“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.” –Robert Frost

Since the beginning of time, the deep dark woods have always been a place of breathtaking beauty, mystery, and horror. From spooky stories told around the campfire, to Grimm’s classic warnings, the message was clear: Don’t go into the forest.

The reasoning behind the spooky stories and warnings was simple enough; it’s dangerous out there, too easy to get lost and disappear forever. Sometimes, the scariest thing isn’t even a monster or the fickle fae; sometimes, the scariest thing can be nature itself.

As an avid outdoorswoman, I’ve spent many days in the woods. The wilderness can be one of the most beautiful and serene places ever. At night though, things shift. It’s harder to navigate if you don’t know what you’re doing. Even if you do know, one wrong move could turn a fun outing into a life-or-death situation in a matter of an instant. The next thing you know, you’re moving at a snail’s pace through nasty terrain and thick vegetation, fighting exhaustion, hypothermia, and despair to make it out safely. Battling not only the elements, which don’t care if you survive, but also your mind screaming for you to stop because it’s so hard to go forward.

Mother Nature has a unique way of humbling us.

Mother Nature at her wildest can be deceptive, however. The uncertain footing, the way the shadows dance and cavort when the wind rustles the leaves, how the sound bounces through the forest… All of these things invite us to imagine something else in the trees…. Something unnatural and predatory. There are millions of square miles of rugged wilderness across the globe, and who knows what really dwells in the dark corners of the earth?

These flash fiction stories, told by a diverse cast of authors, offer a glimpse behind the wooden curtain. You’ll find tales of madness, mystery, and monstrous mycelium. This is survival, no matter the cost. These stories all share one thing in common—the woods will own you. Even if you make it out, you’ll never be the same.

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Ⓒ C.R. Langille