Enchanted by Carolyn Glass

Annie had always been intrigued by the wood. As a small child she had been able to see it from her bedroom window, but had never been allowed to venture there, and her parents had never taken her. They moved away before she was old enough to make the journey on her own. She used to imagine the magical creatures that lived there, she was sure there must be centaurs and fawns maybe even nymphs and dryads, she had read about them in the CS Lewis books and had always wanted to meet them, there might even be a unicorn!

Now here she was just starting university, about to start her first archaeological dig and back in the village where she had once lived. They were staying in rooms at the pub just down the street from her old home. On the first evening in the bar, they had asked the locals about the area and its history, they were surprisingly reticent about it, there were shifty looks and whispered remarks, the landlord had only taken the pub recently and knew very little. One old lady was muttering about strange creatures and enchantments but the others hushed her and told the students she was losing her marbles.

Annie was pleasantly surprised that the dig was in the meadow near to the wood, it would be nice to lunch in the shade of the old trees if the hot weather continued, they might even explore, she need not tell anyone else she was hoping to find mystical creatures, she blushed as the thought came to her, not a very scientific thought and not one she needed to share with the group.

The hot weather did continue and all were grateful for the respite the trees offered during breaks. By the fourth day, everyone seemed restless and cranky, the heat wasn’t helping, so Edwin suggested they venture further into the wood, they could take their lunch with them and look for a stream, and maybe have a cooling paddle. The canopy was very thick so even just a few feet into the wood, it was quite gloomy. Annie shivered, despite her initial excitement, she was now beginning to notice the silence, where were the birds? She suggested they go back to the fringes of the wood, but then Carrie spotted a path, barely visible through the ferns and mosses, but definitely a path, it was almost weird how keen they all were to follow it, wondering where it would lead, they sped off, Annie taking up the rear, she was nervous now, but didn’t quite know why, she kept catching things in her peripheral vision, but when she tried to look they were gone, maybe dryads and nymphs were living in these woods, she shook herself she knew she was just being fanciful, then there was a flash of white just up ahead, she almost stopped breathing, it was a unicorn! She was sure of it, why hadn’t the others seen it? Why didn’t they say something?

The unicorn was suddenly bathed in sunlight as it entered a clearing, her friends followed still seemingly oblivious to the Unicorn. She called out but it was as if they couldn’t hear her, perhaps she was making no sound, perhaps the silence had enveloped her, she stayed at the edge of the clearing calling to the others to come back, she had a bad feeling about this, the unicorn stood in the centre of the clearing, completely still, head raised as if it was waiting for something. While Annie watched in dismay, her friends were now standing hand in hand forming a circle around the unicorn, they wore glazed expressions, and had started to chant, before her very eyes they seemed to dissolve into vapour and be sucked into the trees. Annie wanted to scream, but still she could make no sound, suddenly at her elbow the old lady from the bar appeared, “well dearie, you always knew this wood was special, enchanted, and now you know where the tree spirits come from. You are very special my dear in that you were able to resist the spell, sadly you cannot be allowed to report what you have witnessed, the old landlord tried and was prevented.” Annie stared at her wondering how this old lady could stop her, then she felt a sharp pain in her chest as the unicorn ran her through.