldn’t understand them!
    I sit up suddenly, causing another scurry. “Ugh” I mutter and look around at the animals. “Um…I really must have hit my head really hard.” I rub at a sore bump on the back of my head. “So…I hear you want to hurt me. My personal preference is that you didn’t, just because…well, I’m not that into getting hurt. It doesn’t really sit well with my pain nerves. Well, my guess is I’ll be waking up soon, so no worries. I don’t plan to hang around to keep taking up space for much longer.” I grin. It seems too comical.
    “You see! It laughs at up!” the speaker, or rather, yeller, is a fox. One eye seems to be missing form its head, and it bares yellowing teeth menacingly. “We must show it what real laughter is! What real pain is! Let’s let it loose and we can chase it down! We can put out its eyes as it has done to us!” More cheers follow this announcement.
    “Oh! So you can understand me to! I thought it was just me. I guess it’s a good thing that you can understand me. That way I can explain easier. Okay, you see I fell and hit my head. What was I doing to have such a fall occur…well…” I pause and think. “I can’t seem to remember what I was doing. But the point is, I expect I’m just lying in the grass right now and will soon wake up, go home, and have some nice food. If I’m not is some kind of coma that is…oh you probably don’t understand what I mean do you?”
    “It mocks us!” a small mouse squeaks. “We shall show it how smart we are! Let us trap is with mouse traps. We can make it scream in pain as it rips the sticky traps off its hand and feet, while we pinch it with other traps! Pinch it so the blood starts squeezing out of its disgusting hairless skin! Make it scream as it dies from slow blood loss!” All the mice squeak their approval.
    I laugh, “Oh, don’t be ridiculous! I mean, those traps are much bigger than you. You couldn’t possibly manage to snap them on me. And you would have to have a huge stock of them if you want me to bleed to death from pinching. Besides, I’m way bigger than even those traps are, I could easily get away.” Thought I have to admit to myself, this dream is beginning to take a turn for the worse. Not to mention it’s getting rather morbid. Talking about killing anyone by making them bleed out by mouse traps is pretty creepy, but it’s even worse when that person is you. I hope I wake up soon. This whole thing is starting to turn into a real nightmare.
    A real clamor begins at my words. “Send the bear out!” Some yell “Trap it!” Call others, and still the fox and his supporters continue to screech “Chase it! Chase it!” A terrible roar silences them all.
    In the silence I manage to squeak out “I’d like to be chased…” but no one hears me.
    “Let me take a swipe at it! It if lives, we chase it! When we catch it, you may all inflict whatever horrors you may desire on the pathetic creature.” I pale as a large dark shape appears in front of me. I now know who the bear is. It stares at me with beady black eyes. Sour breath steams in my face as it sniffs me. I stand perfectly sill, real fear beginning to set in my stomach.
    Suddenly, moving so fast I can’t see what just happens, the great bear raises it’s paw and slams it on the side of my head. Immediately I collapse, my head spinning, my neck stinging, my ears ringing, and my vision blurring. I blink my eyes, trying to get rid of the colors that swarm in front of my eyes.
    “It lives still!” the great bear cries. The foxes cry out in happiness. My head is still spinning as the mob of animals begins to swarm me out of the dark place. I don’t notice where we’re coming from or where we’re going, as I’m still working on getting my sight back. The sun suddenly blinds me once again and I fall to my knees. Suddenly the whole situation seems clear to me. The fox knish their teeth menacingly, and glare at me. I notice how sharp their teeth are, and how muscular the legs seem. I scramble to my feet and run. My legs don’t feel like they can hold me up, it’s as though they’re jelly. I just know I’m going to trip. My head is buzzing even more as my lungs stretch out for air. The only way I can stay from the ground is by staring at my feet, one foot flying in front of the other. Fear is now an understatement. I can hear the animals chasing behind me. The terror swirling in my stomach distracts me from my running. My eyes suddenly well up with tears. Wake up!! Wake up! Come on, please wake up! I tell myself.
    Something thumps me on the back and I fall forward. I struggle to get up, but something holds me to the ground. I flip on my back, face to face with the one-eyed fox. It snarls only once, and then lurches toward my face. It’s luck that saves me. As I scream, my head jerks to the right, and the fox’s head flies past. One razor sharp tooth slices my cheek and its nose collides with the ground. With a yelp, the one-eyed fox leaps off of my chest. Taking advantage, I scramble to my feet. I have only time to wipe some of the blood falling down my face and take one gasp of air before the fox snarls and I run again. Run, run and run some more. I don’t know how far I’ve gone, but I’m still alive, and that’s a good thing. At least, I think it is. The same terror I felt at the beginning of the chase continues to swell unrelentlessly in my heart, which in turn, beats harshly against my chest. My knees feel like they are about to give out. My head is still spinning, I’m scared, I’m tired, I’m confused. But, like the sun always comes up after a darkened night, I find a bit of hope.
    Up ahead in the distance there is a cabin. Though I’m not sure if my legs can take it, I put on an extra burst of speed. I slam my fist on the door a couple times. The animals are getting closer. Quickly I try the handle. It’s unlocked! I shove my shoulder against the door and it opens. The one-eyed fox is leaping towards me again as I slam the door shut. A thump sounds on the other side. I breath out a sigh of relief and slump with my back to the door. BANG! BANG! My heart almost jumps out of my chest as the loud slams make the door vibrate behind me. BANG! The wood splinters. I’m shaking. A bookcase is across the room. Pushing myself off the door, I make a mad dash to the bookcase. It’s heavy, but I pull and push on it until it starts moving. Grunting with effort I manage to scoot it to the door and bar the way. Scanning the room, I continue to move everything I can up against the bookcase, reinforcing the splintering door. Tables, chairs, random blocks of wood, everything I can reach. I step back after moving everything I can. The animals will have to get bored by the time they can break through.
    One giant THUMP. A flower vase on top of the bookcase suddenly falls, and I have no time to move out of the way. With a short suck in of breath, I brace myself as ceramics hit skull, and I see only black.