This was submitted for a short story competition. I didn’t win, but it at least gave me the impetus to finish something. Therefore, I thought I’d share.

All of the trees were made of bones. Bleached in the sun’s harsh light, they gave off an eerie glow under the moon. Skulls, ribs, tibias and pelvises, all linked together in a macabre approximation of a forest, warning off all who approached.

The moon shone brightly over the bone lands that night. The blood moon, rare in its beauty, cast a strange blush over the trees, highlighting their cracks of age, the brittle nature of their being.

A girl stepped into the central grove of the bone forest, her pack weighing heavily on her slim shoulders. She heaved it off, sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing, and hoped that the moon would be more benevolent this time.

“I just want my brother back. Please, just give me my brother back,” she intoned shakily, her breath forming misty spirals in the cold air. “I don’t want to be here without him any more…”

Hearing her call, the souls of the forest began their ritual. The bones began to creak and stir, their cruel branches shifting to form new paths in the woods. The light of the blood moon intensified, painting the trees crimson red. From the shadows, a figure started to emerge. She did not know whether it would be the right one this time.