If You Go Out In The Woods Today - 1. Chapter 1

”Helix! Here, boy!”

The darkness of the forest made it next to impossible for him to see anything. Tall trees blocked out most of the already fading sunlight. Within minutes, the daylight would be gone and he would be alone in the forest, with no real clue as to where he was.

“Helix!” Still, no reply. Not a single bark. Rubbing his face in exasperation, he stopped to think.

Devin had been dog sitting for a few day and the experience had made him decide he did want a dog, just not now. Caring for Helix, a lively Irish setter, had been fun but exhausting, with long walks and early morning outings required. It was a welcome break in the intense studying he had been doing lately. The semester had kicked off with a work load that bordered on impossible for him and playing with Helix had allowed him to let go momentarily of his whirling thoughts providing his increasingly frayed mind a bit of rest. Also, his friend and roommate Jonah had helped him in the morning on occasion, even if he had grumbled about getting up at the crack of dawn. Devin could tell Jonah liked Helix too, though.

This afternoon, the three of them had enjoyed a leisurely walk in the forest behind campus. At least up until about thirty minutes ago. Now, Helix was gone. The dog had taken off after hearing a noise and in a flash of deep-red fur, he disappeared. Jonah had tried to keep up, but Devin was faster as he chased after the dog. Without checking if Jonah was following or making sure he maintained some sense of direction, Devin had sprinted through the woods to catch up with Helix. As if he could ever be as fast as that greased lightning.

Devin tried to peer through the trees to catch sight of Helix. The situation was beginning to feel hopeless. His shoes were wet, his feet and legs hurt from the unaccustomed full-on sprint over roots and slippery dirt, he was hungry and tired from searching aimlessly. Where had that darn dog gone?

“Helix!” His breath formed a thin mist as he called for the dog. The cold made him shudder as the sweat on his back began to cool off. “Jonah?” Nothing but silence greeted him.

Devin did a full turn. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath his feet, making a loud noise in the quiet forest. For some reason, it made him uneasy to give away his presence like that. Which direction felt right? Unfortunately, no direction beckoned him. He was lost. A slight fear began to simmer in the pit of his stomach. Lost. But he knew these woods. He’d been here so many times before. It was just the dark that made it difficult to get his bearings.

Pulling out his cell phone, he discovered it had no signal. This was weird, since he wasn’t that far away from civilization. Maybe it was the dense woods blocking the signal. Worst case, he could try to climb a tree and make a call. Staring up at the tall trees he noticed they barely had any branches he could reach. He decided to hold off on that idea until he was desperate.

The October evening was cold. Not freezing yet, but cold enough to make him fear the idea of spending a night out here. He pulled his jacket closer around him in an attempt to stay warm. Then he picked a direction at random and started walking. He had to end up somewhere, didn’t he?

He struggled to see where he was going and stumbled on roots crossing his path several times. It forced him to slow down, since he didn’t want to sprain an ankle or hurt himself so badly he couldn’t walk. Even though moving at what felt like a snail’s pace was frustrating, he knew breaking a leg would turn a bad situation into something much worse.

A noise from not so far up ahead had him pick up his pace.

“Helix? Jonah?” The desperate hope that colored his voice made him realize how scared he was.

There was no reply, but Devin thought he saw a light flashing up ahead. Problem was it seemed to be deeper inside the woods. Did he dare risk going farther into the woods? But it would be more stupid to miss the chance at getting help. He cut through the underbrush as fast as he could, trying to catch up with whoever it was walking around in the woods.

“Hey! Hey, you there! Can you stop for a second?”

It wasn’t until the words left his mouth at a relatively close distance to the light source that he questioned the prudence of his actions. Who knew what was going on out in the woods at this time of day? Or evening, as it was? Maybe the person didn’t want to be interrupted? Maybe they were up to no good? Snippets of various CSI shows flashed through his mind. Would someone find him out here, all torn up? Murdered by some crazy serial killer?

