I was 10 years old when I got lost in the forest. My brother, George, and I were at the park after school running around with the other kids we met that day. I was it and I was chasing one of the other girls in the group, I don’t quite remember her name but I’m pretty sure it was Jade. Anyways, I was chasing her and she kept on running without looking back.

The park we were at was surrounded by forest with not a single house in sight. Usually, we would run until the trees and turn around, risking getting tagged but at least we wouldn’t be lost in the woods. Instead of turning around like Jade was supposed to, she kept running. I tried to tell her, “Jade! Turn back we’re gonna get lost!” but she kept on running. I was getting tired and the sun was going down so it was our signal for George and me to get home.

When I stopped running, I looked around to see if Jade might’ve stopped too, but she was nowhere to be seen. I felt a sense of panic come across me as I loudly yelled her name hoping I would hear a response. Silence. I realized that not only had I lost Jade, but I was lost too. The logical thing for 10-year-old me to do was turn back and try to trace my steps but instead, I kept walking. Still panicked, I kept looking around with the very little sunlight I had left. I knew there was no way anyone was going to be able to find me so I lost hope in trying to call for help. If I found Jade then at least we could survive the night together.

Many urban legends go along with this forest since it’s the biggest one in our state. It’s said that there is an old man who lives in the center of the forest and traps people who are lost. I know better and I choose not to believe the lies but a part of me always wonders “what if?”.

As the sun goes down and the moon shows its face, it’s getting colder and colder and I’m only dressed in a bright pink t-shirt and leggings. The deeper I go into the forest, the more I cry out for her name “Jade! Can you hear me?”. All of a sudden I hear a crunch, assuming it’s my foot stepping onto a branch, I carry on without a second thought. By this point, it’s at least 2 in the morning and I’m starting to get dizzy and I can hear my stomach growling.

Listening to hints as to where Jade might be, all I hear are owl hoots and the leaves of the trees rustling. I turn the corner and all of a sudden I see a figure moving. I thought it was my vision tricking me since I left my glasses at home and was kind of blind at the moment. That also could be why I lost Jade, I couldn’t see her from the beginning.

As more time passes, I stumble upon a shed, I think ” Oh no maybe the legend is true”, but since I was already headed for disaster I opened the door . When the door was opened, I felt a sense of relief. I guess I won the game, I found her huddled next to a fire, shivering. I slowly walked over trying not to scare her. I whisper to her, “Jade? Are you ok?” She was startled but when she realized it was me, she burst into tears. Sobbing she said, “Julie! I’m so happy it’s you. I thought I was going to die here alone”. I hugged her and asked her to explain everything that happened while I was lost in the forest. Although we were both starving and exhausted, the sky was slowly getting brighter and I knew everything was going to be alright.