Experience with Merimei
Shell had wandered around the edge of the forest when he was younger. Most children in the village had done it out of boredom or in response to a dare. While entering the forest would usually get you a scolding if you were caught, it was also a rite of passage. Usually the scratches and bruises would give away anyone who had gone wandering. Between the heavy canopy and dense undergrowth, there are plenty of ways to get hurt off of the open trails.
“It’s somehow more intimidating from the path.” Shell whispers, attempting to avoid disturbing the immense nature around him.
Wim hardly turns to look back at him as she answers, “You mean the forest?”
“Yeah. When you’re inside, it’s like being under a blanket. It can make you feel trapped, but there’s also somehow a sense of security. Standing here with the walls of trees on either side of us… I’m just having a hard time relaxing.”
“If it makes you feel better, I was planning to take us through a little detour off the path anyway.” As she says this, Shell looks up to see Wim pointing down the path to a small opening off the left side of the trail. He would have surely missed it if she hadn’t pointed it out.
“You’re only mentioning this now? Are you sure it’ll lead where we need to go?” Shell questions, trying to keep his voice steady.
Wim makes a thinking noise, as if she was running calculations for their travel time. “I think it should save us time… Maybe 30 minutes or so? More importantly, as I was travelling nearby, I heard rumours about something interesting being just off this trail.”
Only then did Wim turn back to look at her companion. Shell, who had practically been walking in her footsteps only a pace to two behind, had come to a stop. Noticing her watching him, he finally speaks up, “Listen, I didn’t come here for adventure. I just wanted to leave that village.”
Shell turns to look in the direction of the village. He could no longer see it beyond the trees. When he looks back again, the sight of the stranger he had acknowledged as his guide suddenly seems much more intimidating than the suffocating tunnel of foliage around them. Before he can even think, his feet begin to carry him back down the path towards Merimei.
“Shell, what are you doing?” Wim calls out to his retreating form. Once again, Shell is caught off guard by her tone. The question sounds more like a test than an inquiry. “I thought you wanted to escape from the village.”
Forgetting to hide his anxiety, Shell turns and shouts back at the traveller, “This was a horrible idea! What am I even doing out here with some stranger who won’t even give me their name?!”
Wim closes the distance between them and lowers her voice. “Hey, you’re going to be fine. I know you have no reason to trust me, but please just come with me a little further. If you want to go home after that, I will personally ensure you get back safe and sound.”
“Why have you brought me here! Is this some kind of kidnapping? Are people like you the reason people haven’t been coming back!?” Shell could hardly get the sentences out of his mouth as his mind raced.
“Wait, people have been disappearing?” Wim interrupts.
Shell falls silent for a moment, realizing what he has just said. He takes a shaky breath before continuing, “Seems like those idiots have rubbed their paranoia off on me. People almost never leave the village, but among those who have, only about half have ever returned. The people who do come back are usually never gone for more than a day, but they always seem like they’re hiding something when they get back. Most people just assume they got spooked by something in the forest and turned back.”
“So that part of the rumours was true, too?” Wim appears pensive again before meeting Shell’s eyes with a look of determination. “This is all the more reason we need to keep going. I have a hunch about what’s going on in this village.” Without waiting for him to respond, she marches along their original trajectory towards the opening off of the path.
Shell stands, frozen with indecision. Fighting the urge to look back over his shoulder towards the village, he helplessly watches as the traveller slowly shrinks into the distance. His mind had not even caught up by the time he caught up with Wim. “What do you mean you have a hunch about what’s been going on?”
Wim puts a finger to her lips as she peers through the gap in the bushes. After his eyes adjust to the darkness, Shell can just barely see what she is looking at. Something… no, someone is there. They don’t seem like they’re trying to hide themselves so much as the forest is hiding them, like someone holding a surprise behind their back. When the figure begins to move, Shell jumps back in alarm.
“I knew I would run into you out here sooner or later.” The voice sends a chill down Shell’s spine. At first he thinks it sounds emotionless, but as it continues, it sounds more like exhaustion than apathy. “Looks like you’ve come with a friend. That might complicate things.”
