Short Story

Into The Woods

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Melissa’s Fandango  
Flash Fiction Challenge – #337.
Here’s where the photo prompt took me.

© Getty Images on Unsplash

While out for a weekend of hiking, three young couples unexpectedly came across a ravine with a fallen redwood spanning the chasm. Instead of playing it safe and back-tracking, they began to carefully make their way across the makeshift bridge, their hearts pounding with excitement and trepidation.

As they reached the midpoint of the fallen tree, a sudden gust of wind caused the branches above to groan ominously. The hikers froze in their tracks, eyes wide with fear as the tree beneath them shifted and swayed and the huge section of limb behind them began to give way …. once, twice it creaked angrily and slipped with a sickening jolt.

Panic set in as the hikers realized they had to get off that tree. Quickly but with the utmost care, they crossed over to the other side just as the tree gave one final groan and with a tremendous woosh, disappeared into the ravine. Safely on the other side, the group sat in silence, huddling together as reality set in. They were stranded in the forest with no way to go back and no clear path forward.

The lush green leaves that had once seemed so inviting now loomed overhead, casting ominous shadows. The impressive redwood forest now felt dark and sinister. As they built a fire and spread out their sleeping bags, they realized how irrational they were being; this was California …. their home state, for crying out loud …. not some jungle in a remote corner of the world. Only a few hours had gone by. Tomorrow, in the light of day, everything would be better.

However, when morning dawned, the group discovered that was not the case. Even in daylight, they were unsure of where they were and had no true sense of direction. They had obviously gone ‘off trail’; their best guess was they were somewhere in the backcountry areas …. a possibility which brought them little comfort. Many parts of the backcountry were complex, featuring dense, untamed mazes. Some overgrown sections were so thick with fallen trees that trails and paths were obscured. They also had no cell service and their phone batteries were dying fast. This was not a promising scenario.

Hours went by quickly as the hikers struggled to find a way out; the more they trekked, the deeper into the forest they found themselves. A day went by, then another; the only thing that changed was their supplies began dwindling and their spirits waned. Each night brought with it a chorus of strange sounds that echoed through the forest, filling their dreams with dark and twisted visions.

And as the days stretched on, the hikers began to lose hope, their once strong resolve crumbling under the weight of the forest’s oppressive presence. The redwood trees, once a symbol of strength and resilience, now seemed to mock them with their towering heights and impenetrable depths. Their spirits plummeted when two of their group failed to return from a reconnaissance mission.

Then one night, the mountain lions started circling their camp. In the end, only the muffled whimpers of the lost hikers remained, their fate a chilling reminder of the unforgiving power of nature and the dangers that lurked within the shadows of the forest.

NAR©2025
#FFFC

This is “Woods” by Bon Iver

Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #337

All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

22 thoughts on “Into The Woods”

  4. I can hear the muffled whimpers, Nancy, … I’m sure of it,… ‘twas just over here. Do you want to follow me and we’ll find them?, … No?, … okay we’ll leave them to their fate, …Great write, and a chilling end, …nature’s definitely ‘sharp on tooth and claw’ …💙

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  7. Nice story, Nancy as panic always sets in when you are lost because the situation triggers your primal fight-or-flight response, a natural, evolutionary reaction to perceived threats. Being lost in the woods can also bring feelings of intense fear, and confusion, a condition where your mental maps and reality don’t match, making you unable to think clearly.  It starts with a growing sense of disorientation as familiar landmarks disappear, quickly escalating to overwhelming anxiety, poor decision-making, and the primal realization that you are alone and vulnerable to the elements.

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