Clinging onto the trunk of the tree, George narrowed his eyes and gazed into the forest. At first, he thought maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, but the longer he remained, the more he realised what he saw was real. The trees below him were moving. They weren’t simply swaying in the wind, nor was it their branches waving to the ebb and flow of the music, but the entire trees from top to bottom had upped their roots and were walking towards the light. From the youngest of saplings to the most mature of oaks, each was lurching from side to side on their way, and just as George was doing, upon their trunks clung an assortment of cheeky animals. They hung from the branches as well, tails whipping and wings flapping in excitement at the ride they were hitching. As he observed the spectacle with wonder, there was a great moaning and groaning from all around him, and for a second his entire coat of fur stood on end. Digging his claws into the bark, he looked about to see what was happening. He needn’t have worried though. Lifting its roots from the ground as if they had been feet submerged in mud, the tree he was on lurched forwards. For a second it seemed as though it might topple over and crush him, but alas he was safe. Scurrying up the trunk until he was as high as he could get, George squinted against the snow that swirled about his head. Down on the ground, he could make out foxes and rabbits and badgers with wobbly behinds, plodding along on their way to the dance. On the branches of the trees ahead there were birds and snakes and a plethora of creepy crawlies slithering upon the bark like a second skin, and in the sky, obscured by clouds but shining through, the stars and the moon and the sun were shining too.

A Journal for Damned Lovers UK

A Journal for Damned Lovers US

Anthology UK / Anthology US