People said the forest held beasts. I only knew a friend.

I live very close to the Vieriance Forest, a place not many maps ever show. Its rather small, but it has always been rumored to apparently hold fantastical or horrific things in it, like fae, titanic wolves, and beasts that steal skin. Of course, the few kids in the town, being kids, didn’t listen often and occasionally went into the forest on dares, or to spite their parents.

Almost everyone stopped after their first trip due to the forest’s extreme creepiness and constant fog, obscuring everything more than 10 feet in front of you. Didn’t help that a lot of creepy as all hell noises came from it, too.

Not many kids were bold enough to keep going, except for me. I always found this forest incredibly fascinating, as no one really knew what was in there, and I had that little kid urge to discover something no one had ever seen before.

And to that, I actually did.

On my third ever trip there, I decided to bring a spool of yarn to keep track of my movements. I tied a circle around some of the trees to keep the yarn stuck in place, so it didn’t move easily. It was all good, until I felt the yarn move ever so slightly.

I immediately went back, checking the yarn. It was all normal, except for one thing. A large loop was on the ground, where I had tied it around a large tree that I remember clearly due to its distinctive two arm-like branches.

That massive tree was gone.

I hadn’t heard any chainsaws or axes, and I didnt see a stump. I was immediately freaked out, but continued onward, keeping an eye out in the fog. Every sudden movement from the forest made me jump a bit.

And then I met that tree again. It stood in my path, as if it had been there forever, but it hadn’t. Moreso speaking to myself, I said “Hey, big guy. You were supposed to be back there, holding my string.” After I said that, I was about to go around it, before that damn tree begun to creak in an unnatural way.

It sounded like laughter.

As I listened to it, a small crack in its body near the top begun to open up, as the creaking noise grew louder and louder. That’s when I realized what it was.

The damn tree was laughing at me.

One of its branches lowered down to me, five large finger like sticks opening up. It sat there for a good bit, waiting for my response.

“You scared, you big ‘ol chunk of wood? Want to take my hand?” I said boldly. It creaked in a seemingly annoyed way, retracting its large branch back. But then, it chuckled in its own creaking way.

As I turned away to leave, I heard it creak to me again. I turned around, clearly annoyed, when it offered something to me. A small branch, twisted to be a braid. My hair had gotten caught in a tree earlier, and my previous braid had disappeared into the fog. I accepted the gift quietly, before leaving with a small “goodbye”.

This was the start of a surprising relationship between me and the tree.

I occasionally went into the forest, where he always waited for me near the entrance. He was an oddly comforting presence while I explored the forest, telling him about what had happened. Whether it was the nature of being a tree with a lot of time, or genuine interest in my life, he always listened. My struggles with growing up, my concerns, and a bit of everything.

Eventually, I brought gifts of my own. A small artificial heath to hang on his branches, a handmade bird nest, and a couple others. He always accepted them with a kind creaking noise.

After 20 years of me and the tree, I moved out of the small town, leaving behind my best friend to do something I had always wanted to do, marine biology. Before I left, I returned to Vieriance Forest for a last goodbye to the best friend I had ever known.

“Thank you so much for supporting me in my hardships, my good spots and bad spots in life, no matter how silent you were. While I may be moving on, I will never forget you, my dear friend.”

I could swear I heard him crying. Before I left, he gave me one last thing to remember me by. He broke a small piece of himself off, giving it to me, and looking at me with whatever you can call his bark face. A single drop of sap was coming from his eye.