I had an experience blueberry picking that left me scared to go back for a while. I still get the chills thinking about it to this day. I always loved the summer. Where we live, there are only seven houses on our road with only one entrance. It's surrounded by trees. My yard had lovely wildflowers, strawberries, and cherry trees. My neighbor had a plum tree that the moose come out and eat every fall.
Across from my house, there was a big piece of undeveloped land overgrown with trees and giant blueberries. It's one of my favorite spots to go to. Every year I'd make a few trips across the road onto this little path until I came to a small clearing full of blueberry bushes.
Every year was the same for years until it just a little while ago I remember I was waiting for my sister to come and visit. I said to my husband that I was going to pick a few berries while I waited for her, so I grabbed a bucket and I was off. It was around 6:00 PM in late August, so it was starting to get dark earlier but I figured I had plenty of time. Now keep in mind I could see my house and hear if my sister pulls into the driveway from where I was. The piece of land I'm on is maybe a couple thousand feet.
So there I was picking away one for me one for the bucket. The berries were big but today they were huge. I mean I had never seen berries so big, it was blue all around. I kept picking and picking. I soon started to notice it was getting dark. 'Oh no, another big patch, look at those!' I said to myself. I couldn't leave but no matter how many I picked, my bucket just wouldn't fill. 'Oh, it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, because it's getting dark. Keep picking, Peg, and you'll fill your bucket soon,' I said.
Suddenly, I got this strange silence coming over me. The air got a little colder. No wind. It got so quiet. No birds. Nothing. I couldn't even hear the sound of the highway. I can always hear the highway. I thought I was deaf. All I could hear is my heart and I believe that stopped for a second too. Everything started to go in slow motion around me. All of a sudden something clicked and a voice said, 'Get out of here, now!' I remember standing up and trying to go and my feet felt heavy.
I looked for the path but I couldn't find it. I started to panic because I could see my house but I couldn't find my way to it. The harder I tried to get through the trees and reach the road, the further away it would seem. It's like I was looking through something. I was walking on a treadmill in front of a big screen. I saw my sister's car pull into the driveway and my husband talking to her on the step and calling out to let me know she was there, but I couldn't call back. I tried and only whispered. I started to get scared. It was getting dark and I wanted out of those trees. I remember saying 'Not tonight, buddy, not tonight. Leave me alone! I'm not playing your games!'
Next thing you know, I'm out on the path and standing on the road in front of my house unsure of how I got there but glad I was.
