William Royden

We started walking back in the other direction.

After only 50 yards, the path began to bend dramatically to the right.

It hadn't been curved before.

Nothing could be seen through the trees.

They marched back infinitely.

I stopped and stared at the path, my eyes wide.

Cording looked at me and did not seem surprised at my confusion.

He told me if the path was not what it seemed, it would do no good to try to go back the way we came.

We would walk, and that was all we could do.

I protested, but he only said again, there's nothing we can do but walk.

So we went.

The trees surrounding us were like any others, and the path was nothing more than a neatly beaten line to the grass.

We could hear birds overhead, but no traffic in the distance.

The wind was higher than ever.

After curving to the right, the path straightened for a time, going to the west.

I remember the position of the sun, which was almost entirely hidden by the clouds.

The path continued and did not veer from its westerly direction.

It stayed that way for what felt like almost a half hour before it changed in any way.

I don't recall the various turns it took.

They were meaningless.