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            I call you back to me as I wander barefoot in the woods. Still singing hymns and opera songs, my throat has become bloody and dry. And still I push on as I promised I would.

            There’s a rope tied around my heart and I let it pull me forward. Its gentle tug is painful, and yet the pain is a comfort in this black forest.

            “Please,” I whisper gently, but even I doubt my intentions. I lay my head against the cool trunk of a bark-stripped tree. I murmur in relief as the sensation passes through my cheek and down into my body. “Please,” I say again, before collapsing to the ground.

            And it’s tempting to stay here and listen to the ground’s soft heartbeat. I could stay here and wait to die, and I want to. I close my eyes and imagine my life if I let the energy drain from my body right now. My fingers drum against the earth.

But in one sudden movement, I rise from the ground. My legs shake beneath me, but I steady my gaze on a point up ahead and feel strong enough to continue walking. The first few steps are agony, but the pain quickly recedes to the back of my mind.

            I begin a new chant, and soon my feet are moving in time to it. I scream as my voice begins to fail. I scream and scream until the entire forest is shivering to its roots in fear of me. It should be afraid. I’m coming for you. I will find you or you will find me and I will lead us away. I will lead us away from this place and back into the light.