He calmed his racing imagination by telling himself a serial killer would have to be pretty stupid to hang out in the woods in October waiting for a victim. And if he’d learned anything from all those shows, it was that serial killers always were really, really clever. Besides, the figure was still moving away from him. No person wanting to wear other people’s skin as a coat would move away, would they?

“Hey! Please stop! I’m sort of lost and I have no flash light. My phone doesn’t…”

A root made him tumble to the ground and his knee hit something hard sticking up out of the ground. He yelled out as pain shot through his body.

“Fuck! Fuck! Crap!”

Clasping his knee, Devin tried to keep from crying. It was damned difficult, since his knee felt as if it was broken. The fear rose quickly inside him. This could turn dangerous. He was lost and injured with no one to help him. The flash light was nowhere to be seen.

“HELP!” Devin quit pretending to be on top of things. He was too scared. “Can you hear me? HELP!”

The woods were silent and dark. Panic threatened to grab hold of him. Just then, he saw the light again and this time it was coming closer. Relief flooded him and all thoughts of serial killers vanished. Here was someone who could help him.

As the figure approached, he could tell it was a man. The light blinded him and he could only make out the contours of the man going to his knees before him.

“Thank you so much for coming back. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.” When Devin got a glimpse of the man’s face, he fell silent. There was something off about him. The man had blackened his face and pulled a woolen hat down over his head, leaving as little of his face as possible visible. He seemed to be dressed all in black. The surrounding darkness and the light shining in Devin’s face made it difficult to see clearly. The guy wasn’t much taller than him, but had broad shoulders and an imposing presence about him. Devin couldn’t be sure if it was a trick of the shadows and light playing over the man’s face, but he appeared to have something protruding from his head hidden under the hat. Horns? No, that was silly.

“You’re lost?” The man’s voice was deep and coarse. It sent shivers down Devin’s spine, from fear or strange attraction was hard to discern. Their eyes met briefly, adding to his confused state, before the stranger turned his gaze away to survey the forest. Devin realized he wouldn’t mind spending more time losing himself in those dark, glinting pools.

“Yes, a little. I know these woods really, but my dog ran away and I followed. Well, it’s not my dog exactly, but I’m…”

“You’re hurt?” Cutting him off abruptly, the stranger looked him over.

Any other time, Devin would have found the guy rude for interrupting him, but right now he was grateful for any help he could get. The calm energy exuded by the guy set him at ease, even if he looked strange. Devin found himself drawn to the man. The weirdness of it all had Devin shaking his head. He was letting this experience get to him.

“Yeah, I tripped and banged my knee. It hurts like a motherf… very much.”

The man didn’t respond, but simply reached out and touched his knee. Warmth from his hands seeped in through Devin’s jeans. Devin had a split-second thought that the hands must be very warm, before the sudden pain of the man straightening his leg made him groan. When his helper bent the leg again, a yelp passed Devin’s lips.

“Not broken.” After reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a piece of fabric. It looked like a scarf. He wrapped it around Devin’s knee and tied a tight knot. It hurt at first, but then the added support eased the pain to a dull throb.

“Oh wow, I feel better already.” With some help from an outstretched hand, Devin managed to get up off the ground. The offered hand was comforting and strong. Tentatively, he put some weight on his aching knee. To his surprise, it could support his weight with only some pain. He squinted against the light from the flashlight, trying to get a better look at his savior. “I’m so grateful, Mr….?”

There was no answer. Instead, the guy turned and at a fast pace he headed away into the woods.

“Wait! Can’t you tell me your name so I can thank you properly later?”

“Turn around and walk in the opposite direction. You’ll reach the trail in five minutes.” The words were spoken over the shoulder, but he didn’t stop. It seemed as if he didn’t want Devin to know who he was.

