Strange Man In The Woods

My name is Glady Mir, 23 years old. I'm Born and grew up in the Philippines. But now, I lived in Canada with my parents.

This is a story when I was 6 years old. I was in the Philippines and is taking vacation at my grandparents house in province called Aklan. Me and my parents usually live in City called Manila. But if there's no school or I'm on vacation, I will visit my grandparents' home and stay there until school starts. My grandparents' house is on the top of a mountain. So literally, you can't see anything but trees around it. The main road is 15-20 minutes walk from their house. Cars can't go in because of little space of the road due to trees. Motorbikes can go in but only half way through because it will be hard for it to drive up to their house.

My grandfather on my mother side is still alive at that time. Back then, when he was still alive, he usually takes me outside to take a stroll or sightseeing. I was his 1st grandchild so he always pampered me.

One day, it was in the afternoon, my grandfather and I were taking a stroll on the mountain. He was holding a big knife (usually for cutting weeds and branches in the woods that was in the way so that I can easily go walk on it) and a big sack. He said that we will try to find a fruit or vegetables that we can take home to grandma. I remember when we were walking in the woods, we came across this big mango tree. It's a big Indian mango tree that you can't even reach a branch of it. Usually most mango tree are short enough for people to reach its fruit to harvest, but this tree is not. And it has a lot of green mangos on it. You could say that it looks like it's the right time to harvest. So, after seeing that, my grandfather said that he will try to poke the mango from the tree using a stick that he found laying around, and that he will try to make it fall into the ground. And while he was doing that, he ask me that if a mango falls to the ground, it's my job to put the mango on the big sack that he brought.

So I was doing that when suddenly, an unknown man came to me. He was wearing a white dress and a blue jeans but, he's not wearing any shoes. He said to come with him and that he will show me something.

As a 6 years old back then, I didn't really know the words "don't talk to stranger". He's like in mid 20s, skin tanned, well you could say he's a little bit handsome too so, I go with him.

I don't know what happened but as I was following him in woods, we came across this huge house. Well you could say it's not a house it's a Mansion! And on top of that is a gold mansion. A gold Mansion! I remember when the door automatically opened like it's a censored or something. And when we got inside, man, even now I didn't believe what I saw but all equipment, all interior, the floor, the ceilings, table, chair, carpet, you name it. It's all gold. I mean literally gold! Like a gold jewelry. Well even the bookshelves and books are gold.

So when we were inside the house, there's a big staircase in front of the door where we came in. The staircase is like in the movies, it's wide enough for two cars to go in. So we went up, and after we got to the top I saw this long table.

The table is like what you saw in movies or in royalty mansion, with lots of chairs in it maybe 10 or something. I didn't really count it. But it's a long table with lot of chairs. There's different type of foods. Delicious food. It's like the food you served when there's any festive event happening like new year, Christmas, or anything. At the end of the table there's a open chair and an empty plate with utensils at the side and an empty glass.

The strange man ask me to sit on the chair. So I sit on the chair. Pretty much obedient little girl. After that he reach a plate on the table with lots of food and place it in front of me. On this plate, is a white rice. Well it looks like a white rice, like a white little grain but it's not. Why? Because it's moving! It's like a white tiny little worms moving on a plate. He offered it to me and ask me to eat it. And of course, as a child, what do you expect? I rejected it. I don't what to eat it because I saw it moving and I think it as a worm.

After rejecting his offer, he didn't say anything. He just said okay, and that he will bring me back. So I followed him, we went downstairs, and through the door. After I went through or outside the door, I don't know what happened but it suddenly went white, I mean there's a light that is so bright you can't see in front of you and you had to close your eyes. The next thing happened is when I heard my grandfather shouting my name.

And guess where I am? I was on top of the big Mango tree! And my grandfather whose shouting my name was under the tree looking around for me. After that, I called my grandfather, he turned around, and saw me above the tree. I remember seeing my grandfather worried and confuse face of how did I end up on the tree? That even my grandfather, a grown man can't climb it up by himself without some help. Since my grandfather can't reach me. He ask me to just jump down the tree and that he will catch me when I jump. So, I jumped the tree, and my grandfather catches me. He then pick his knife laying on the ground that time, and went on running carrying me outside the woods, and back to our house.

After we went home and everything is settled, my grandparents ask me what happened. My grandfather told my grandmother what happened in the woods while we were picking some mangos. That I went missing, he couldn't find me, and that he saw me on top of the tree. I told them about what happen. About the strange man, the big mansion, the gold things, and even the food the man offered me.

My grandmother said that she was glad that I didn't eat the food this man offered. I ask why? She said that the man that I saw might be one of the guardian of the forest, or a fairy of what the others called. She said that there is a saying that if this man or this guardian offered you a food and eat it, you will not be able to go back to the present. You will stay there with them and will remain missing forever. She said that maybe the reason the man approaches me is because he had a strong urge of feeling to make me his. My grandmother said that he only did that because he like me and want me to be with him. So he didn't hurt me or anything.

Till this day, I will never forget that experience. Even now, when me and my grandmother are talking about it. We just laughed it out and remembered the hysterical worried faces of my grandfather that time.

Oh, I forgot to mention... My grandfather and his friends decided to comeback where that mango tree's are to investigate and look into it. But to strange, the big Indian mango tree is nothing to discover. It's like it's gone and it's not there in the 1st place.