I still find the woods fascinating. I love the smells, the sights, the somber atmosphere, the lack of people.

It’s a fantastic day. A bright sun sits behind white clouds in the baby blue sky. I see an airplane and hear a lawnmower. It’s September, and the air is catching a chill. Fall is coming, and the leaves in Upstate NY become an unmatched beauty. I walk through the woods to an unmaintained trail.

The path barely has a clearing and I step through loads of mud. I never go this way, and I’m now wondering why. Its quite a lovely trail, buzzing with sounds, blooming with wild flowers and foliage. I see a painted turtle and a few interesting mushrooms.

2 miles into this loop, suddenly the nice day I was experiencing turns darker. The lovely white clouds have formed into very dark black masses. The sun is gone, and the wind picks up fast. Huge rain droplets fall and get whipped through wind. I decide to keep walking, but I’m feeling sketched out. I ignored my bad gut feeling.

I don’t recognize these trees. I’m lost. And now it’s COLD cold, and the wind starts howling. Where are the pines and maples? The blackberry bushes, the fallen crab apples? The woods feel angry. The clouds are scary. One looks like pure blackness. Is it following me? Coming down lower? I’m not ignoring my gut/internal alarm bells anymore and I’m getting the fuck out of here.

I’m running now, in whatever direction, in a panic. I’m trampling over branches, logs, and bushes. I can barely run in this mud. I finally exit the woods, and the parameters of the storm. I enter a sunny field with tall grasses. There are a few maple trees around, I feel better seeing familiarity.

I slow to a fast walk and my heart-rate calms down. I look back, and all around me, and I don’t see anything weird. I hear church bells, close by. Birds are chirping and everything seems fine. What time is it? I’m now walking on crunchy leaves, and I’m thinking of all the pumpkin-spice fall white girl things I’m going to do.

The fleeting thoughts of fall disintegrate and I stop, and my heart stopped too. The birds are silent, and so are the church bells. I look up, and I see a huge black cloud coming down towards me. Running wasn’t even an option, I’m frozen in place. I stare in disbelief into the darkest color of black I’ve ever seen as it surrounds and swallows me.

I’m pretty sure I’m about to get abducted by a UFO disguised as a stormy cloud. I feel weightless, but gravity is crushing my body from all angles. I’m being crushed by an invisible force. I start puking blood.

I look down, and admire how my blood becomes a beautifully curated display of crimson artwork painted upon the freshly-fallen golden yellow leaves beneath me.