Be careful of mysterious forest paths. What walks out may not be you anymore~ Enjoy this induction style prompt~

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“Jasper... “ The voice comes upon the wind, drifting through my ears. It startles me and I whirl around, searching the foliage for the stranger among the scenery. Only the red and yellow tones of a changing forest greet me, silent in all but the rustling of their leaves and the gurgle of the nearby stream. For a moment it fades away into my memory. A trick of the mind that is diffused into the numerous days that pass. That is, until the whisper comes once again. Distinct from the crackle of dead leaves and skittering of claws beneath the undergrowth.

“Jasssperr… Come…” Strangely enough, the invitation doesn’t fill me with fear or anxiety or uneasiness. Rather, it tugs and pulls at my conscious. Whereas the forest seemed so dark and foreboding before, muted and earthy; It blossoms with the dapling of light upon the twisted, spiralling branches. A path parts, unseen by my eyes before. Always there, but not to those without the knowledge to see what lies beyond the border of the woods. My mind drifts momentarily to my family, waiting just over the hill for me to return. Mother, Father, the love of my life. But just as briefly that their faces dash across my thoughts, they’re swept away by the next huff of breath seemingly in my ear.

“Find me…” So sultry and inviting, beckoning me deep. My legs brush against the tall ferns of the path as I take my first few tentative steps. The branches close behind me, committing me to the walk I’ve set myself on. I barely notice, entranced by the beauty of the forest around me. Golden leaves that blend and meld into the walnut bark of the forest. They sprout outwards from the flora, glistening with the dew of fresh rain, drifting away on a distant cloud. It’s so peaceful here. So easy to lose myself as my feet glide over the earthen ground. Weaving along the gnarled roots and fallen trunks in my path on a mind of their own. Or rather, the gentle pull of her voice, burrowing beneath my senses every few minutes. I naturally follow, folding myself deeper into the caress of the deciduous jungle surrounding me. The only path is forward, twisting and curving to the right. Drawing me deeper with each lazy step.

A tranquil feeling overcomes me as I drift down the beaten dirt path, uninvolved with the slow descent of nature taking over the trail. Grasses sprout and wash away the brown trodden earth beneath me. Undisturbed for what must have been centuries, untrodden by man.

“Tranquility...peace...longing... “ She’s closer now, speaking directly in my ear. Focused on the end of the trail, far from my reach, I don’t look back. There’s no reason or rhythm to do so. The rhythm is on her voice and her voice still falls deeper into the woods. Emanating from within the densely packed fauna. Always trickling out from the end of the path, enticing me beneath the canopy of leaves. Peacefulness overcomes me, brought upon by this stark and beautiful day. Light shines through what openings are left in the leaves, resting warmly upon my face. I twist and spin, watching as animals scurry up the barks of the trees. The smell of wet earth and floral scents that tickle my senses. So peaceful. So tranquil. So relaxing. And as I finally round the last bend, my mind bleeds out. Empty, focused only on the scenery. Observing, watching, admiring the flurry of colors that ripple in the breeze flowing along the curve of my back.

“Jasper, you’ve arrived~.” Turning, my mind at peace, I stare blankly at her. The mystery that coaxed my into this beauty. Liberated me from the worries and anxieties of my life to deposit me upon her clearing. A gently hovering, bespeckled, winged beauty with black eyes and white skin. Her smile is kind and welcoming, arms outstretched. For me. Her prize that has walked upon the very same path she must have tread. Or flitted across. Regardless, no matter the logistics of how she came to be, I stumble into her arms. She lowers to the ground, feet landing softly in the cushy embrace of the vibrant, tall grasses. Hidden, wreathed in the overgrown foliage that’s overtaken the clearing, she lets her illusion fall away.

“Oh Jasper… you fool~. Haven’t your parents warned you of the forest? You’re not the first to fall for my call, and you certainly won’t be the last.” I have but a moment to dread my decision. A brief moment of clarity and horror before her eyes lock onto mine. I fall, drowning in her deep black pits. Tranquility and safety are dispensed for the unalienable sensation of slipping into her void, barely keeping myself afloat as her essence burrows. Pushing past the relaxed, unprepared defenses of my quiet thoughts. Gentle beauty is cleansed in the all-encompassing darkness of her influence. She overtakes me, stealing and picking her favorite aspects of myself. Things held so dear and near to my heart. The memory of my mother, father, and love of my life. Taken, stolen from me in but an instant. Subsequently, I’m eroded away. Painted over as the blank, black canvas I’ve become. Adopting her white, unblemished skin as she steals my freckled, slack cheeks. Her eyes glow, seeming to empty of the blackness that now fills my own.

“Thank you, Jasper~. I’ll make sure my kind does well to make your family’s transition gentle.” As quickly as she had flown down from the canopy above, she lumbers away in a different body. Her body. His body. Jasper. The human who happened upon my clearing and was turned away by my guiding claws. I bleed into the trees behind me, unconcerned with the worries of one man who had wandered too deep into the forest. I would have to catch one unaware, rather than one who could so clearly see me.

‘Jasper’ parts the fronds of ferns, stumbling out of the edge of the forest, much to the surprise of his family. They cry out in relief, surrounding him and hugging him from all sides, bemoaning their worry for him.

“Jasper, where had you gone?!” Mother cries, tears beading at her eyes.

“Why did you venture into that blasted forest?” Father scolds.

“Next time you wander off, tell us, won’t you?” His lover glares, holding the collar of his shirt as he grins widely. None of them the wiser. ‘Jasper’ just laughs, wrapping his arms around his family, taking step after step away from the forest. Into the hustle and bustle of civilization, further from the stillness of a distant clearing; Its foliage dancing with the breeze of a myth. A whisper on the edge of the woods. Drifting from its depths, beckoning the next witless man onto a peaceful, tranquil, inviting path.