"ugh. it's cold as shit."
you put on your winter coat and head out the door. the cold is biting with the fresh snowfall from last night. as you step out from your dark house, you notice the sun barely manages to warm the sky.it’s not unusual, but you know you’d never really get used to it. the cold blue hours right before the dawn breaks the sky open only is accompanied by silence.you notice how bright the moon is, though technically it should not be out. the crunchy sound of your footsteps against the freshly fallen snow is the only thing you can hear. you look down to ensure you got the proper footing and notice you stepped right on the trail of some bunny footprints.
when you look up, you suddenly find yourself in a middle of a forest. it stretches out for as far as you can see.
“what the hell?"
you look around, there’s no one in sight, and the neighborhood you once knew is gone.
what do you do?
“lower your head, idiot.”
you look down to see a bunny.
“great job stepping on my footprints on the first snowfall of the winter. you’re now lost. go find the witch if you ever wanna make it home.”“you’re talking. you’re a talking bunny.”“a talking bunny that hates repeating himself.” his little nose twitches in what you assume irritation. “scram!”before he could take off you speak up, “wait! how the hell am i supposed to find this witch you’re talking about?”
the bunny remains silent.
“please, tell me.”“do you have something to exchange?”
"hm. lucky, aren't you? i accept."
"hm. prepared, aren't you? i accept."
"tsk. typical human."
“well?”the bunny’s nose twitches again. “do humans only have eyes for decoration? follow the north star.”he bolts into the dense trees before you can ask him any more questions. you sigh in disbelief and look up at the sky.
a singular star shines the brightest among the other stars.“i don’t know shit about finding the north star,” you mumble to yourself. deciding to follow that bright star, you wonder how much time you have before the night lifts.
as you make try your best to follow the star without losing it in the leaves of the trees, you stumble upon a tree inside a ring of mushrooms. you stop before you accidentally crush one of the mushrooms under your boot.
how do you move forward?
you died in the witch’s winter.
you feel as if you made a poor choice.“NEW HUMAN, NEW HUMAN, NEW HUMAN!”you hear the manic giggles of faeries as the ground rumbles underneath you and the cold earth swallows you up.you stepped through a faerie ring, sealing your fate in death. the next time you’re reincarnated, your biggest karmic lesson will be to be more mindful of the people and places you visit.
rest.
you feel a shiver run up your spine, but you don’t pay it much attention. you had to get home and you weren't going to take any risks.
you feel less fatigued than before and the weather seems to be easing up. you swear you hear a distant celebration—cheer and warmth. you kept moving in the direction of the north star.
the sun should be rising by now, but there’s no sign of the sun anywhere. you can barely see through the dimly lit forest.
it’s eerie how silent the world is. you start thinking about what you were going to do before you managed to get lost.go to university. go to work.is that all there is? is there nothing more that you were going to do?your brain feels like it’s just out of reach of the thoughts you know are in your head.
“they’re forgetting.” you hear someone whisper. turning around sharply, your body tenses up.“who’s there?” you ask. the warmth of your breath fogs up before your eyes and nearly shimmers under the moonlight. that’s not normal.“well, that’s the human’s fault for being here. obviously, people know you should never cross the path of a bunny’s footprint on the first snowfall of the winter,” another voice says.“come out!” you yell.“i feel bad. they might be different what if they can fix everything?”a scoff. “if you want to help, fine!”
just as you decide that maybe you should get out, two chipmunks emerge into the moonlight. one dragging the other.“human, are you lost?” the first one asks.“enough of this! i refuse to get involved with a creature like this again.” the second one growls.you hesitate.
how do you respond?
the first chipmunk speaks. “i suppose we could, but how can we trust you?”“trust me?” you ask.“you humans always ruin things for us! getting trapped in our world and you never leave until your body decomposes into our soil.” the second chipmunk hisses.you take a deep breath. “please, am i at least going in the right direction?”the first chipmunk hesitates, glancing at its partner. “yes. we can’t stay, but i wish you luck human.”they disappear into the forest.
“what? you don’t want our help?” the first chipmunk asks.“i can see you two are wary of humans. i won’t bother you.” you say.the second chipmunk hums. “finally, a smart human.”“thank you.”“you’re going in the right direction, but be wary. the winter is the kindest thing around these parts.” the second chipmunk says.they disappear into the forest.
“what? you don’t want our help?” the second chipmunk asks.“no. no thank you,” you respond.“hmpf. so be it, human.”they disappear into the forest.
it’s been a long night, you think. but is it time for rest? will you reach the witch any faster if you kept walking through the night? almost all at once, the exhaustion hits you. how long have you been here? you can’t tell.you find a big old tree to sit under, but it’s still freezing. if you slept now you would have to start a fire.
what do you do?
did you wear any type of metal on you today?
you start a fire with a nearby stone you found and a small pile of wood. you survive the night but wake up hungry. you must get to a warm place for food.
you barely wake the next morning. you must get to a warm place for food.
you died in the witch’s winter.
your body stiffens as the cold shows no mercy on your human body. your boots start to get caked with the snow, and you feel your body get weighed down.“maybe a little rest wouldn’t hurt.”you lay down and don’t wake up again.
rest.
when you wake, the night is still blanketing the sky. you have a bad feeling that you won’t see the sun again until you find the witch.the hunger and the cold is killing you, you think. you try your best to look for any berries or maybe other homes as you follow the north star, but so far it’s just been snow and these dense trees.
it’s so quiet that the only noise you experience is everything you’re thinking about.
if you had died right now, would you have regretted it?
everything you’ve done, was it all worth it?
if you didn’t make it back, did you say everything you’ve ever wanted to confess?
lost in your thoughts, you trip over a root of a tree. you get a face full of snow and grimace as you wipe everything off. right in front of your eyes, you see beautiful berries. it’s tiny, but you’re hungry and your stomach is going to murder you before this unforgiving cold does.
you take a handful and examine them. you can’t actually tell if it’s poisonous, but there aren’t many options. you go ahead and eat a couple.“DON’T EAT THOSE!” you hear a voice yell out before you’re unconscious.
...
...
...
did you die?
“this is the fifth human already. why won’t that witch just leave them alone?”you can hear pots and pans shuffling around, the warmth of a fireplace, and the distinct smell of soup.you pry your eyes open and look around.it’s a cave. it’s small, probably only allowing for two people maximum but it’s incredibly cozy.
the campfire is strong and steady.“these potatoes can work…” you hear someone mumble. you realize you’ve been tucked in warm, dry blankets. the ground of the cave is bumpy and uncomfortable but the attempts to make you comfortable with a makeshift futon warms your heart.you twist your body out of the blankets and try to sit up to see your savior.
“oh shit.”it’s a goddamn polar bear.“oh, hi! you’re up! uh, don’t freak out. i’m not gonna eat you.”