Devin staggered after the disappearing man. Suddenly, the light from the flashlight vanished, lunging Devin into almost complete darkness. It was as if the ground had opened up and swallowed the guy. Gone without a sound or trace. Almost as if by magic.

Stumped, Devin stopped. He could still feel the touch of that strong hand linger on his skin. Despite it only being a brief touch, they had connected. The man’s face was strangely difficult to recall, even if Devin tried to picture him. The details escaped him, leaving only a vague impression of a strong chin, a rugged face and those horns. But why would he have horns? It didn’t make sense. In contrast, his hypnotic eyes were vivid in Devin’s mind. In the dark, he tried to figure out what had happened. Before he could decide on what to do, he heard a dog bark behind him.

“Devin!” Jonah’s distant voice was filled with concern.

“I’m here!” As fast as he could, Devin made his way towards the sound. When he reached the path, he saw Jonah with Helix on a leash and a flashlight in his hand. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”

“Where the hell did you go?” Jonah sounded mad, but Devin assumed it was due to worrying about him.

“I tried to catch Helix. Did he come back?” Gingerly crouching down, Devin scratched the dog behind an ear.

“After a while he got tired of that squirrel or whatever it was he was chasing. But then you were gone.” There was no mistaking what Jonah thought of that occurrence.

“Sorry. I just didn’t want to lose him. Talk about epic fail dog sitter…” The attempted joke didn’t remove the frown from Jonah’s face, but then he spotted Devin’s bandaged knee and concern replaced annoyance.

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

“I fell and banged my knee. It’s OK.” Devin shrugged. “But you’ll never believe who helped me. Some kind of woodsman.” An idea suddenly sparked in his mind. An idea that would explain his mystery meeting. “Or a woodland creature!”

“Creature?” With eyebrows raised, Jonah snorted a laugh. “I pretty sure lumberjacks would take offence to that.”

“No, I mean a real creature! Someone not human!” The more Devin thought about it, the more sense it made. It would explain that immediate almost magical connection. These were ancient woods. Why wouldn’t some mystical being live here?

“Did you bang your head too…?” Concerned, Jonah touched his forehead.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it was so strange. He was there and then he wasn’t. Just vanished as if he’d gone up in smoke. Or been devoured by the ground!” Devin could hear himself sounding perilously close to a lunatic. “It could have been just a trick of the light from his flashlight, but it was so weird. And the guy himself was weird. He hardly spoke and looked kind of funny.” And his touch was magic. Devin decided to keep that to himself, though.

“So, he’s a creature…? You don’t think he could be one of those silent types? And ‘looked funny’?” What are you – twelve?”

“No, I mean he had horns!” When Jonah’s eyes widened, Devin regretted telling his friend but he couldn’t back out now. “I didn’t see them, but it looked like he had horns under his hat.” It did sound crazy, even to him and he had been there.

Jonah shook his head, disbelief etched on his face.

“All right, it’s time to get you home. That much is obvious.” He turned on the path. “Here, Helix!”

The trek home was mostly quiet, with only the odd command to Helix breaking the silence. Devin could tell Jonah thought he was nuts. Maybe he was. The memories of the guy were already hazy, as if he hadn’t really gotten a good look at him. But he had. Did the stranger simply not want to be seen? Perhaps he could shield his appearance? But that couldn’t be. Devin figured he was probably just tired.

Once back home, he fed Helix and then retreated to his room. He sat on the bed and untied the piece of fabric his rescuer had used. It was a bandana in an intricate black and white pattern. Flexing his leg a couple of times told him he would be sore in the morning but not in need of a doctor. After a quick visit to the bathroom, he collapsed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

The night wasn’t a restful one, with dreams keeping him from relaxing. All through the night, he was in the woods chasing after Helix and then he fell causing the pain to tear through him. The face of the woodsman appeared in front of him, but disembodied and floating. It was distorted and no matter how much he tried he couldn’t focus on any detail. Except the bumps protruding on the man’s head, hidden beneath the hat. The protrusions seemed important in his dream, but when he reached out to remove the hat, the dream started over and another cycle of pain and confusion began.

