Barefoot in the haunted woods at night

by sharleen wl

this is actually the last part of the barefoot staycation series. the title "barefoot in the haunted woods at night" refers to the woods behind my apartment complex where i spent most of the day barefoot the first day of my staycation but didn't want to be there after dark since it's rumored to be haunted. did i finally do it? you'll find out soon. but before we get started...

just a little note about aiden the restaurant manager. he left the next morning (tuesday) at around 10:30 and went straight to the restaurant which opens at 11 am after having a fun night in my apartment ;).

the following days were pretty much uneventful. nothing super interesting. i mean they were exciting as i got to go barefoot the entire time but i don't want to keep telling you similar things and bore you to tears lol. fast forward to saturday.

i spent the whole day with my sister tania who came to visit me and we went shopping and had dinner together. of course she was barefoot too. after she left i was relaxing in my apartment getting ready to go to bed when suddenly my phone rang. it was my friend erika, one of the servers at the restaurant where i work. she happens to also have sundays off and was wondering if i would want to get together the next day. i said yes and asked her what time. she said she had to go to church and would come to my apartment right after it finishes around noon. "don't you go to church too?" she asked.

"nope, i'm an ahteist," i replied.

"oh, so your a lost soul bound for hell!" she said.

"a god who sends people to hell to be tortured for eternity for whatever reason doesn't deserve to be worshiped even if he exists. i'd rather spend my time sleeping in or eating brunch," i replied.

"haha, chill! i was just teasing. i also don't believe any of that shit but unfortunately i'm still living with my parents so i have to kinda appease them so they won't kick me out until i'm ready to live on my own which i hope will be soon. i envy you but i look forward to the time i can join you for sunday brunches," said erika. despite her optimism she sounded a little sad towards the end.

unfortunately many young people have to put up with a lot of religious bs their parents/family try to impose on them. what the religious people often don't realize (or maybe they just don't care) is that they can't force other people to believe anything. and that's a fact! i mean they can put a gun to their heads or threaten them with eternal torture in hell and tell them they better believe, and they'll say ok. but do they really believe? ok, getting off my soapbox now lol. on to more barefooting fun.

12:20 pm sunday afternoon, my doorbell rings. its erika. she's dressed just like i am - shorts and a crop top. the only difference is she's wearing flip flops, the staple footwear here on the islands. as is customary here, she takes her flip flops off and goes barefoot before entering my apartment. i show her around and then we sit on the couch and chat a little. we then decide to drive to the other side of the island, to the tourist area for lunch. as we step out the door erika looks at my feet and says, "aren't you forgetting something?"

"nope!" i reply and we both giggle. she knows i'm a barefooter. its a nice scenic half hour drive over the mountains. the tourist place is pretty crowded and we see a few of the tourists walking around barefoot and even into shops and restaurants. its right by the beach so its no big thing. we enjoy our lunch and do a little shopping and sight seeing afterwards. i don't get to go there very often so its kind of a nice sunday afternoon treat.

its like 5 pm when we get back to my apartment. erika is about the same age as me and she's really fun to be with. we talk about alot of things and watch some videos. she asks me what i've been doing on my staycation. i tell her i love nature and the very first day i went into the woods behind my apartment and had a great time. she says she's also a nature person and would love to walk into the woods too. "why don't we go there now," she says.

"but its already after 6. we really don't have much time before it gets dark," i reply.

"hey, don't you think it would be fun to be in there after dark? we can see and hear different animals than we normally do during the day. you have a flashlight don't you?" she asks.

i'm a little surprised. "yeah, but... haven't you heard? the place is supposedly haunted."

"hahaha! i thought you were an atheist. you believe in that shit?"

"well, being an atheist just means you don't believe in a god or gods but you can still believe in other spiritual or supernatural things. actually i'm not even sure i believe in ghosts, but i love ghost stories and sometimes i wish they were real although i probably wouldn't wanna see one myself," i try to explain.

"well, i don't believe in ghosts. there's a rational explanation for everything," she says. "but just curious, what do people say about the place?"

"some who have been there after dark often heard strange unembodied voices. others said they saw a ghostly old woman."

