Lost - Part One

I step out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me as I reach into the boot for one of the backpacks, I glare at Greg. My new boyfriend Greg thought a walk in the woods would be the perfect third date, I have a sneaking suspicion that there won’t be a fourth date.
“Well, what do you think?” Greg asks gesturing towards the vast expanse of trees ahead of us, bad enough we have to go to the woods on a date but he neglected to tell me that it is probably the worlds biggest ever woods. Ok so maybe I’m exaggerating, but not much, it’s huge. I shrug my shoulders and set off down the trail that wound it’s way through the trees, we walk for what seems like hours until we come to a small clearing. I can hear a stream through the trees and have to admit this spot is nice.
“This looks like a good place for lunch” Greg announces spreading a blanket out on the grass, he sits down an motions for me to sit beside him,
“Greg this spot’s lovely” I admit “but walking through the woods still isn’t my idea of fun” I tell him, taking some of the food and drink out of one of the backpacks. Greg looks a little hurt and I immediately feel guilty,
“I thought it would be nice to show you the sort of things I like doing” he says quietly
“Next time it’s your turn to pick something, it’s a good way to get to know each other” he has a point, I thought. I lean over to kiss him before unwrapping a sandwich and eating it as ladylike as I can, it’s still early days remember.
As I chew on the soft bread I look around at my surroundings, the trees are so high and close together that it seems as though we are surrounded by a huge wall, looming over us and trapping us in. I can hear the stream in the distance along with the sweetest sounding birds, I have no idea how to tell one species of bird form another so don’t ask what they are. I can smell the scent from the flowers all around us, bluebells, primroses, and all sorts of others. There are bees buzzing from one flower to the next, collecting what they needed to make their gorgeous golden honey. I’m beginning to see what Greg likes about the outdoors so much, I lay down and look up at the patch of sky above us, watching the white fluffy clouds floating by. I feel my eyelids growing heavier as I drift off in the afternoon sun, with a cool breeze on my face.

Some time later I wake up feeling groggy, it was dusk, I must have been asleep hours, I don’t understand it I came over tired all of a sudden. I look around for Greg and see that I am alone, the bags are gone and all that’s left is the blanket I’m sat on. I stand up and look around for Greg but it’s getting hard to see in the failing light. I call out
“Greg, where are you?” and listen for a minute but there’s no reply. Oh this is brilliant I think, in the middle of the woods with no idea how to get back to the car park and my date has left me to fend for myself. There definitely will not be a fourth date I think to myself. I start walking in the direction I think we came from, it’s really dark when I get inside the woods and I can hardly see anything. I try to tread carefully but end up tripping over a root and landing flat on my face. I stand up and brush the leaves and mud off of my clothes. I carry on walking and before long I come to the stream I had heard earlier, now I knew I was lost as we hadn’t been anywhere near it.
“Greg” I scream “Where the hell are you?” I’m panicking now, I’m scared of being in the woods in the dark and I am sure I cad hear footsteps behind me. I try calling him with my mobile but there is no signal and the battery is down to one bar. I start looking for an area that might have better signal, I walk around, stretching my arm out to try and catch a signal on my mobile, I’m one of the first people to laugh whenever someone does that to get a signal and yet here I am doing the exact same thing. I’m too busy looking at my phone to look where I’m going, and before long I fall over again, this time I twist my ankle and yell out in pain. When I get up I am limping
“Brilliant, just bloody brilliant” I mutter to myself, not only am I lost in the woods in the dark with no way of contacting anyone but now I’m hobbling around like a cripple as well. It will take me all night to find my way out of here now, I begin shouting for Greg again, calling him all the names under the sun while I am at it. The thought of throttling him is the main thing keeping me going now, if it wasn’t for that I would just sit down somewhere and wait for some walkers to stumble across me. I’m still by the stream, I go to the edge of it and wash the mud off of my face, this makes me feel slightly better than I did a few moments ago. All the running and shouting has taken it’s toll on me and I feel myself growing really tired, I find a sheltered spot by the stream and settle down for a nap. Seeing as I’m not going anywhere fast it couldn’t hurt to rest for a while, I feel my eyelids growing heavy as I listen to the sound of the stream.

