Milly

It was a Sunday morning, about 6.30am and i thought i would go for a run in the park. Its a lovely park, woodlands and a lake, but on a cold morning covered in cloud, there was no one there to be seen, the sun was coming up and it was still quite gloomy. I had my tracksuit on with a baseball hat, and some gloves. I was jogging and the cold air felt really refreshing on my face. There wasn't any wind that day, it was very still, i couldn't even hear any rustling of leaves.

I passed into a woodland track that i knew would go round the woods and back out into a road very close to my house. So i took this route, it was amazing to look up and see the tops of tall ancient trees standing strong. It was darker in the woodland area, the branches and leaves were hiding the little sunlight there was available.

It was when i was deep inside the woods, i saw something on a tree, hanging in the distance, it caught my eye straight away, some red cloth but stuck to something. In the darkness and that far away, i couldn't see, i walked wearily towards the object. It looked like a doll, i touched it and turned it around, a child's doll but the face covered in pins pierced into every space available ..i jumped with a fright at the sight of it. The red cloth was an actual child's dress pinned to the doll. It was ripped. I had dislodged the doll and it landed in the leaves below. Who would do this and why is it here? I felt instantly scared and as i stepped back away from the doll, still looking at it closely, i heard a man's voice from my left 'what do you want?' I instantly screamed, i looked to my left, my eyes searching for the voice, for the man...but there wasn't anyone there...i ran as fast as i could down the woodland track , where is that damn exit i thought, i was terrified, had that man mutilated that doll, what was he doing in the woods at that time...why couldn't i see him?? I suddenly heard feet behind me, they were faint, but running too...i thought my heart was going to jump out of my mouth, i ran like i've never run before. The steps got louder and then disappeared suddenly. I could see the gate, but my inner soul shook as i saw something move from behind the tree which stood in front of the gate. Was it him? I stopped, how could i get out if he is there. He had somehow overtaken me through the woodland. I saw a hand come out from behind the tree clutching the little red dress. Out of utter fright, i fell to the floor, i had fainted.. I blacked out, maybe it was the panic plus the exhaustion of running. I remember nothing more, except when i woke up, i was staring at the sky, i got up and i looked around and i then felt a tug on my clothes on my jacket. I looked down and my jacket had a note on it. pinned with one of the pins from the doll. I ripped it off, opened it and it was a symbol, like an X shape. I ran home panicked and feeling sick.

Later on i contemplated all the harmful things that could have happened to me when i fainted, he could have abducted me. Ive never been back to the park, and the symbol turned out to be an ancient pagan symbol of witchcraft. I couldn't believe that in zone 4 of london, in an urban area, we could have such weirdos in our public places ready to harass people. This is one experience that i will never forget.