Hatty had only been alive for fourteen short years, but in that time she had heard many stories about the Forgotten Forest. Some people said that it was called the Forgotten Forest because most who entered it were never seen again and eventually, forgotten. Some people said that it was because it was so dangerous and uninhabitable that it might as well be forgotten. Her Grandmother had told her stories of brave warriors venturing into the forest and coming back after only an hour, reduced to tears like a small child and never speaking another word as long as they lived. Hatty would usually giggle at these far-fetched tales. Today however, Hatty wasn't in the laughing mood.
She left the safety of her Groaner tree about an hour after the sun rose. She had gathered as many mushrooms and edible green roots as she could find around her shelter and stuffed them into her pockets. She wasn't sure how plentiful the supply would be on her journey into the forest and her stomach was already growling.
It was a wet day that day and Hatty had to keep stopping to wipe the rain from her eyes and push back her long dark hair which was now dripping wet. After walking for about ten minutes, Hatty stopped for a rest and a mushroom – that was when she noticed the first Goblin following her. It was from the corner of her eye that she caught a glimpse of it as it dived behind a bush. She froze for a second, dropping her breakfast and then took a few steps forward, hoping that it would scurry away. As she moved, she noticed another two – there was one to her left, another to her right, and the last in the canopy of trees above. The one above wasn't as cautious as the others and it seemed to make no attempt to hide its presence as it boldly leaped from branch to branch. It looked a lot bigger too.
They were strange looking creatures – small (about the size of a large rabbit) with bottle-green, leathery skin which reflected the sunlight, making them seem to flash as they moved. They had long skinny legs and arms, and small round heads with beady little black eyes. Their mouths stretched from ear to ear in a permanent grin which reviled a crooked set of tiny sharp yellow teeth. Hatty had never come across a Goblin in the wild before, she had only heard about them in her Grandmother's stories, and so she wasn't sure how to react. She stopped once more and bit her lip. The Goblins' froze as well. The one above her stretched down from its back legs and dangled two feet above her head, as if waiting to be petted. Its beady black eyes locked onto Hatty's and then narrowed. It made a low growling noise from the back of its throat. Hatty's heart thumped hard in her chest and she could feel her palms grow moist as she weighed up her options. She had no idea how dangerous these creatures were, but their teeth looked sharp – the kind which are usually used to tear open meat – and her instincts told her that they were hungry. She reached down into her pocket and slowly pulled out a mushroom. Above her, the Goblin's eyes flicked from the mushroom and back again. A thin black tongue snaked out from between its teeth and tasted the air around it like a snake. Hatty raised her arm towards it and offered him the mushroom. Her hand was trembling. From beside her, the other two Goblins were beginning to creep out from behind their trees and crawl closer. She felt surrounded. It was then that the Goblin above her leaped from his branch, onto her back and snatched the mushroom from her fingers. Hatty yelped in surprise and it dropped to the floor, tearing the mushroom open with it's sharp teeth. The other two Goblins squealed with excitement and scurried over to share its meal. The meal wasn't enough for all three and soon they began fight, tearing chunks of flesh from each other with their long claws. Screams and growls echoed through the trees. Hatty took her opportunity to run.
Hatty ran until her legs throbbed and her throat burnt. She was certain that she had lost the Goblins on the way. She stopped to catch her breath, leaning against a huge dead tree. Her heart felt like it was going to leap from her chest. She felt sick with adrenaline. She rested her forehead against the rough wood of the tree and closed her eyes. As she opened them and turned round, her mouth fell open and she screamed. She was surrounded by about twenty hungry Goblins. Twenty long black tongues twitched and flicked between rows and rows of sharp yellow teeth. They slowly crept forward, eyes narrowed and locked on Hatty's. She stepped back, pressing her back and palms against the dead tree. She could feel its damp moss beneath her fingers. She was waiting for the first one to lunge at her, to rip her open like a soft mushroom. Beads of sweat trickled down her face.
"No, please!" she cried.
Hatty felt a crunch beneath her palms and the rotten tree trunk caved in behind her. She stumbled backwards, into the tree. She braced myself, expecting to land in a heap on the floor, but she kept falling. The tree trunk was replaced by air and the light was replaced by darkness. Hatty fell through the air for what felt like forever, and finally crashed into a pool of freezing water beneath the ground.
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