When Devin woke up from his alarm going off, he was nowhere near ready for a new day. Luckily, he had no classes that day, only a shift at the coffeeshop around the corner. His knee was sore as expected, but he could walk with a moderate limp. Standing for a few hours making coffee and plating scones would be pushing it, but he figured he could do it. He needed the money, so calling in sick wasn’t an option.

At work, he found his mind kept going back to the dream he’d had and specifically the appearance of the man he’d met. Why was his brain so insistent on this? Why was it important? Quite a few times, he spaced out, making customers wait impatiently. His manager gave him some angry glares, but they made it through the shift without an outright fight.

Walking home in the brisk October afternoon, he decided to push the whole incident from his mind. As he lay on his bed doing some much needed studying, he fell asleep exhausted and the dream started again. Only this time, the man’s eyes were haunting him. Dark pools with an infinite depth, pulling him in and seeing into his soul.

“Who are you?” Devin tried to talk to the illusive man but only got a crooked smile in return. When he reached out, the man dissolved like an image reflected in water. “No, no! Come back! I need to know who you are! Why are you doing this to me?”

Devin woke with a start.

“Dammit!” It annoyed him to wake up. Awake, he would have no way to contact the man. Realizing how crazy those thoughts were, Devin went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. These were dreams. He was not in contact with anyone. If it only didn’t feel so real.

For over a week, he was haunted by the dream. Some things got progressively clearer, like the man’s magnetic eyes and the bumps on the head. A few times, he could feel the heat from those hands on his body. Devin found it hard to function in school and at work, but he muddled through. There would be exams soon and he needed to study. His courses were demanding and he knew he hadn’t worked hard enough to keep up lately and maintaining his grades for his scholarship would take more than that. However, all his focus was torn to shreds with images of the guy constantly flooding his mind. He found it more and more difficult to block the images.

Gradually, the dreams turned increasingly sexual. The images themselves didn’t exactly change, but the feel of them did. The man’s gaze upon him, Devin’s need to touch him, the pull between them. Soon, Devin found himself masturbating in the school library bathroom during the day, after thoughts of the woodsman had overtaken his brain. He had been powerless to stop himself and felt both embarrassed and ashamed by his behavior.

Laying on his bed staring at the ceiling, Devin knew he had to do something. But what could he do? A glance at his computer gave him an idea. If he could just figure out who it was he had met out there, he would be able to move on with his life. But where would he start? When he sat down and tried to formulate a search, he realized how demented it sounded. “Woodland people”, “woodsman”, “underground creature”… Even though it made no sense, Devin couldn’t shake the feeling he had encountered something unusual. How else could the man appear and disappear out of thin air? If it was simply a guy, why was Devin so obsessed by someone he’d only met for a moment? No, this sort of obsession must have another explanation. Something supernatural.

Soon, he was lost on a fact-finding mission, going from one Wikipedia page to another, letting his instinct guide him through the links. There were so many myths and legends he had never heard of. They couldn’t be all made up, could they? What was it they said about smoke and fire? A grain of truth in all folklore? The ideas had to come from somewhere. Devin found it comforting, since it made him feel less alone in his conviction. He collected his various finds in a folder, naming it Woody. The corny name made the whole thing seem more like a joke. Not as if he was researching a man who’d taken over his thoughts so completely.

The phone rang and startled him. Disoriented as if awakened from a long nap, he answered.

“Where the hell are you? Your shift started five minutes ago!” His boss sounded livid.

“But I don’t start until…” Devin looked at his phone and found it hard to believe his eyes. He’d been trawling the internet for clues for five hours. “Oh, shit! I’m sorry. I lost track of time. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I promise!”

