He stood at the edge of the forest, staring wistfully at the bluebells just past the first line of trees. As he moved to step over the divet that surrounded the trees, a faint echoing of his mother’s voice could be heard.
“The first three trees you pass are your friends. They will protect you, stay with them when you can. The next 5 are your warning. Never walk further than the warning. You don’t want to see what they are warning you about. And always remember the faerie rules. Don’t accept their gifts, don’t step into their land, and don't give them a name.”
Jamie stepped into the thick of the trees, counting them as he walked. One, two, three friends. He still hadn’t reached the bluebells for his sister. Thanking the trees for their protection, he started counting the rest of the trees. One, two, three, four, five warnings. Jamie reached forward and pulled off a bluebell branch. As he turned to walk back past, he heard a branch snap. Remembering more of his mother’s warnings, he stayed calm and didn’t acknowledge the presence behind him until he was back within the friendly trees. In his efforts to appear calm and not look back, Jamie forgot to watch the ground beneath him. Hearing branches breaking closer to him, he looked down to see he had stepped directly into a mushroom ring. He turned to see what would end his final moments, frozen in horror, before falling to the ground.
Alice stared out into the trees. She couldn’t see any deeper than the first few before the shades of the branches enveloped everything. The warnings had been repeated time and time again -- don’t go into the forest. Don’t talk to the creatures you see. Never give anyone, even a friend, your name. She didn’t have to hear them again. But still, she never really believed them. Throughout her life, Alice had always listened to her elders. If it made them happy and made them feel safer, she would follow their advice. But tonight she turned 18. And tonight she was going to find out what was beyond the treeline.
As the sunlight began to dim, Alice steeled herself. She had a bag with some dried berries and beef jerky, a flashlight, a bag of salt (just in case) and an extra layer for when it got colder. She didn’t know how far she could go but hoped she could see the other side of the woodland. The sun had officially set at 8:13. Not a good time to leave, even if she didn’t believe the superstitions. Alice waited another two minutes before taking her bag and leaving. She didn’t even flinch as she stepped over the salt line around her house.
Circling the house, Alice decided to check the state of the circle for her parents. She did two laps to make sure everything was intact, evening out the salt lines so everything was the same thickness. Making her way back to the back porch, Alice thought she could hear a faint growling. It sounded just like the neighbour’s dog, but further away. He must have been let out for the night.
Alice stood on the back porch for longer than she had planned. Was it 10 minutes? 20? 30? She couldn’t remember anymore. What she did remember was that she hadn’t wanted to wait, but did it anyway and heightened her own nerves. Whatever was said to be out there couldn’t be that dangerous, or physical precautions would have been taken. It was worth it. She knew it.
She walked away from the house, being careful not to disturb anything on or in the ground around her, taking light steps that left barely a dent in the grass. Reaching the tree line, out of habit, Alic started counting. One, two, three friends. She paused. While entering the forest, the trees seemed to darken as the moonlight filtered through less. Everything got quieter the further she walked. Four, five warnings. Taking a moment to ask the final tree for protection, Alice took one more step and held her breath.
Nothing happened. Even if she didn't believe the superstitions, she still hesitated. But still, nothing was happening. Alice was still alive. After making it through those first 8 trees, Alice felt as though she could brave the world. Perhaps none of the superstitions were worth more than coincidence. She got out her flashlight, and everything lit up into a stunning emerald green.
The forest was certainly dark. The first few trees must have been called friends because most of the light didn't get past them. Almost no light got past the “warnings”, and when she first moved past them, Alice could only see the faint glow of firebugs and the occasional flower. As soon as she remembered her flashlight, the whole forest turned into exactly what she would expect in a faerie tale.
The further she walked, the more she fell in love with the world around her. It wasn’t long until the trees felt like home. Then the growling started. And it was moving in. It still sounded just like the neighbour’s dog, but maybe a bit deeper? She wasn’t quite sure, but she was sure that this is what the village called the monster.
Alice kept walking, for what she assumed was about 30 minutes, completely enthralled by the beauty of the forest. The sound of the growls had tuned out for her. As she moved around another tree, she was completely knocked to the ground, her bag sent flying behind her. Alice scrambled to her feet, spinning frantically trying to see what hit her. All she saw was that her bag had gone, and so was the creature that attacked her.
Alice ran. She ran, and ran, and didn’t stop running until she couldn’t see past the tears that were blurring her vision. It was only after she stopped that she realised she had gone deeper into the forest, rather than back to the tree line as she had thought. She had no idea which was was home anymore. And so, she kept walking.
