ADventure in the woods

. ݁ 𓋼𓍊 𓍢ִ`🌲˚𓆈🌱𓍢𓆏ִ໋˚ ོ🌳˚𓆣༄˖°.🍃

ADVENTURE IN THE WOODS

A SHORT STORY BY: ​​AIDEN D. KIRCHNER

Aiden and his friend Malachi are in the woods hiking but Malachi is down by the river and Aiden is walking through the woods in the forest heading towards Malachi's direction. They decided to go out for the day full of adventure of hiking, collecting things they found with their metal detector, collecting rocks, gems and minerals and maybe do some fishing if possible.

(Malachi on the Walkie Talkie to Aiden):
Malachi says, "Aiden, yo bro you're not going to believe what's down here, hurry before I get eaten alive"

---

(Aiden is holding a Walkie Talkie in his hand):
Aiden says, "What the FUCK bro, over. Please tell me it’s not a bear, a gator, or some backwoods cannibal shit—I'm NOT trying to be in a horror movie today!"

---

Malachi whispers over the Walkie Talkie to Aiden,

​"Bro, I'm down by the river and thought I start to do some fishing while I was waiting for you to get here and I looked up to my left and there is a bear in the river to my left not far from me catching fish. I don't know if I should move or just stay still... Over."

---

(Aiden, picking up his pace through the woods, gripping the Walkie Talkie tightly, replies):
​
"Shit, Malachi, don’t move. I repeat, do NOT move. Act like a goddamn tree, bro. Just stay still, let it do its thing, and hope it doesn't notice you, over."

---

(Malachi, still whispering but with rising panic):
"Yeah, uh… about that… I think it already noticed me. It just lifted its head, bro. I swear it just made eye contact. Over."

---

(Aiden, now jogging through the woods, breathless):
​
"Fuck! Okay, okay. Stay calm. Don’t run, don’t turn your back, and for the love of everything, do NOT look it in the eyes, over."

---

(Malachi, whispering more frantically):
​
"Yeah, that advice would’ve been great like five seconds ago before I looked it in the damn eyes, bro! It’s sniffing the air now. It knows I'm here. Oh shit, oh shit—over."

---

(Aiden, now full-on sprinting):

"Goddamn it, Malachi! Just stay where you are, don’t make any sudden moves. I’m almost there, over."

---

(Malachi, whispering):

"Bro, I think it's getting closer… It’s stepping out of the water. Holy shit. Aiden… I don't want to die like this, bro. Not mauled to death by a bear while holding a fishing pole, over."

---

(Aiden bursts through the trees, spotting Malachi standing frozen on the riverbank, the bear about ten feet away, staring him down. Aiden skids to a stop, quickly assessing the situation.)

---

(Aiden, trying to keep his voice steady):
​
"Okay, bro. We’re gonna get out of this. Just slowly, I mean slowly, start backing up. We don’t want to piss it off. Keep your arms out, make yourself look bigger."

(Malachi, gulping, barely moving):
​
"Bro, I’m 5’8". I am small. I can’t look bigger, Aiden!"

---

(The bear snorts, shaking water off its fur, watching them with deep, curious eyes. For a tense moment, everything is still—except for Aiden’s heart pounding in his ears.)

(Aiden, thinking fast, reaches into his backpack and pulls out the bag of beef jerky he packed for the trip. He slowly rips it open, the scent immediately catching the bear’s attention. Aiden takes a deep breath and, with the most careful movement of his life, tosses the jerky a few feet away from them.)

(The bear pauses, sniffs the air, then huffs before lumbering toward the jerky, seemingly more interested in an easy meal than two terrified hikers.)

---

(Aiden grabs Malachi’s arm, whispering):
"Move. Now."

(Both of them, keeping their movements slow and controlled, start backing up, inching away from the riverbank and toward the woods. The bear happily munches on the jerky, paying them little mind as they disappear into the tree line.)

(Only when they’re a safe distance away does Malachi finally breathe, shaking his head in disbelief.)

---

(Malachi, panting, looks at Aiden):
"Dude… did we just bribe a bear with beef jerky?"

(Aiden, also catching his breath, nods):
"Yeah. Yeah, we did. And you owe me a new bag, bro."

(Malachi, still in shock, laughs):
"Bro, I’ll buy you a whole damn case if it means I don’t get turned into bear food."

(The two of them, still rattled but alive, start making their way back toward the trail, vowing to avoid any more surprise wildlife encounters for the rest of the day. But one thing was for sure—this would be one hell of a story to tell later.)

(Over.)

. ݁ 𓋼𓍊 𓍢ִ`🌲˚𓆈🌱𓍢𓆏ִ໋˚ ོ🌳˚𓆣༄˖°.🍃