Gabrielle glanced around the empty camp. In the center of the clearing was a neatly made camp fire, the wood that had been
gathered was left strewn around the camp. Xena’s pack sat untouched by the dying embers. As the blonde moved around
the camp, she glanced at everything, hoping that she could find some clues to what had happened to her lover. After what felt
like an eternity, Gabrielle became frozen in place as a low, wailing sound rose from behind her. As the hair stood on the back
of her neck, she turned slowly around and glanced into the dark forest.
“Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” the deep, resonating moan of a man echoed through the branches.
For a moment in time Gabrielle thought her heart had stopped. Her mind was frozen as her body was petrified with fear. As
her hearing became acutely aware of everything around her, the sound reverberated through the darkness again.
“Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” it called out, beckoned for her like a phantom in the night.
“Oh…my….” Gabrielle said as she looked up into the thick branches of the trees. A face, large and white glared down at
her, its eyes casting rays or red heat.
Instinctively, Gabrielle turned and ran away from the sight, away from the camp fire. Panic and filled with fear, she found
herself running through the dark forest, the low branches of the trees slapping her rudely in the face, her feet stumbling over
hidden rocks. As she slowed her pace, the blonde glanced over her shoulders to see if she was being chased. Panting and
out of breath, she turned back around and saw a large phantom standing in the middle of her path.
“BOO!” it called out as Gabrielle released a slight scream while her hands moved to protect herself. When the slight laughter
came from the creature, she remained frozen, her weapons at ready as she stared at the glowing spirit.
“XENA!” the infuriated woman recognized her lover’s laughter. With the danger gone, Gabrielle returned her weapons to her
boots.
Unable to control her fit of hysteria, the warrior removed the blanket that was covering her head as she buckled over holding
her side. “Oh….Gabrielle! You ….s-should see your face!” the warrior cackled in the darkness.
Angered, Gabrielle reached out and slightly slapped at her lovers shoulder, “Xena, this was all a joke!” she screamed at the
warrior who was laughing so hard that tears fell from her eyes.
“Yeah….I-I’m…..sorry….oh, Gabrielle! Your expression was priceless,” Xena giggled like a hyena as she fought to control
her fits.
With only a shake of her head, the storyteller turned away from her lover and moved back to the camp fire. The sound of
Xena’s cackling followed her as they made their way back through the dense forest. When they entered the open clearing,
Gabrielle folded her arms over her chest and glared at the warrior who suddenly sat on the ground, her giggles breaking free
as she tried valiantly to control them. Seeing Xena like this, she shook her head as a sigh escaped her control. Then with a
smile, she began to echo her lover’s giggles.
“So this was all a joke?” Gabrielle asked through her spasms of laughter.
“Yeah,” Xena nodded as she wiped the tears from her eyes, then doubled over from more fits of laughter. “I’m sorry!” she
chortled as she held her side.
“The camp fire….the logs, the packs, it was all part of the joke?” the blonde asked Xena.
“Yeah…” Xena’s chuckled softly as she nodded yes.
“The stable man….and the old man out on the trail…even Argo, that was all part of the joke?” She asked as her giggles
were raging out of control. At her sudden question, Xena sat up and looked around.
“Argo? What happened to Argo,” she asked as she stood and looked around the camp.
“Come on Xena, joke over. It’s ok, I know you planned it all and I should have figured out that Argo was in on it!”
Gabrielle laughed heartedly.
With a look of concern, Xena turned to her. “No, Gabrielle, I’m serious. What happened to Argo? What do you mean?”
At the seriousness of her lover, Gabrielle laughter stopped. “You mean you didn’t send her out of the forest all worked up?”
With a gulp and a shake of her head, Xena shook her head no.
“Oh, come on Xena, fun is fun, but the joke is over! You’re not going to tell me that you didn’t set this all up? That you didn’
t tell the stable man to try to scare me, or that you didn’t talk the peddler into scaring me, or Argo into running out of the
forest in fear?” Gabrielle was starting to get annoyed at the length of this joke.
“No, Gabrielle. I swear, I didn’t talk to anyone and I certainly didn’t send Argo away. I had her right there,” she pointed to a
nearby meadow, “I was going to take her saddle off, but then I thought of playing this trick on you, and…well, Argo became
occupied with the grass, so I left her alone to eat,” Xena explained, then looked down seriously at her lover, “And I most
certainly did not talk to anyone. I just gave the parchment to the stable boy to give to you.”
“Then all of that talk about there being spirits here?” Gabrielle hoped that it was all part of the joke.
“Gabrielle, that rumor has always existed about this forest. I knew about it a long time ago, but my army never had any
troubles.” Xena answered.
“Then you’ve been here before?” the blonde suddenly felt a chill cross her spine.
“Yes…well, I mean, we never camped in this forest, but we used it as a short cut to get to Amphipolis. We never saw
anything that resembled a spirit,” Xena explained with a shake of her head.
“Then this place isn’t….haunted?” Gabrielle asked.
“No sweetheart, it is not haunted,” Xena assured as she moved to gather the fallen wood, “And I don’t know what spooked
Argo, maybe a woodchuck, or something,” Xena offered.
