“Thank you, but I’m sure we’ll be ok. Would you happen to know which of these roads leads to The Forest of Tears?” she asked
the man.
His eyes shot open wide as he stared down at her. “The Forest of Tears! Now why would you want to go there? Don’t you know
that there are horrible spirits living in there? Why, two years ago, two children came up missing. They were swallowed by that
forest! It’s a hungry place, it will eat the very life and soul of anyone who goes in it, mark my word, young lady, you don’t want to
be there at night!” he stated, then asked again, “Why in hades would you even want to go there?” then waved away her question,
“Let me guess, your friend is there, yes?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, she is. Could you please tell me which road will take me there?” she asked again.
The old man shook his head as he looked down at the old mule that pulled his wagon. Shaking his head, he looked down at her. “I
shouldn’t ought to tell you, but since you’re so bent on going to meet up with your friend, it’s that one on the right. Just keep going
down and the forest will be the one to greet you, but remember, I told you not to go there!” he warned with a nod, then picked up
the reins, whistled at his mule and coaxed it down the road.
Gabrielle shook her head as she watched the wagon’s slow progression. She heard the man’s soft voice singing a bawdy song
about Athena and a Cyclops, then returned her attention to the fork in the road. At the sight of the distant forest, the blonde sighed,
then began to move down the dirt road. As the sun was slowly setting, she made it half way to the forest in less than half a candle
mark.
The orange red hues of the sky cast an illumination over the tall tree tops. For a moment, Gabrielle stopped and watched the trees
moving in the wind. The long branches fanned upward toward the sky then dipped down like clawed fingers toward the earth.
Each time the wind blew through the branches, she saw the tendrils of the tree branches scratching at the ground as if to dig into the
earth. With a shudder, the storyteller pulled her cloak closer around her body. When she realized the sudden chill, she smiled at her
own reaction.
Ok Xena, now you’ve outdone yourself, your little joke was almost going to work, she thought with a smile. No, I will not let this
little joke get the better of me, she promised as she bolstered her courage and began to walk toward the dark forest. Before she
could take a few steps, a loud neighing sound rose from deep within the forest. She heard the sound of hooves and waited until the
horse emerged from the thick tree limbs.
“Argo?” she recognized Xena’s horse immediately. Riderless, the golden mare galloped from the dark shadows toward her.
“Woah, Argo, woah, calm down, girl,” she coaxed the horse as she grabbed its reigns, her heels dug into the ground as she
tried to stop it from its full gallop. After a moment of physically struggling, the horse stopped in her tracks and looked down
at the blonde. The mare tossed her head up, then paced nervously.
“That’s it girl, it’s alright,” Gabrielle soothed the frighten animal. “What happened girl, where’s Xena?” she asked as she
patted down the horse. She felt the damp sweat pouring from the mare’s back, noticed the slight foam that came from her
mouth. As the shorter woman inspected the saddle, she tried to understand what had happened. There was nothing to show
that Xena had fallen off, the saddle was completely intact, and the fact that there was no blood anywhere on the saddled
reassured her.
“Come on, girl, lets see what happened to Xena,” the blonde spoke in a soothing voice as she hoisted herself into the saddle.
Once seated, she took the reins and brought the horse around. In a slight trot, gallop, they made their way back to the
forest. As Gabrielle’s mind raced over the numerous possibilities, she felt the horse suddenly stop before entering the forest.
“Come on girl,” she tried to coax as she lightly tapped into Argo’s side. Refusing to move, Argo stepped back, her head
bobbing up and down as she bit down on the reins, her eyes rolling in her head from fear. When the horse almost bucked,
Gabrielle jumped from her back. “Ok girl….all right,” so cooed as she softly stroked along Argo’s nose. “It’s alright, you
don’t have to follow, just wait here for us, ok?” she said as she turned to the darkness. Dropping her satchel by the road, she
removed her cape and draped it over the bag.
With a sigh, Gabrielle looked off in the distance and wished, not for the first time, that the sun would not be setting so soon.
Shaking away this thought, she looked back at Argo who was now pacing nervously, her head turning toward the forest, then
back toward the open clearing. As if she was too close to the darkness, Xena’s horse moved to the open clearing and stood
waiting for them.
“Ok, this is fine. It’s going to be ok,” Gabrielle spoke softly into the air, attempting to bolster her courage as she moved
toward the darkness. “You know, Gabrielle, this whole thing could just be part of Xena’s little joke,” she said to herself as
she crossed the threshold of the forest, “Yep, just one big funny joke that she is defiantly going to pay for!”
At first Gabrielle wasn’t certain why it felt so….creepy, then she realized that the forest held an eerie silence. The insects that
usually buzzed were silent. Not even the gentle chirping of crickets could be heard. Just as she realized this, a sudden sound
called down from above her.
“Who, who, who,” the gentle cadence called down to her. Jumping at the sound, the blonde had her sais in her hands ready
to do battle. When she saw the golden eyes look down from a branch of a tree, she chuckled to herself.
“Calm down, Gabrielle, it’s only an owl,” she chided herself as she returned her weapons to her boots. Chuckling at her own
reaction, she glanced up at the owl, then bowed regally. “And how are you, my who friend,” she smiled as the initial fear
dissipated slightly. The owl’s eyes blinked once, then returned to its silent vigil.
“Ok, now to find Xena,” she said to herself as she continued to walk down the dirt road. The trees all around her seemed to
close in, their tendrils reaching down for her. As a shiver crossed her spine, a soft, gentle howl brushed through the trees.
“Xena?” she called as she glanced into the darkness, the road below her feet all but disappearing in the darkness. From
somewhere nearby, she felt a sharp branch cross over her cheek. Blinking at the sudden contact, Gabrielle ducked her head
as she pushed through the trees.
“Xena…” she whispered as the forest grew cold. “Xena, this is a really good joke, I have to admit that! You win, ok?” she
called out a little louder. Before an answer could be heard, she felt a cold hand resting on her shoulder. Turning suddenly,
she was greeted with a glowing figure, the bony fingers reaching out for her. With a yelp, then a scream, Gabrielle turned and
ran as fast as she could away from the creature.
Through branches and over dirt, her feet carried her further into the dense, dark forest. Finally, panting and out of breath, she
turned behind her and searched for the creature that had tried to grab her. When nothing was seen, she looked around in
hopes of finding a direction to go toward. Off in the distance, she saw a slight glow of a fire light. Sighing with relief, the small
bard began to make her way to the camp.
“Xena!” She called out a bit louder as she climbed over fallen trees. “It’s about time I found you!” her voice was loud
enough to show her anger. “So help me, Xena!” she began to say, but grew deathly silent when she broke past the last
branches into the forest clearing.
