Ruth turned around and screamed.

There was nothing there. She thought for sure there had been something there. Now breathing faster than the chicken, she backed up toward the center of the clearing, spinning slowly, watching the treeline.

snap

She flicked her head around and stared at the spot where she heard the twig break. The leaves were shifting. Ruth closed her eyes for a moment: there was no breeze. 

The chicken let out a long caw and then sunk to the earth, covering its feet and ruffling its feathers. Ruth watched the chicken's eyes. As it shook, the bird watched something Ruth couldn't see.

Slowly, Ruth reached out her hands as low as she could and snatched up the chicken. As soon as she hugged the creature tight to her chest, she could see it.

The thing towered above her, half as tall as the trees. Boar fangs protruded from its frothy mouth; tentacles erupted from its unsettling long neck. The thing had the slender legs of a deer and the claws of a mountain lion. Ruth's eyes locked with the thing's eyes. The eyes were black as night with irises of gold.

Ruth trembled.

The thing bent down and touched the grass of the clearing with its claw. The earth produced a crown of flowers and shoots that grew and settled in the thing's hand.

When the deer legs moved toward Ruth, she stood tall, clutching her chicken tighter. The thing stood directly in front of Ruth and slowly crouched down. Ruth squeezed her eyes shut and thought, I'm sorry mommy. But, there was no blinding pain, no mountain lion claws in her chest, no boar fangs in her neck. Instead, something light brushed at her hair and settled on her head.

Ruth peeked open her eyes. The thing had placed the crown on her head and suddenly the forest was alive with dancing things. Living collages of animals weaving through the trees and around the clearing. Ruth smiled and clapped her hands, dropping the chicken so it could mill warily through the newcomers.

Suddenly, the thing pricked up its ears and stomped twice with its deer hoof. The other creatures scattered as quickly as they had come. The thing bent own once more and lightly touched the side of Ruth's face with its claw. Ruth reached up towards him, as far as she could, but the thing had melted back into the treeline. Once again, it was only her and her very overwhelmed chicken. 

"Ruth! Where are you?! RUTH!"

Her mommy crashed through the treeline into the clearing and Ruth ran into her arms. 

"I found the chicken, mommy."

Her mommy was crying. "I'm glad sweetie, but you can't run off like that, not again."

Ruth patted her arm. "Alright, mommy, I won't."

Her mommy scooped her up in one arm and the chicken in the other. "Let's go home."

Ruth turned backward as they headed into the trees. For a moment, at the other edge of the clearing, the thing was standing there, waving at her with a tentacle, almost smiling through its boar fangs. Ruth waved back and the thing vanished. 

Lightly, she touched the edge of her crown and then patted the chicken's head. 

Someday I'll come back, Ruth swore. 

Someday.