Booke's Dare

Karen heads off into the woods to complete her dare.

I hated dares, yet here I was, stepping through the treeline and into the forest, searching for a light.

"And don't come back without the box," Brooke said, her incessant laughter trailing behind me as I moved forward.

All I had to do was find the light, grab the box, and return to the park, where the rest of the group waited.

Darkness encroached as I walked, rustling the brush with my feet, which seemed to echo in the wooded area, and turning my beating heart to the rampant pounding of drums. The air was permeated with damp earth and decaying leaves, and the distant hoot of an owl added to the eerie atmosphere. I remembered the fallen tree I'd have to climb over and hoped I wouldn't be sent further into the woods. I'd never know how I still considered Brooke my friend when she constantly sent me into situations that scared me.

With each careful step over the fallen timber, my breaths grew ragged, drowning out the sound of my racing heart. But a stray yellow light beckoned just beyond the obstacle, and I quickened my pace. The sooner I reached it, the sooner I could escape to safety.

A battery-operated lamp sat on a tree stump, with a red gift box below it.

I snatched the box, grabbed the lamp, and headed back in the direction I came, each step inching fear up my back, anticipation building with each step. I knew the rules: don't open the box until I make it back, but I was afraid of what kind of surprise Brooke left for me.

Stopping at the downed tree, I opened the box and saw the wind-up chattering teeth.

"Very funny," I muttered, closing the box and plotting revenge as I reached the clearing.

WC: 299
Wrtten for: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"