The leaves whispered as the sun vanished behind the ridge. I should’ve turned back hours ago, but something—someone—kept me walking deeper. My phone battery has been long dead. So are the two power banks. The merchant sold them as 20,000 mAh. It is more like 2,050 mAh. The path had long disappeared. With every rustle, my heart made an attempt to leap out of my mouth. A low growl rumbled behind me.
I ran.
Branches clawed at my face and my arms. My breath turned heavy. Panic tunnelled my vision. I tripped. It was a root. Or maybe a hand, was it a hand? I crashed to the forest floor. Lying still, listening, waiting.
Silence. Whoever (or whatever) that was pursuing me lost interest.
Then, a whisper – not from the trees, but inside me.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
I recite Psalm 23 and the Lord’s prayer every night with Ben by my side. I breathed it again. Louder. Clearer. Not a spell. Not magic. Just…truth. Ah … the truth shall set me free. From fear. From panic. From uncertainty.
I got back on my feet. The trees no longer loomed. The fear didn’t vanish, but I felt its grip loosened. I spotted a faint trail and followed it, heart steadying.
Thirty minutes later, I stumbled out near a camping site – muddy, scraped, and looking like I’d lost a fight with a squirrel.
The ranger blinked. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “I got lost. Then I remembered who knows the way.”
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