A moment's folly

"The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round..."

A jubilant chorus of the children's Top 100 All-time-favourites echoed all around, as a group of girls trekked up the trails of forest Dandora, humming and singing with high spirits. It was the summer holiday, and all five of them were bent on having as much fun as they could, to compensate for their over-taxed brain during schoolterm.

"Do you smell that?" Eve asked, halting and inhaling a deep breath.

The rest of the girls stopped in their gait, and started sniffing too.

"Mmm. I've never smelt anything like it. It just makes you feel so drowzy and dreamy, doesn't it. What could it be?" Little Dolly, as everyone calls her because of her petite structure and forever youthful features, commented.

And for a whole five minutes, the hiking group abandoned any thoughts of finding a clearing in the forest to pitch their tents, and just stood transfixed, giving their minds over to the scent that lures and bids for them.

It was not until Denise came to herself before any sense came back to these girls. She gave herself a hard shake, rubbed herself and started covering her nose with the handkerchief she always keeps with her in her right pocket. Then she proceeded to wake the other girls.

"Come on. Wake up girls! I think there's something not quite right about this place. Let's get out of here. And take out your towel. Mask yourself and follow me. Hurry!"

Rudely awoken by Denise's harsh yet sensible words, the girls hurried to obey. After another 20 minutes of solemn hiking, with each girl deep in their own thoughts about what they just encountered, or rather smelt, could possibly mean, they reached a clearing.

"What the hell was that all about?" Patricia dumped her backpack against an oak tree and immediately voiced the thought all of them were pondering in their mind.

"Yea and now I think I'm having a headache from that toxicating smell." Macy groaned, rubbing her temples vigorously.

"I was just thinking if that could be the dandoranium, you know, THAT flower the folks in the village warned us about before we entered the forest. Don't you remember what they said about fleeing from any place that exhuded inexplicable scents?" Denise recalled, with something close to fear fleeting across her eyes for just a moment, before making a conscious effort to dismiss the warnings the villagers kindly gave them two nights ago.

"Denise, you can't be serious. Those are just legends, myths if you like. What a whole load of nonsense." Eve mocked. "Anyway I actually liked the smell. It was invigorating..." And with that, Eve's sensory glands seemed to call into remembrance those mysterious smells again, and she settled into reticence, an abrupt reversal of attitudes from her mockery seconds ago.

"Oh whatever. Can we start feeding our tummies. Mine's been growling for over an hour!" Dolly bemoaned, with a twinkle in her eye as she rubbed her tummy like a little child.

The discussion about the dandoranium ended then, as cheerier thoughts of mashed potatoes, ham and egg sandwiches and fruit punches took over.

Eve silently proceeded with the others to start the fire, while Denise and Macy started to pitch their tents.

All this while, Denise could not push away the villagers' stern warnings. The hushed and earnest words of the villagers seemed too feeble a joke to play on a group of teenagers. And why would those genial folks crack such a horrible joke on them? The looks on their faces doesn't make the dandoranium sound like a joke either. It seemed as though they had, themselves, witnessed the great evil of the legendary flower.

The twilight seemed to give way to the night much earlier than usual for this time of the year. An owl hooted, and an eerie chill came over Denise.

"Dinner's ready!" Macy called out, as Denise hastened to regain her composure and join the rest of the group.

As Denise was about to settle herself down, she threw a quick glance over the girls and jumped to her feet before her butt even touched the ground.

"Where's Eve?!"

At Denise's outburst, the girls who had been distracted with pouring out cups of fruit punches for themselves and helping themselves to generous portions of mashed potatoes and finger sandwiches paused in the midst of their activities.

"Perhaps she went to take a leak. Don't look so distressed Denise. I'm sure she's fine." Macy broke the momentary silence with her usual dismissive attitude.

Denise, however, was no less reassured by those words. Her instinct was reeling, and experiences have taught her never to shrug them away. Just last year, she was hit by a wave of uneasiness while watching School of Rock at her auntie leila's home. The next day, her mum called to break the news that her beloved and devoted Corgi was knocked down by a reckless driver when she broke free of her leash. Denise was both heart-wrenched and spooked by that day's tragedy. Was this what they called the gift of premonition? Denise thought calling it a gift was ironic, for that gift brought despair rather than joy, tremor rather than thrill.