"hmm... interesting. i bet the woman is a real person. she probably just enjoys nature like we do and likes to hang out in the woods even after dark. people just didn't expect to see her so they got scared. or it could be like a mist or fog which in the dark could resemble the figure of a woman. and the voices, they were likely animals. you know some wild animals make weird sounds. let's go check it out and see if we experience anything strange."

i hesitate and erika says, "come on, don't be a chicken. i thought you were pretty adventurous."

i give her a stink eye (a hawaiian slang for dirty look) and say, "ok let's go!" i'm thinking wtf, at least i won't be alone so it won't be too scary. besides, it would be thrilling to go barefoot in the (haunted) woods at night. so i go get my flashlight. i only have one but erika says that's all we need. she can use her phone's flashlight if necessary.

its already dark when we step out the door for we wasted time arguing earlier. the moon hangs low in the sky, casting a spooky glow upon the woods behind my apartment complex. there's something both exciting and kinda eerie about walking in a forest at night. its like stepping into another world. drawn by the mysterious whispers of the wind and the allure of the unknown, my bare feet feel alive with sensation as i relish the cool touch of the forest floor against my soles. not gonna lie, i feel a little anxious nonetheless. but erika's excitement is a beacon of courage. she has an uncanny ability to make even the most terrifying ideas seem like exhilarating escapades.

the woods which tree line is visible from my apartment, and i played in just a few days ago, are definitely different at night. its filled with creepy sounds and shadows that dance in the moonlight. as we venture deeper into it, the darkness swallow us whole and the forest transforms into a mysterious realm shrouded in shadows. the moonlight shines eerily through the dense canopy, making twisted branches appear like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.

we both giggle nervously as the flashlight dances erratically in front of us. the night air is thick with a palpable sense of foreboding, but our unshakable curiosity pushes us forward. the crunch of leaves and the chirping of crickets form a haunting symphony around us.

we continue forward, my bare feet making almost no sound against the forest floor. suddenly i hear a distant, faint cry. it sounds like a mournful whisper, barely audible, but it sends shivers down my spine.

"erika, did you hear that?" i ask, my heart pounding.

"yeah... i did," she replies softly as she slows her footsteps.

"umm... maybe we should go back?" i suggest, my voice trembling slightly.

but erika, stubborn and fearless, shakes her head. "no, we're already here. let's find out what it is." nevertheless, i sense a little hesitancy in her voice. she isn't quite as cocky as she was when we were in my apartment.

my flashlight scans the darkness, revealing gnarled trees and gnawing doubts. the ghostly whisper grows louder, and it seems to lead us deeper into the heart of the woods. suddenly a chilling breeze sweeps through the trees around us and my flashlight turns off. i can't turn it back on no matter how many times i try. darkness engulfs us and my bare feet feel a cold, eerie presence beneath them. erika panics as she fumbles for her phone's flashlight. when she finally turns it on, we both gasp.

we see a figure in the distance. its pretty dark but it looks like a woman with long, tangled hair and a tattered white dress. my heart drops. this must be the old woman everybody was talking about. but wait... she's too short to be a woman. she looks more like a girl. a very young girl. then she slowly turns her head toward us. what we see really shocks us. she is a young girl like around 12. her face is pale and her eyes are really dark.

my heart is racing and my hands are clammy. erika stumbles backward, a cry escaping her lips. there isn't an ounce of fearlessness or confidence left in her by now. we both tremble with fear and confusion as we clasp each other's arms and watch the creepy ghostly figure float slowly towards us. erika's ice cold hands on my arm adds to the horror.

"let's get the fuck out of here!" screams erika as she turns around and runs as fast as she can with me following close behind her.

it feels like hours before we're literally out of the woods. we're also out of breath and sweating profusely. we only look back when we reach the dirt path leading to my apartment complex. what a great relief when we see no ghostly figure behind us. we hear no cries or whispers either. just crickets chirping. the lights from the apartments are a comforting sight. but we don't even wanna talk about what we just experienced. when we get to the parking lot erika runs to her car, jumps in, and nopes out of there.

i run up the stairs to my apartment and quickly lock the door as i enter. i slowly walk towards the window and look outside but it's too dark to see even the tree line. i usually leave the windows and curtains open at night to let the cool breeze in. but tonight i close them all. i don't wanna see or hear anything strange. i try turning on my flashlight and it does!

i'm still shaking a little as i take everything off. my bare feet are filthy. i open the fridge and pour myself a glass of cold water. its 7:30 pm. we were in the woods for about half an hour although it felt alot longer. i shiver realizing how close i live to it. i'll probably never go there again even during the day. its dinner time but i can't even think about food right now. i feel like crying and calling my parents. but they'll probably laugh at me or even scold me and tell me i have an overactive imagination. i think i'll just watch tv or online videos to try to get my mind off the shocking experience i just had, wandering barefoot in the haunted woods at night. i don't know if i'll be able to sleep tonight.

until next time, be safe!