All during his shift, Devin’s mind kept going over his discoveries. He couldn’t wait to get home to continue finding answers. Luckily, it was a slow afternoon and he didn’t piss off his boss any more than he already had. He knew he had to be on his best behavior for a while now, just to make up for getting in so late. The money was too good to risk over some strange guy. At the end of the shift, his boss shot him a half smile, which made him relax. She wasn’t too upset with him.

When he got back, he went straight to his laptop and continued his search.

“What are you doing?” Jonah was standing behind him, peering over his shoulder.

Devin hadn’t even noticed him come in.

“Just research on that guy I met.”

“Research? On the lumberjack?” Jonah looked at him perplexed. “What do you mean research? And why?”

“I’ve been having these dreams, intense dreams and I just know I have to see him again.”

“You dream about the lumberjack?”

“He’s not a lumberjack!” For some reason, Devin felt upset Jonah would label his mystery man something so trivial as a lumberjack. “There’s something about him. It’s like we’re connected.”

“You have a crush on him. You haven’t even been on a date since Alex, let alone had sex…” Jonah snickered. “The deprivation is apparently doing things to your brain.”

“I found a lot of information on gnomes.” Devin ignored Jonah’s attempt at a joke.

Jonah started laughing.

“Your fantasy guy is three feet tall and stands around in gardens?”

“No, he’s not.” After a deep breath to rein in his mounting anger, Devin tried to explain. “According to Tolkien, gnomes are magnificent and beautiful creatures. Nothing like garden gnomes. And they live below ground.”

“You do know Tolkien was a fiction writer?”

“He was very insightful and educated.”

“And he made up book after book based on old legends which he tweaked to fit his purpose.”

“OK, listen to this then: dryads are tree spirits, often one with their tree.” Devin saw the skeptical look on Jonah’s face. “Don’t you get it? Tree spirits! He disappeared into a tree to hide. It says here they are very shy.”

“They are women.” When Devin didn’t catch on, Jonah gestured towards the laptop. “The dryads are women. Unless you’ve made a very drastic change in interests, you would not be drooling over a dryad. Stop that ridiculous fantasizing and let’s go eat. I’m feeling like pizza. But I got to shower first.”

With Jonah out of the room, Devin read the text on dryads more carefully. And his roommate was right. Dryads were female. Damn it. The disappointment of not being closer to the answer deflated Devin. Maybe pizza would be just the thing he needed.

He tried to discuss the whole thing with Jonah during pizza, but Jonah made it perfectly clear he thought his roommate was nuts for being so hung up on a person he’d met only briefly. They almost started a full-on argument over the whole supernatural thing.

“Devin, I think you really need to let this go now.” Jonah hesitated before he continued. “It sounds bat-shit crazy to be honest.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not crazy! I know what I saw and I know the dreams mean something!”

Devin decided to leave it. No use in falling out with Jonah over this. When he had all the answers, he would show him instead.

That night, the dreams were even more vivid. It was as if all his research had fueled his thoughts instead of curbing them. Before he could stop himself, he got out of bed, snatched the bandana from under his pillow and was on his way to the woods once more. This time, he brought a flashlight so he wouldn’t fall over in the dark. He figured he wouldn’t get lost if he stayed on the trail. The place of his strange encounter hadn’t been that far away from the marked trail, so he should be able to see any activity farther in the woods without getting lost.

The night chill made him shiver repeatedly and he burrowed deeper into his coat. Dressed all in black, he would be practically invisible in the dark. Maybe that would help him get close enough to solve this mystery and reveal the true nature of this creature who took up so much of his thoughts. In his mind, he went over the findings from his research. None of it seemed to fit, so perhaps he had stumbled upon an unknown being? Devin decided not to worry. He was sure the bond between them would explain everything.

A flash of light to his right made him freeze. It must be him! Forgetting his previous decision to be careful, Devin set off at a run, hunched over to avoid both detection and the low branches. His pulse sped up when he realized there really was someone out there. As Devin got closer, he slowed down. His breathing was so loud, he was sure the creature would hear him. Weren’t they supposed to have super-hearing? And night-vision? Devin crouched down, half hidden behind an old, gnarly tree. He was sure his target would take off if Devin was spotted too far away.