She felt a cold hand clasp her tightly-clenched fist, and jerked instinctively. When she saw that the hand belonged to Dolly, she calmed down again, and was immediately contrite for scaring little Dolly, who was two years her junior.

"I think I'd better go look for Eve. It's getting dark. Pass me the torch, would you Dolly dear?" Denise suggested, deciding to let her instinct guide her today.

As Denise moved back to the trail they travelled from, she turned back to look at the rest of the girls. Besides Dolly smiling dearly at her, calming her thumping heart albeit for a few seconds, the rest of the girl continued to feast and drink, and clearly did not see Eve's momentary disappearance as a matter that warrant concern. Denise wondered if she were indeed overreacting, but decided to play safe anyway.

As she retraced the trails and shone her torch into the densely-packed trees which blocked out most of the moonlight, Denise's eyes searched intensely, hoping to meet Eve soon. As her eye gradually adjusted to the dark, she was able to make out more of the outlines of the forest. With the voices of the girls receding as she wandered further away from the campsite, Denise felt her courage wearing off.

"Eve! Where are you?" Denise called, her voice sounding feeble and tremulous.

"Eve!" She repeated, louder this time, as though the sheer loudness of her voice could in some way embolden her.

Her calls were answered, a brief moment later. But the answer was not Eve's voice. It was the sudden swaying of a clump of trees, amidst the still forest. Denise believed Eve must be taking her leak there, which explained the motion, and started picking up her pace towards the trees about twenty feet away.

When she realised where she was heading, reminded by a sudden whiff of the toxic scent, her heart pounded, and she stopped in spite of her urge to find Eve. The clump of trees, which were now only a few feet away, seemed to be emitting a fluorescent green. It was not the glow-in-the-dark luminent green. The hue of this green looked so menacing that no one would deign to employ that shade for any purpose imaginable.

What met her eyes next weakened her, and her knees buckled.

Moving out of the trees were a row of girls. No. Girls would not be the right word. They had the physical stature of girls, but other than that, nothing else could resemble the images we associate with girls. Their eyes did not shine with malice nor with belligerence. It would have been better if they had, Denise thought, for then it made than more humane, and hence much easier to retaliate. The pairs of eyes on them were void of emotions or motives. Yet Denise knew that things that exist where they ought not belong bode no good.

The scent got stronger, and Denise was positive that they were emanating from those girls themselves. There were eight of them, all plainly robed and of varying statures, but none too tall, for they seemed to be robbed of the chance to grow prematurely.

And one of them looked, to Denise's horror, remarkably like Eve. That uniquely almond-like structure of her facial bones and that shade of light brown hair interspersed with wisps of golden strands were unmistakably Eve's.

Yet what was she doing with those things, Denise thought in distress. Her movement seemed to be synchronised with theirs, as though she were part of them for as long as they have existed. It was Eve. Yet it can't be her.

All of a sudden, one of the girl went abruptly still, as though she sensed that she was being watched. Denise came to her senses, and realised the precarious state she was in. The danger of being spotted was imminent if she did not remove herself from the sight of those things.

Caught between the dilemma of retrieving what remained of Eve from those creatures and shielding herself from evil's way by fleeing as the villagers had warned her to, Denise was desperate.

God god, help me, help Eve, Denise pleaded silently, all this while unable to remove her eyes from Eve.

Without warning, one of the girl unexpectedly pointed a ghastly pale, white finger in Denise's direction and seemed to be mumbling to the others, who started turning their heads in the direction.

Denise was petrified. Her instinct to survive overwhelmed all other thoughts and she tore back towards the clearing, not daring even to turn her head back once. Her legs took huge strides and her heart thumped so hard she could hear it audibly. Terror-stricken, Denise ran mindlessly back. The clearing was in sight and the comfort of being back amongst her friends relieved her. When she finally emerged into the clearing, all the others were feasting gaily.

Seeing Denise, Dolly commented, "Hey what happened to you? Why are you so sweaty?"

Wiping her forehead, Denise lifted her eyes to greet Dolly.

And that was when she saw something amiss.

Eve was sitting right there.

