text: The smell of an earthy dark roast coffee permeates through the air, enlightening my sense of smell with pure bliss as I take the last sip. The clock strikes six forty five and I feel the sun rays creating the first beam of light through the coffee shop windows, warming the skin of my face. Just as I am in the midst of daydreaming about my future, A bolt of energy jerks me back into reality, as the sudden chatter of twenty year old’s flood through the doors. I should become a coffee shop owner, they seem to do just fine with business, and I am tired of not knowing what I want to do with my life. I wish i didn’t have to worry about the financial troubles that have wreaked havoc in my life lately, but I digress . I mouth the words as I write the name and date on my essay, “Sierra Barre - August second, twenty -twenty four.” dragging out the R under my breathe a-midst packing up for class. The hot august sun is creeping its’ way further into the blue- cloudless sky, and trickles of sweat begin to form in my hairline as I make my way across campus. I decide to take a path that diverts from my usual one as I have some time to spare, and it’s still a path nonetheless. Wildlife overcrowds the area which makes for plenty of hidden trails for miles in every direction. I take in the beauty of my surroundings and the smell of pine bares my senses, causing a flashback of mere torture. The last family Christmas I experienced, just days before I had lost my parents and little brother to a house fire. Sadness begins to take over my emotions, losing all train of thought. A sudden ding jolts me out of my sad mind and I look down to see the name Alec across my phone screen. A little message below reading; “I missed you this morning, I’ll catch you later.” I look up from my phone, I must have really dug into the trenches of my emotions as I don’t know how much time has passed. I had led myself into a dense forest, not a single beam of light making an appearance. A reminder that the depths of my mind is a dangerous place, always leading my way to consequences of sorts. A dark feeling rushes over me as there is no sign of the path I was once following. The sound of snapping twigs and an orb emitting a red aura. I decided to follow the red orb, at which, is causing my heart to pound more intensely. The twigs still snapping as if a man in boots is stomping all over the grounds. Seconds flow by as I am welcomed into a large open circle of dirt. the trees around the circle protruding through the ground with force just before they grow in abnormal directions at the trunk. I notice the trees are outlining the circle in perfect sequence where not a single bit of vegetation seems to exist. My thoughts start to fade, as I no longer remember what was overtaking my sadness, and the orb comes to a halt in the middle of the bare grounds. A rush of energy drives through my chest and a cold chill shivers through my body, The world is now lifeless of color, events of my past start flooding my mind like a movie and an eerie whisper sends chills down my spine. “Follow me.” as if the devil himself has spoken. I am stumbling over the dirt that is below my feet, struggling to move my body forward as regret is the only thing left on my mind. I am being lead into the abyss of the woods, I stop dead in my tracks shaking like a leaf, I swear I just saw a shadow run past me. “ Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep.” the nursery prayer echoes voices of children in the distance, yet I cant distinguish from what direction. “If I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take.” The voices continue eerily right as I hear rustling in the darkness of the trees. “hey!” an ethereal voice speaks out, I jolt around in pure terror, my eyes bulge from my head. It’s my little brother, Tucker. Tucker! I shout in excitement. “shh” he holds his finger up to his mouth motioning me to stay quiet. “Don’t let him hear you.” who?! Tucker runs deeper into the woods, and I chase after him, desperate to hold him in my arms again. A few minutes go by before he disappears once more, and an old abandoned cabin catches my eye in the distance. A loud drawn out squeak echoes in the silence as I slowly open the door to the cabin, so quiet, that the sound of a fly zipping through the air would send me running. The cabin looks as if it hasn’t been touched in decades and old white sheets drape over the windows. I make my way through the cabin, the floor boards releasing a creak every few steps. I round the corner of what looks to be a living room to find another door, once again releasing another drawn out squeak as I slowly open it. I glance down at the open door, with nothing, but the sound of my heart thumping. A staircase leading downwards and an even worse feeling dreads over me. It’s dark, more dark than the shadows of the night. Tucker? I whisper quietly to see him once more. I take a deep breathe in to find myself making my way down the steps. With each foot I drag in front of the other shredding my body into the most terrified I have ever been. My breathing at this point is overpowering the sound of my heart thumping. I place my foot at the last step, looking into the obsidian distance, I hear a faint cry from what sounds like Tucker, I slowly make my towards the cry. Tucker.. I place my hand on his shoulder as he turns his head around slowly. My face drains itself of every last drop of blood, freezing myself in my tracks as I notice, this is not Tucker. His face is distorted, the holes where his eyes are supposed to be are hollow. I am filled with immense terror as I sprint back up the stairs and out of the cabin so fast, sprinting my way back the way I came through the woods. I come to an abrupt stop, confused as I have been running until my feet feel like their bleeding and I am yet, still surrounded by the abyss of the dense forest. I try to bare my focus back to the present, and right when i feel myself calming down just enough. I see shadows from all around me start coming in closer to my space and faint singing of children echo in the silence, “If I should die before I wake..” I start turning in circles as my heart is once more thumping loudly, a voice emmiting from behind me “I pray the lord my soul to take.” vibrates my hearing by that murky voice. I immediately crouch down in terror, and I let out a loud shrilling cry as i cover my face. Please.. please.. take me out of this place, I plead under my breathe. Then suddenly the songs quit and the world around me goes silent, I take my hands away from eyes, to find color fills the world around me once again and just ahead is the trail I was walking along earlier. I run back up the trail and the campus ahead lights my eyes, I have never been so happy to be back to reality. I open the coffee shop doors, not caring about the class I have missed, I just need another coffee, and time to think about what the heck just happened. An earthy dark roast scent meets my senses once again. I sit at the same spot as earlier, looking right ahead of me at the large Victorian clock to find it, striking six fifty. Blood drains from my face once more, and a hand reaches out softly toward mine. “Sierra? are you okay?” I look up to find my boyfriend with a worried look in his eyes. I met him here at school, in this coffee shop to be exact. Yeah.. I’m just tired my voice strained from the crying. He sits next to me and I can feel him looking at me as I recollect my thoughts. Hey ... I say warily.. has anyone ever talked about anything weird going on in the woods? “yeah, we call it the the devils doorway. I would advise to not go in there. There’s been stories about kids never coming back out. It’s Probably just some myth, but I also don’t want to take my chances.” Fear rushes through my veins. I think I’m gonna go home and take the day away from classes. “okay babe, Ill see you when I get home.” Alec says reluctantly. I lay my head on my pillow, my clock next to me emitting a red light with numbers reading seven fifteen. It is still morning, but after what I just went through I need to get some sleep. I am exhausted and after this I may need some therapy as well. Just as I enter the stages of sleep, I hear a lullaby, the same lullaby as earlier. “Now I lay me down to sleep.” My eyes bug open and fear riddles every ounce of my body. Once again the sound of the devils vibrates my insides “sleep tight.” I look up and the world around me is once again, lifeless of color.