The dark made it hard to see and being occasionally blinded by the other guy’s flashlight didn’t help matters. Devin squinted in an attempt to make out more details. They could perhaps give him more clues to add to his research. Then it suddenly dawned on him. He was hiding behind a tree in the middle of the night trying to get a glimpse of a guy who had been invading his dreams and occupying his mind for days now. Wouldn’t the sane thing be to approach him? Did he dare take the chance? Maybe the object of his obsession didn’t want anyone to find him? He had been rather brusque at their first encounter. The mere thought of being rejected made Devin uneasy. But they had such a strong connection. A bond through the dreams. He was sure of it. If he could just get a little closer, then perhaps he would know what to do. It would all work out. He slowly inched his way forward.

A twig snapped under Devin’s foot. The activity stopped immediately. So perhaps super-hearing wasn’t a bad guess.

“Who’s there!?!”

The voice was just as he remembered. Low, raspy and delicious. Still, he couldn’t get himself to speak. The flashlight came closer and closer, but Devin couldn’t move. Not to present himself, nor to run away. Feeling like an idiot stalker, he remained frozen to the spot as he watched the vague figure approach through the dense forest. The flashlight occasionally illuminated the guy’s face, giving Devin brief glimpses. It reinforced his conviction. This was not an ordinary man. The angles of the face, the pronounced brow, powerful cheekbones and strong chin, made him seem more like a classic werewolf. The hat was firmly in place, pulled down over his head and Devin could see those hints of bumps again. So no werewolf, then.

“Show yourself! I know you’re there!”

On shaking legs, Devin rose. They were only a few yards from each other. Trembling, Devin held out the bandana.

“I came to return this.”

His voice sounded weak. Not a good second impression. He had fantasized about this meeting and not once had he imagined presenting himself as a scared pitiful excuse of a man.

The man took a few more steps, keeping the flashlight firmly trained on Devin, eliminating any possibility of getting a good look at his face.

“What? That?” His voice betrayed his confusion.

“Yes, you lent it to me when you helped me that night.” Devin hesitated. Did he not remember? How could he not remember? “I had fallen and hurt my knee.”

Grunting, the man reached out and snatched the bandana. For a fleeting moment, their fingers touched. Immediately, the warmth of the man’s hand sent tremors through Devin. The brief touch made him want to latch on and never let go. He didn’t know if it was imaginary or real, but he thought he could smell the man’s scent. Earthy, masculine.

After stuffing the piece of fabric in his pocket, the man turned to head back into the forest.

“You should have listened to me back then. The woods are no place for someone like you at night. You could get hurt.”

The clear dismissal in his voice hurt with unexpected intensity.

“Wait!”

The man didn’t stop. Devin tried to follow him, but when the man turned off his flashlight he quickly vanished. Just like the last time. As if swallowed by the ground. He had probably returned to his own world. Where no humans could enter.

In the dark of the forest, Devin felt like an idiot. He was apparently not interesting enough for this amazing being. His body remembered the man’s touch, his scent and already craved more. Going home was the last thing Devin wanted to do, but he somehow knew there would be no more encounters that night. The walk home was made with heavy feet. Had he ruined the chance of them ever getting to know each other? Had he seemed like an idiot? He sure felt like one. But the bond between them had to be strong enough to overcome this. Maybe it really was dangerous out here and he was only trying to protect Devin? It wasn’t fair to get angry at someone who merely wanted him to be safe.

The next morning, he staggered out of bed and into the kitchen to get some coffee. With too little sleep and more intense dreams, he felt terrible.

“Geez… What happened to you?” Jonah was already up, sipping his morning coffee. “You look like shit. I hope you’re still up to going to the Halloween party tonight. It’s going to be awesome.” The last word was spoken ironically, in a “dude” voice.