                                                    ******

Eve looked up, and stared straight into Denise's eyes. For a moment, Denise thought she saw that evil green colour gleam ever so briefly before they receded. Approaching the group cautiously, Denise kept her eye trained on Eve, as the horrendous scene she witnessed in the depths of the forest played back in her mind over and over again. However, her demeanour did not hint at any supernatural encounters. Instead, she passed Denise a drumstick she'd just roasted off a stick,

"Here! I heard you went looking for me. Gee I'm sorry Denise. I sneaked into the tent and dozed off. And to think I didn't hear all the fuss outside!"


Taking the drumstick from Eve, Denise started easing her tensed muscles, and gradually shedded the acrimonious stare, and instead, offered Eve a look of concern.


"Eve? So you were sleeping? Ahh don't do that next time! If you do, at least snore!" Denise made an attempt to joke.

Deep down inside, she was still in utter confusion, not knowing what to think, or see. Were her eyes playing a trick on her? After all, it WAS dark, and how could Eve have teleported herself back here. The sums of the mysteries simply did not add up.

After the dinner, Denise called everyone to sleep, hoping to have some quiet moment to clear her head. Sharing a tent with Dolly, she ushered her into the tent first, and went to check on Patricia, Macy and Eve. They were, by then, already tucked in and ready for sleep. Eve had in fact already slipped into a drowzy trance.

"Good night!" Denise whispered, and sauntered back to join Dolly.


After ten minutes or so, the camp site was void of any voices, as, one by one, the girls began drifting off into deep, sound sleep. The trees were abnormally still that night, and the moon never once re-emerged from the thick swaths of clouds. It was, indeed, a night of unnatural events. Nature seemed to halt in their heels, as though bracing itself against a great evil.


Footsteps jolted Denise out of her sleep. She was dishevelled, thinking she was still in her dream where, in it, she was dancing with those girls she encountered in the forest. Struggling to open her heavy eyes, Denise pushed herself into a sitting position.

There, that sound of footsteps again. That which woke her up initially. Denise's heart skipped a beat. As the trail of mysterious happenings came rushing back to her, Denise paled. Afraid that some danger may befall the girls if she did not go and take a look, Denise mustered whatever courage she had left in her and moved out of the tent quietly. She thought she saw a shadow disappear into a thicket of trees just a few feet from the tents.


Not again, Denise thought, cringing as she recalled the horrors rendered to her when she braved her way into the forest hours ago.


This time, she decided to see if Eve were sound asleep in her tent, as she said she was. For if it were so, she decided that she should not and would not trespass into the clandestine mysteries of this forest (or did all forests withhold their own chronicles of dark histories). And if Eve were not there... She shuddered at the prospect.


Pulling down the zip to Eve's tent as discreetly as she could, Denise peered into the tent, where Eve was sleeping at the end furthest from the opening. A contented whizz of slow, ryhthimic breathing were issuing from Macy and Patricia's slightly ajar mouth, and this rhythm had a momentary effect on soothing Denise's heart. The tent was dark, so much so that Denise could not see beyond the back of Macy, who was sleeping second from the opening. Denise decided to shine the torch just at the spot Eve was sleeping so that the harsh flash light could not possibly rouse the other two from their sleep.


Click, the flash light went on. And Denise's knees buckled, as she attempted in vain to withhold the fearful scream that burst from within. The very same Eve she thought she saw in the forest, was sitting up and smiling maliciously at her, that green glow gleaming, this time not just momentously, in her eyes.


Moments later, to Denise's horror, the slight disturbance woke Patricia and Macy from their sleep as well. They awoke without even any murmurs or complaints, and opened their eyes to emit the same evil green glow.


Holy cow Eve converted Macy and Patricia to those evil things as well! Denise faltered. Now it's three up against one, no, two. There was Dolly. As any delay could not possibly rob Denise of the very chance of retaining her status as a free human being, she immediately tore towards her own tent to take Dolly and flee, hoping against hope that Dolly had not too mutated into those things. Denise understood. The person whom they had dinner with, that Eve, was her the one she saw in the forest all along. She'd just been bidding her time, the time when she would take down all of us. Thankfully, Dolly's eyes remained as docile, brown and innocent as they always were, safe for the puffiness due to lack of sleep.


"Where are we going Denise? I'm really tired.." Dolly whined.