Avril had planned to go out to take pictures in a forest nearby, hoping to capture 'feelings' in the lens of her camera. She had only gone to this forest once, when the school made them go in a group of 4 with a map to learn to navigate around the marked trees. Not to brag, but Avril prides herself in never getting lost and having a wonderful sense of directions, so she's not very scared of losing herself in the dense woods. What she's scared of is losing her footing and hurting herself, with no one to help her in the cold. So she messaged Steven to tell him that if he doesn't have any news of her by tonight, call the cops to search for her like in Stranger Things. 

With a bit of her paranoia at ease, she exits the bathroom and goes to her closet, looking for a big sweater that will protect her of the cold air outside. She grabs a blue baggy sweater and black jeans, puts them on, then takes her camera that she always leaves on her bedside table. She takes it in her hands, examining it.

It's been a while since I had the opportunity to use it, she thinks, turning it over again. She puts the piece of material attached to the camera around her neck, then looks at her reflection in the mirror.

She puts on black boots and a brown long coat, takes her keys and her phone, then unlocks the front door to slip outside and locking it again. She looks around her, looking at the hallway where she thinks she heard the footsteps last night. Of course, there is nothing here, but dread still sinks in her stomach just thinking about what happened. Avril looks away, speeding now all the way down the stairs to the lobby, and out the broken front door.

Outside, the air bites at all the places where exposed skin is, and Avril puts her hands in the pockets of her coat to try to protect herself from the cold. She doesn't have to take the bus to go to where she wants this time, she knows an entry to the forest at 15 minutes from where she lives. She could take the bus, but she's in the mood to walk today. As she's descending the city's walkways, she passes by blurred faces, people in a hurry. Others that are taking their dogs out on a walk, and even some people that she shares classes with. She doesn't stop to say 'hello' though, social interaction is not a solid specialty of hers, so she just hangs her head low, in hopes of not being called over. Luckily, the person doesn't, and Avril likes to think that they were hoping she doesn't call for them too.

When she finally arrives at the entrance of the woods, leaves are lining the ground, making some noises that Avril enjoys when she walks on them. She enters the forest without sparing a worried glance around her; right now, there is only herself in this little world. She passes by some mushrooms that she just had to take pictures of, some are brown and others are darker, but they are all beautiful, even though Avril doesn't think some are edible. There are dead trees laying on the ground, covered in moss and little bugs.

While walking around in the damp scenery, she comes across a clearing, the trees forming a circle around it. The view is stunning, and when she enters, she can see more mushrooms in the middle of the field, but these are different from the other she saw earlier. They are a cream color and are forming a fairy ring, basking peacefully in the sunlight. That's the first time Avril had come across a fairy ring, but she had read about it one time. They are also called 'rond de sorcière', which translates to 'witch's circle'. The people from the Middle Ages thought that they were made by elves, nymphs and gnomes. They also believed that if someone entered the circle during a full moon, they would be taken to the fairylands. Of course it was all bullshit, but it's still amusing to think they weren't natural, that something made these.

Avril takes pictures of the clearing, then to the ring of little fungus. She wants to try something, she probably won't use it for her assignment, but it doesn't matter.

She enters the circle and sits in the middle. It feels magic in a way, knowing the folklore behind it. Avril puts her camera out of the fairy ring, in front of her. She actives the delay, having 3 seconds before the picture is taken. She repositions herself and closes her eyes. The sound of the pictures being taken is heard and Avril opens her eyes, reaching for her camera and looking at the photo.

It's a good shot, she thinks. The bright patches of sunlight against her pale skin seem to glow, and the orange in her hair is clashing against the light green of the grass around her. 

She gets up, dusting the grass off of her and puts back the camera around her neck like a necklace.

Before exiting the fairy ring, she remembers something. Ancient rumors had said that if you entered a fairy ring in a night of full moon and made a wish, it would be granted. 

It's not a full moon, but it's the first time Avril comes across something like that, so she makes a wish anyways. Closing her eyes again, she whisperers her wish, the trees and the mushrooms the only ones listening to it. When it's over, she exits the circle and starts to walk away from the clearing, looking back at it, like to say goodbye.

I would love to be a gay witch living in a cottage in the forest, she sighs, walking all the way back to where she entered. She had spent quite some time just roaming around, now the sun is ready to disappear, and Avril to go home.