I wake up with a start, something jolts me from my sleep, a noise in the trees. As I wake up fully I think maybe I had dreamt the sound, but there is was again, the snapping sound of someone walking over twigs. I’m sure it was a human footstep not just an animal. “Hello? Who’s there?” I call out scared, what if it’s some mad axe murderer who fancies chopping up the next person he see’s? I silently chastise myself for thinking things like this, it is the quickest way to bring on a panic attack I think to myself.
“Calm down Lisa just calm down” I tell myself, taking a few deep breaths, then I hear it again, another footstep. This time I know it is human, I listen intently to try and figure out where it is coming from, I’ve always had really good hearing so this isn’t as weird as it may seem. I look in the direction I think I heard the footstep and squint my eyes trying to make out the shape of whoever it was, I see something move and can just about make out the outline of a person.
“Who are you and why are you creeping around?” I shout, hoping they will answer me this time, still nothing. Just then I hear a thud as whoever it is trips over something and I hear them swear, it is loud enough to tell it is a man who I can see, I recognise the voice as well but can’t think how I know it. Suddenly it dawns on me,
“Oh my god Greg it’s you isn’t it?” I exclaim angrily, I recognise his voice now and can’t believe it is him creeping around
“Stop bullshitting now Greg I know it’s you, just come over here and tell me what the hell you are playing at” I shout. Greg makes his way over to me with a guilty look on his face, when he sits next to me I punch him in the face.
“That’s for pissing off and leaving me to get lost in these damn woods” I snap, I’m furious with him now. His nose starts bleeding and he fishes in his pockets for a tissue, I watch with contempt as he mops up his blood and stops the bleeding.
“I’m sorry Lisa, I didn’t mean to leave you for so long, I” he tries to explain but I cut him off and begin to rant about the fact that he drags me to these godforsaken woods in the first place and then when I fall asleep, which by the way I am still suspicious about, he buggers off and I’m left to fend for myself.
“Well if you would shut up and let me get a word in” he says impatiently.
“Don’t you dare tell me to shut up, this is all your fault. Now my ankle hurts and if you think…” Greg puts a hand over my mouth to stem the flow of nonsense that is now pouring out of it like it has become Niagara Falls or something.
“I left you to go and get something from the car, it was meant to be a surprise present but then I couldn’t find my way back to where I had left you and by time I did you had gone” he quickly explains before I have chance to remove his hand by any means necessary.
“Just take me home” I snap and get up, brush myself off and start walking. Greg leads the way back in the direction of the car park.

We finally get within site of the flood lit car park, I have never been so happy to see a car in my life. Just as we get to the car I stop, turn to Greg and say
“So what was the so called surprise then? I notice you’re not carrying anything” I look at him, my mind made up that he lied about the surprise.
“After I couldn’t find you I put it back in the car and came to look for you” he replies opening the boot, inside is a box with holes in and a ribbon tied around it.
“What’s with the holes?” I ask warily, he grins,
“Just open it woman”. I untie the ribbon and lift the flaps on the box, inside, curled up fast asleep is the most gorgeous puppy ever.
“He doesn’t have a name yet and he is a Staffordshire Terrier in case you hadn’t already guessed” Greg whispers in my ear, I pick up the puppy and cuddle him to my chest, he wakes up and yawns, looking at me
“Oh he is so cute” I squeal in delight “But why?” I ask, I look over at Greg who shuts the boot and motions for me to get into the car.
“You told me how you loved Staff’s and have always wanted one on our first date”,
“Yes, I remember” I nuzzle the puppy’s soft fur and breathe in the delightful puppy smell that I love so much.
“Well I wanted to come to the woods today so that when I gave you the puppy it was somewhere nice that he could scamper around in” Greg explains, “Except we both ended up getting lost and you may have broken my nose” he laughs.
“Oh Greg I’m sorry about that, but why did you buy me an expensive dog?” I wait for an answer.
“I really like you and wanted to buy you a gift that you would love, I know it’s only our third date but I can easily afford the dog and I knew you would love him.” I feel so guilty for all the things I muttered when I was lost in the woods now.
“So, what are you going to call him?” Greg asks, stroking the puppy with one finger. I think for a few minutes,
“I think I will call him Monty” I decide with a smile,
“Why Monty?”,
“I have no idea, it just popped into my head” Greg laughs and leans over to kiss me on the lips, Monty squeals in protest as he is squashed between us. We break apart and laugh, Monty looks up at us with a dopey look on his face.
“Right, lets get you two home shall we” Greg says starting the car “Don’t worry Lisa I have bought a few pet things for Monty already, you know, a bed, toys and bowls.”. “Greg buying Monty was more than enough” I protest,
“I could hardly buy you a dog and have no food, toys or bed for it now could I” he points out as we head away from the car park.
“Good point” I reply. I look over at Greg as we drive back, Monty has fallen asleep in my lap and is snoring slightly. What happened today was just one big misunderstanding, we both got lost, it’s quite funny when you think about it. I’ve decided I like Greg, and I have decided that there will be a fourth date after all.