Exhausted and chilled to the bone, I curl up on the cold bench, wrapping my arms around myself in a desperate attempt to ward off the biting cold that seeps into my bones. I close my eyes and succumb to sleep.
In a sudden shift, I'm dreaming of a past moment, playing hide and seek in the lush woods with my mother. Her beautiful, long brown hair flows gracefully behind her, and her eyes sparkle with love and joy each time she grins at me. I watch her agile form darting through the trees, and her voice echoes in my memory. 'Come on, Astrid darling, it's your turn to find me!' She calls out.
Closing my eyes, I count to thirty. My mother was remarkably swift on her feet, capable of running twice as fast as anyone I knew. She embodied strength and kindness, qualities I greatly admired in her. She was the most loving and wonderful mother a child could ever hope for. She often told me how special I was, though I never quite believed it. I assumed she was merely biased because I was her daughter. 'You are special, and not just because you're my daughter. When you turn eighteen, you'll understand,' she would say, smiling at me.
Slowly, I moved through the trees, searching for her. I spotted some rustling in the distance and triumphantly shouted, 'Found you!' Without hesitation, I began to run toward the source of the rustling. However, my joy turned to fear when I heard a low growl, and I froze in place, taking slow, cautious steps backward.
Panic surged through my body as I looked around desperately for a way out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother with her index finger pressed against her lips, silently instructing me to remain silent. Trembling with fear, I followed her gaze as she pointed behind me.
Turning carefully, I tiptoed into the shrubbery she had indicated, lying flat on my tummy. My hands instinctively covered my mouth, preventing unintentional whimpers or heavy breaths from escaping. A massive grey wolf slowly emerged from the underbrush, sniffing the air and emitting a menacing growl.
I closed my eyes in sheer terror for a brief moment. When I reopened them, I could see the same fear reflected in my mother's eyes. She slowly shook her head, maintaining eye contact with me, conveying the urgency of the situation and emphasizing the importance of staying perfectly still.
The massive grey wolf moved slowly past me, its appearance haggard and worn. It was clear this creature had seen its fair share of hardships; its left ear was even missing. I had never encountered an animal that looked so ferocious, and I continued to tremble where I lay, concealed among the underbrush.
The wolf sniffed around the area, its movements deliberate, and then it released the most ferocious, blood-curdling growl I had ever heard. In my fear, I couldn't contain a scream, and the wolf's head whipped in my direction. Without a moment's hesitation, I sprang to my feet and began to run, my heart pounding with terror. The wolf gave chase relentlessly until I heard my mother's desperate plea, 'It's me you want!'
I skidded to a stop and turned, watching as the wolf abandoned its pursuit of me, racing toward my mother with determination.
'Astrid! Run!' She screamed. Her voice filled with urgency.
I didn't want to leave her, but knew I had to. With tears in my eyes, I ran a short distance before scrambling up a nearby tree, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. From my vantage point, I could hear my mother's cries of pain.
High up in the tree, I watched helplessly as my mother lay limp on the ground, blood pooling around her. 'Mother!' I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears streaming down my face. The wolf circled her, its face stained with the blood drawn from her wounds.
In the distance, my dad's voice rang out, desperately calling my name, 'Astrid?' He yelled.
'Daddy!' I screamed. My voice filled with anguish.
The wolf locked its gaze on me, its predatory instincts kicking in as it approached me like I was its next prey. But then, the deafening sound of a gunshot pierced the air: 'bang!' The enormous grey wolf immediately stepped back, its focus shifting.
'Astrid?' I heard my dad call out again, this time much closer. Another shot rang out, 'Bang!' 'Dad! Please! Over here!' I screamed.
The wolf, now fully aware of the approaching threat, turned and sprinted away into the woods, knowing that my dad was closing in with his shotgun.
Once the wolf had vanished, I cautiously descended from the tree.
'Astrid! What's wrong? I heard your screams. Where's your mother?' My dad yelled in a frantic panic.
'W-wolf, w-wolf,' I stammered, my voice trembling and tears streaming down my cheeks.
'A wolf?' My dad questioned me in disbelief.
I pointed in the direction where my mother had been. 'The wolf got her, Dad,' I choked out, bursting into tears.
My dad's face drained of colour as he grabbed my hand and slowly approached my mother's lifeless form, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of the wolf. As soon as we reached my mother, my dad dropped to his knees, cradling her head in his arms, tears streaming down his face.
'My love! My sweet, beautiful love!' He cried out in agony.
I crawled over to my mother, gently taking her hand and pressing it to my tear-stained face, seeking comfort in her touch. We stayed like that for a while, the world around us seemingly forgotten, until my dad was finally able to speak.
'Astrid, you need to tell me exactly what happened,' he said, his voice filled with urgency.
'We were playing hide and seek, and it was my turn to find Mother. I thought I had found her, but it was a big, scary grey wolf, Dad! It growled and emerged from behind the trees. Mother motioned for me to hide in the shrubbery, so I laid there as still as I could, Daddy. I was so scared I tried not to move, but the wolf came so close, and it frightened me again with an angry, loud growl. I didn't mean to scream, Daddy. I was just so terrified. The wolf chased me, and I ran. Mother yelled for the wolf, Daddy. She said it was her he was after. Mother screamed for me to keep running, and when I turned, the wolf was hurting her! I ran to that tree and climbed up. That's when you heard me scream,' I recounted, my voice heavy with sorrow and fear.