Windswept Trees
By Jonah O
Content warning: implied animal abuse
It is the evening, Alex is searching his house desperately to find his cat, Kiki. Ever since he had gotten home from school this afternoon he has been searching. Kiki always greets him when he arrives home followed by his mother begrudgingly welcoming him back. For her to not greet him is a sign. His mother is not aiding in the search. She sees no point to it.
“The cat will be back” she asserts. “That thing only cares about food, stop worrying.”
Alex ignores his mother’s lack of care. She doesn’t hold the same attachment to Kiki as Alex does. She finds it confusing, given his past experience with animals. All the cat does is eat, sleep, use the bathroom, meow, and scratch, in her eyes. To Alex, Kiki is his friend who will always move on. No grudges. No arguments.
The house is one story. Rooms for Alex and his mother. A garage with a car and laundry machines. A decent enough kitchen with dated appliances. A dining area with a layer of dust. A living room with a TV on and Alex’s mother sitting in a recliner with an empty couch close by. It doesn’t take long for the whole house to be upturned. No sign of Kiki. There is only one place left to search. The backyard is not fenced in; the lawn connects to a large forest. The wind is strong being so close to the lake. The trees have felt the wind for many years, deforming from the constant abuse. Bending to the wind.
Opening the backdoor, Alex is met with a chilly, gentle breeze. It is late autumn. The windswept trees still hold on to a few leaves. The remaining leaves are different shades of brown, from deep browns to almost crimson. Leaves cover the ground in the backyard and connecting forest. Colors range from bright reds, soft yellows, combined orange, and many shades of brown. As the breeze blows through the forest, the remaining leaves rustle with it and the trees gently flow with it.
Around an hour of daylight remains before darkness. A darkness that would for sure lead to Kiki being lost in, as she is black like the night, Alex thought to himself. Searching the backyard yielded no sign of Kiki. There is not much to look around or hide in. The woods with its windswept trees remain the last area where Kiki must be.
With a phone flashlight in hand, Alex pressed into the forest. He has known this forest since he was a child. He knows it well; he knows where the animals like to hide, where Kiki might be. The trees stretch in front of him for miles, each bent to the west. With each step he takes through the forest, leaves crunch and twigs snap beneath his feet. The forest is empty beside him, the sounds of his footsteps, and the gentle breeze.
Forty minutes have passed with no sign of Kiki. Night is falling around Alex. He turns around to see the way he came from but was that the way he came from? In his search for Kiki, the forest changed around him. No matter what way he turns, the trees bend to the left. Every way he turns is identical to the last. The darkness is becoming heavier. Alex is lost in an unknown wood. This is not the forest he has known. Without a thought, Alex sprints. Every tree is the same as the last. They feel endless, unchanging.
Minutes of sprinting go by. Alex stops to catch his breath. He looks behind himself, making sure to not turn his body lest he lose the direction he was running. Behind him is the same as the front. Only, looking at his feet, something is different. His phone flashlight reveals a squirrel in front of him. It is dead. Black fur, like Kiki. Its eye remains open. Peering at Alex. He stares back at it. Its gaze is piercing. Judging. Like it knows something about him.
The eye darts. Its focus is now ahead. Looking up from the squirrel, Alex is at the tree line between his house and the forest. The eye of the squirrel is looking towards the garage. Alex follows the gaze of the squirrel. His mind is filled with dread.
Approaching the garage, Alex’s mind jumps to a conclusion. He wasn’t watching the driveway when he pulled in. When he was pulling in, there was a bump.
“No! I would have heard something if it was her. I would have known…” Alex comforts himself aloud. His heart is beating outside his chest. He stands in front of his car. He cannot make himself look underneath. The pounding from his heart is so loud his ears hurt. He crouches down. His eyes filled with tears when… There is nothing under the car. He breathes a sigh of relief. His mind quickly regains its composure. Kiki is still somewhere.
A soft meow is heard from behind. Alex quickly turns to where the noise came from. Near the laundry machine is a small gap between the wall and the machine. The meows get louder. Gazing into the gap shows nothing but blackness. A phone light quickly reveals something with shiny black fur… It is Kiki. Alex drops his phone to the ground to get Kiki out of there. As he is holding Kiki, he falls to his knees, crying. She is alright. And now, so is he. He apologizes profusely to Kiki but she just stares blankly back at him. Food is what she would like, not apologies. To Alex, apologies are necessary.