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I like this world far more than I should.
There’s something comfortable about being here, something that makes me feel safe in a way I never have before. It’s a strange feeling, this safety, and sometimes I wonder if it’s wrong.
Shouldn’t I have felt safe with my father?
Shouldn’t I have felt comfortable in the village?
I walk around the exterior of the mansion. The grass is soft and lush beneath my feet, and as I walk, I can’t help but feel amazement at this place I’ve been taken. There are flowers everywhere. When Forwal brought me here, it was night, and I couldn’t see very much. The mansion looked terrifying and dangerous. In the sunshine, though, it looks beautiful, and sweet.
It looks like a home.
There are a few people walking around outside working in the yard. One man is gardening and another is painting an outside building, but they seem to ignore me as I wander around the grounds.
How does Forwal manage to live here so peacefully?
So calmly?
How does he manage this incredible life, yet still seem like a monster in so many ways?
My father was terrified of him. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.
He was horrified, and I’ve never seen Papa scared before. Not of anything. Even when my Mama died, Papa was brave, and bold, and ferocious. He didn’t let anything scare him, but things have changed.
When Forwal came, my papa was trying everything he could to raise the money he needed in time, but it just wasn’t enough. Papa tried to save me, but now that I’ve been here awhile, I have to wonder if Forwal was the one who saved me.
It’s a strange thought, but it’s been lurking in my mind ever since I arrived.
I try not to think too much about it. I know that when someone is stolen away, they eventually form an unusual bond with their captor. That’s normal. I read about it once, long ago, in a book I found.
Still, I can’t deny that life is much more interesting here at the mansion, much more fascinating. Forwal is a mystery even I can’t seem to solve. I’m not sure where he goes during the day or what his businesses are, but I do know that when he comes back at the end of each day and I get to wrap myself up in his arms, I feel complete.
I feel whole.
I feel good.
My mind wanders as I explore the yard, careful to stay away from the tree line. There’s no fence around the property, but I notice the other workers are also careful to stay away from the trees.
What monsters lurk in there?
Are they worse than the ones I’ve already seen?
Are they worse than Forwal?
Perhaps it’s because I was promised he was a monster that I don’t feel as frightened as I should right now. That’s the entire problem. Ever since he took me, I’ve been feeling things very, very deeply, but none of the emotions I’m experiencing are the ones I ought to be feeling.
Instead, I’m feeling things like excitement, curiosity, arousal.
Each feeling that fills me is the wrong one, and I’m not really sure what to do about it.
I’m so wrapped up in my thoughts, though, that I don’t realize I’m getting closer and closer to the tree line.
I don’t realize that I’m walking farther and farther from the house.
I don’t realize there’s a creature watching me from the darkness.
I don’t realize I’m being taken until it’s too late.
Before I can even scream, it grabs me and pulls me into the darkness of the forest, and the last real thought I have is that I should have listened to Forwal.