It wasn’t long before she saw light. For a brief moment, Alice was convinced that she had entered the faerie realm, before reminding herself that faeries don’t exist. She kept moving towards the light, after all, it couldn’t be worse than leaving herself vulnerable to whatever attacked her.
Reaching the light, Alice saw a small cottage, overgrown with vines and roses. As soon as she looked at the door a young woman walked out. Alice drew back, watching the woman approach. She looked kind, and old at heart, although physically she couldn’t have been older than 25.
“Welcome. I believe I have something that belongs to you. And I believe I have something to teach you and your people.” The woman’s voice sounded melodic, pulsing back and forth as she spoke. She pulled out Alice’s back and placed it on the ground in front of her, before walking back inside and waiting by the door.
Alice walked forward and used a nearby stick to check for stolen belongings before taking it and walking back toward the woman. As she noticed Alice moving, the women turned and walked inside.
Entering the house, Alice noticed numerous herbs, spices, flowers and minerals hanging on the walls, some hanging freely, some hung in jars sealed with pentacles. Everywhere she looked were engravings, sigils, jars, candles, and everything else she had been told were used in black magic. Yet the woman seemed kind.
She was sitting at a small table in the back corner of the room. Alice made her way there, trying not to look too hard at the runes and bones taking up half of the table. As she approached, the woman smiled gently.
“You trust too much in everyone else’s beliefs. Sometimes, it is best to create your own” The woman turned and whistled, leading to a large dog running in.
“Take Manny for an example. Treated as a monster by your people simply for being born with red eyes. Beat and outcast, he soon became a real monster. For that is the only way a monster can come into existence, my child. He soon came here and was treated as a gift. In return, I have him. But you and your people are still a threat. And so he still fights back.”
Alice was unable to respond. Looking between the dog and the woman, she felt conflicted. On the one hand, her family and her village needed to learn from their mistakes, but on the other, finding out about this woman would get her and the dog killed. These people didn’t trust outsiders, especially if she owns the “creature” they see as the biggest threat from the forest.
After a quick cup of tea, and some very brief divinations to confirm Alice’s fears, she started to head home. Straight back, and follow the bluebells. That was what she was told. It only took about 20 minutes, allowing her to be home before midnight. No one would even notice she had been out.
The next morning she requested a town meeting. Once everyone had gathered she almost changed her mind, but remembered what they had discussed the night before.
“I have a message from the creature in the woods. You are all to blame for it’s choice to target you. You have caused the pain of many that it is using against you. And if you do not change your ways it will never leave. And I will. I am. Think, and do not follow. Once you realise what you’ve done, Follow the bluebells. There, you will find me. There, you will learn.”
And with that, Alice left, returning to the woman’s cabin and waiting for the townspeople to change.
This story is written to highlight many errors that come from tradition. It shows the importance of being able to move forward from old traditions, while not needing to completely reject them as seen by the witch’s life. It also shows the necessity of acceptance and understanding even through diversity, in order to prevent trauma and other problems in not just humans but any other living thing.
The text uses superstitions, rituals, and traditions that come from Celtic beliefs, the basis of many faerie tales and stories still told to children today. This is used to tie the gothic theme into faerie tales and similar fantasy stories. I chose to use Celtic beliefs due to not only my connection with their stories but also the ability to relate to a larger audience through the sense of a faerie tale like story. Using a secluded town with little access to modernity allows a setting that can be read as though part of many different time periods, and allows a situation where the protagonist does not have access to external information and has to make her own decisions.
It uses many classic gothic tropes in a slightly more modern setting, albeit one isolated from the rest of society. The tropes include the old, abandoned castle being replaced with the rundown cottage, the monster being a young, traumatised animal, the pathetic fallacy adjusting between the woods when they are new and threatening vs when the main character, Alice, takes the time to look at her surroundings, the difference between the stereotypical witch and the modern witch, who only uses her magick to make her life easier, and the divide between the old and new, where the village’s beliefs and superstitions date back a long time, but there is evidence they need to move forward. All of these tropes are often featured in gothic literature and all easily identifiable within any text. Through these tropes, the text is not only identifiable as gothic but is also adjusted to also be classed as a faerie tale or children’s story, allowing an appeal to a wider and more modern audience.
The layout of the story is similar to that of a tv show or movie, with a short prologue and an expendable character. This allows the audience an opportunity to learn the rules of the world they are entering and increases their immersion in the story once it begins, allowing more time for the reader to develop a relationship with the characters. In this story, I used this layout to introduce the conflict of the text and establish the high levels of superstition within the community.
My approach to the gothic literature genre has been to adjust the tropes in a way that fits a larger number of genres and therefore appeals to a larger audience. Through the use of well-known stories and beliefs, the text is relatable and easy to comprehend between generations.