Devin filled his mug and collapsed on a chair at the table before replying.

“I saw him again.”

“Who?” Jonah didn’t bother to look up from flipping through some app on his phone.

Devin couldn’t believe Jonah even asked. How could he not know?

“The guy! The woodsman!”

“What? Where? You didn’t go out last night.” Now, Jonah’s attention was firmly on him. However, the look on his friend’s face wasn’t one of support. More filled with doubt.

“Well, I went out pretty late. I think you were already asleep.” Even though Devin tried to shrug it off as normal, but saying it out loud made him realize how Jonah would take it.

“But that would mean you went out in the middle of the night!” Jonah leaned back in his chair with an incredulous look on his face. “This is getting out of hand. The research and fantasies are one thing. Running around in the woods at night alone… That’s crazy! It could be dangerous.”

“I’m a grown man!”

“Could’ve fooled me!”

Devin got up to escape into his room, but Jonah grabbed his arm.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just worry about you. This isn’t normal, your obsession. You’re slipping in your school work. College can be difficult for anyone, but you have to get your act together. Don’t think I didn’t see you got a really low grade on your last paper.” The stern look on his face almost made Jonah the spitting image of Devin’s father. “Also, you hardly eat and you don’t sleep. All you talk about is some weirdo who lives in the woods.”

“He’s not a weirdo! Just because we don’t fully understand what he is, it’s no excuse for being mean!”

“What is there to understand? He’s a guy spending a suspicious amount of time in the woods at night. In the dark. Alone. Do you need me to spell out the weirdness in that?”

“But he’s a…”

“No! I don’t want to hear that crap again!” Jonah stood up. “There are no mysterious creatures living in the woods. He’s a guy. A creepy guy!” Slamming his bedroom door behind him, Jonah effectively ended the conversation. The anger was threatening to make Devin do something stupid, so he quickly gathered his stuff and left the apartment.

Since classes didn’t start for an hour, he went to the library. Instead of using his time for some much needed studying, his mind kept going over and over all that had happened. When his anger subsided, he realized Jonah was only looking out for him. It wasn’t so strange his roommate thought he sounded crazy. Jonah had never met the woodsman. He couldn’t possibly understand. But he was right, though. This had to stop. Devin had to set things right.

He would convince the woodsman of how well they fit together. And he would do it that night.

After a day lost to planning and preparing, Devin anxiously waited for Jonah to go to the party. He had declined to come and Jonah hadn’t pushed the matter. In fact, his friend seemed a bit relieved when Devin said he wouldn’t go. The roommates hadn’t outright argued again, but instead avoided contact. Cooking dinner had been tense, but Devin knew that after tonight he could apologize to Jonah and perhaps even introduce him to his new boyfriend. Maybe they would all have to meet in the woods. Devin wasn’t sure the woodsman could leave the woods, but he was convinced they would work it out somehow.

When the apartment was finally quiet, Devin snuck out. This time, his feet almost flew over the asphalt and later the muddy trail. He was so eager to finally explain to his man how they were meant to be together. The woodsman must feel it too, since they kept running into each other in the woods despite super-hearing and night-vision. Devin only wished he knew his name. He wanted to call out to him to proclaim his arrival, to let the man know he could safely come out from his tree or underground dwelling and meet Devin in a celebration of their love. They were meant to be, so why shouldn’t he let the whole forest know?

As he approached the spot where he last had seen the man, Devin was bubbling with excitement. Soon, very soon, his wait would be over. There was no other explanation for this than them being destined to be mates.

Without warning, the quiet night was ripped apart by shouts and a flurry of activity. The forest was suddenly full of people dressed in black and a multitude of flashlights cutting through the dark. Confused, Devin stopped. Why were there so many people here? Maybe tonight was some sort of celebration. Halloween was a big night for the supernatural. He cursed himself. Why didn’t he think about that before? His woodsman probably had plans for the night. Then again, meeting your mate on Halloween must be the equivalent to meeting a boyfriend on Valentine’s. So why would he mind?

