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Fear in Blackwood Forest
Marian Wood
The Forest
I was just ten when my mum told me fearfully about Blackwood Forest. So many stories, scary events, disappearances. How much was actually true or exaggerated? There were so many debates, and now people are charging to lead trips through it. Should the forest have been a business opportunity? Possibly not, but here I am at thirty-one being talked into the forest adventure experience.
Should I listen to John? He was desperate to do this. I knew mum would be worried. Should I tell her that I’m considering going?
It was a week later when Mum appeared at my door with her partner, George. I could see immediately that something was wrong.
“Mel, Sally is missing. She has vanished. The police aren’t helping.”
“When was she last seen?”
“She was hanging around with Tim. Oh, Mel, I think they went to the forest. Tim is missing, too.”
John and Tim have been good friends since school. Sinking into the kitchen chair, I knew where this was leading. Am I brave enough to really do it?
A tour
Days later, the four of us stood at the entrance to the forest listening to an overexcited tour guide. A wet night, and this didn’t feel right. Looking at mum, I can see she is not happy. Hiding under her hood, she is holding on to George. A party of maybe twenty people, all being led into the unknown. Listening to Kirsty, this was a very bad idea.
I felt like we were following the ‘Pied Piper’ being led into terrible danger. However, I was curious, but what could go wrong? We were walking into a forest popular for its numerous scary tales in the dark, and we were now soaked. The atmosphere was thick with the fear of those around me. Kirsty’s voice rattled on, but I had stopped listening, I was focused on where we stood. Whispering to John and Mum, I squeezed their hands. I had an idea.
As the group continued on, the four of us gathered around the picnic bench.
“What is happening here? How many times has Kirsty walked around this forest with people blindly following her?
“Mel, why are you reading into something that is not there? It’s just a tour, showing the sights of the stories.
“What if they are not stories? Something is happening here, I know it is.”
As we heard screams, Mum started to cry. This really was not right. Reaching into my pocket, I now dialled 999.
Help
“Incident Blackwood Forest, screaming”. I advised to follow the footpath to the open area with the bench, then go very carefully from there”. The operator was hesitant, but just twenty minutes late,r we heard voices.
As the team set out to follow the path, they had their lights glowing on their helmets, no one was going missing tonight.
Not knowing whether to go home or stay in the open glade, we were consumed by curiosity. Would we know what is happening if we left? Hearing the crack of a radio, a man now appeared.
“Who called this in?”
“Me, what’s happening?
“What made you stay here and not follow the group?”
“Something didn’t feel right. She could have been walking us into a trap.”
Explanation
“Okay, did you know that the leaders of these trips have been either quitting or going missing? This was Kirsty’s first evening. There has been a lot of money made with daft curiosity. A trip through this forest would be good if it wasn’t eroding.”
“Eroding?”
“There are so many tales of this forest, and ghosts are one of them. People have been reluctant to explore, due to the stories keeping them away”.
We heard rustling as Sally and Tim appeared shivering, accompanied by a police officer on a radio requesting ambulances.
A little further up the path, the forest was falling away; this was impossible to see in the dark. The forest had claimed the lives of many over the years, but now the recently fallen were being rescued.
As we walked out of the forest, we were silent. There were many dead. The emergency services were busy tonight. Seeing a news van, we quickly got in the car and left.
Sally then told us what had happened to them. Blindly following their guide, they had been told to walk slowly and carefully. This is okay if you are not dealing with the earth disappearing under your feet. They had fallen into a pit that was impossible to get out. Surrounded by bodies that added to their misery.
Months later
We had been the first to not blindly follow. The tour group is now banned from working in the forest, and it is now being explored properly. More bodies have been found, and it evolved that more of the forest is eroding, as if it is literally eating the surrounding wildlife and people who dare to visit.
I am now sitting with my laptop and a mug of tea. The story of the Blackwood Forest needs to be told, and I am going to tell it. Will it make me money? Who knows? It could be a best seller.
People are now banned from the forest. It’s not safe, and the conservationists have taken over. Searching the internet, I find their number and dial. My next step is making an appointment to find out more, so I can add facts to my book. A fascinating story with all its tales, and then what was really happening, the environment and forests’ sad ongoing demise.
Please visit Marian on her blog: https://justmuddlingthroughlife.co.uk
Images are free use—Image by StockSnap from Pixabay.
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