“I’m here now! We can finally talk!” Walking into the commotion, Devin couldn’t suppress the smile on his face.

Out of nowhere, someone tackled him to the ground. For a few thrilling moments, Devin thought it was his woodsman, but then he noticed the scent was off. This guy smelled of aftershave and onions.

“Who the hell are you?” Not waiting for an answer, the man in black pinned Devin to the ground. “Stay down.”

“What’s going on?” Wriggling frantically got Devin nowhere. “What are you doing?”

There was no answer. The guy didn’t move.

“We got him, chief!” The shouted words from afar made the man on Devin’s back relax noticeably. He got up and pulled Devin to his feet.

In front of them, two men were restraining another man. His woodsman! He was dressed all in black as usual, but not hat. Instead, there were some sort of goggles on his head.

“Don’t hurt him!” Devin struggled to get free, but no one paid him much attention.

“So, it ends here then.” The man in black holding Devin addressed the woodsman. “Your little drug factory in the woods is finally closed. You won’t be selling your crap on the streets anymore.”

“Fuck you!”

The woodsman spat at the man, who in response reached out and grabbed the goggles. Devin noticed they were night vision goggles. But his woodsman didn’t need that. He already had perfect vision at night. It made no sense.

“No, I think you’ll find others who will pay you that favor once you’re in jail where you belong.” The other men around them chuckled as the woodsman squirmed to get away.

“But you’ve got it all wrong! He’s not a drug dealer! He’s my mate…” Devin felt himself blush. “I mean he’s my woodsman. He lives here. We were supposed to meet tonight, so I could finally get to see his realm.”

A hush fell over the forest. All eyes were on Devin who started to sweat. This was not how it was supposed to be.

“Realm? What are you talking about?”

“His realm... The tree is only a passage way to his own world, where he lives. He can only visit our human world at night and has to be careful not to be spotted!” If he could only make them all see what a mistake they were making. The looks he was receiving showed it wouldn’t be an easy task.

“Do you know this guy?” The man behind Devin spoke to the woodsman.

“No, I’ve got nothing to do with that crazy motherfucker.”

The woodsman’s words hit Devin like a lash across his heart.

“How can you say that? We are mates! Destined to be!” He had planned to tell him in a more romantic way, but it seemed he couldn’t wait.

“Get that fucking lunatic out of my face!” The woodsman scrunched up his face in disgust.

“OK, boys. Load him in the car and call in the techs to process his little hideout.”

Devin watched as they dragged the love of his life away. He wanted to scream and protest, but the words stuck in his throat. The only words floating around in his head were “fucking lunatic”.

“So, you might be a little loony, but there’s no law against that. You’re however part of this investigation, so I’m going to need a name and contact information. You’ll have to leave a statement.”

“Sure…” Dazed, Devin gave the man what he wanted. “What was he doing out here?” He was afraid to ask but had to know.

“He had set up a little drug production plant in an abandoned underground military storage unit. Been so long since anyone used it, it’s practically one with the forest.” The man eyed Devin. “You out here to buy? That would be illegal. Is that why you’re spouting all that nonsense? Withdrawal? Or are you high?”

“No, no!” Devin tried to think fast. It was as if the confusion of the past weeks had finally lifted and he could see clearly again. He didn’t like what he saw. Had he really been that far gone? “I guess I just got caught up in the Halloween spirit.”

The man eyed him suspiciously.

“I’ll be in touch.” After a quick jog, the man got in the car with the others and they drove off.

Devin stared at the red tail lights as they got farther and farther away. After standing in the cold and dark for a long time, Devin knew he had to leave the forest. With a heavy heart, he trudged home. Jonah would have a field day with this.