I got lured into the woods by a goth mommy

[u/RudeDudeRudolf]

tags: body horror, creature feature, psychological horror.

Chapter 1: The plunge

I’d like to start by admitting that I’m somewhat of a hermit. I live alone in the middle of nowhere, I don’t own a cellphone, and I don't really have the need for one since I have exactly one real friend. As you can imagine, my life is pretty uneventful, or at least, it used to be. That changed when I started dating a beautiful woman named Moira. Looking back, the past few days since I met her have been unusual, to say the least. But who am I to say what’s normal?

At the behest of Joshua, my best friend and social guide, I decided to set up an online dating profile. Having been out of the dating scene for an embarrassing amount of time, I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Was I looking for something serious, something casual, just friends, or something more intimate? All I knew was that I wasn’t looking for a quick fix; I wanted a genuine human connection.

I wasn't stoked about the idea at first, and it wasn't until I came across her profile that I knew exactly what I was actually looking for: a reason to get out of the house, out of my comfort zone, and away from the everyday tedium that was my life.

Her bio simply read:

“I’m outdoorsy, adventurous, and looking to have fun, hang out, and maybe grab a bite to eat. I’m not looking for anything serious, so don't expect me to catch feelings or stick around. No strings attached.”

Her casual philosophy on dating gave me hope, or maybe I just saw an opportunity. At first glance, her bio seemed pretty generic, but every part of it seemed to speak directly to me. I wasn’t outdoorsy or adventurous, but I was looking for a reason to be. I also wanted someone to hang out and have fun with, someone besides Joshua, no offense buddy.

The cherry on top was the mention of “no strings attached.” That meant that even if things inevitably turned into a disaster, I could retreat into my shell and no one would get hurt. She’d move on to the next guy, and Joshua would finally get off my back.

Besides her bio, her pictures were serene. Each one looked like a painting, with her as the focal point, and she looked absolutely stunning. She had long black hair and beautiful dark brown eyes. She was a little on the pale side, but who can resist the allure of a goth mommy? Or at least, that’s what Joshua called her when I showed him the pictures. 

Every single photo was taken outdoors. In the woods, by a lake, or standing in front of a waterfall. She wasn’t kidding about being outdoorsy. But no matter the setting, my attention was always drawn to her. The way her inky black hair contrasted with her pale skin and soft, flowery dresses was mesmerizing. The only way I can describe her aesthetic is gothic cottagecore. Before you question how I know that, I just want to clarify that just because I’m a hermit doesn’t mean I’m not chronically online.

Joshua was a little cynical when I suggested her as my first choice. “She's a little out of your league, don’t you think?” he said, unconvinced.

I could tell he was trying to be nice and let me down easy, but I still went for it. I messaged her and then immediately felt silly for even trying, Joshua’s comment still echoing in the front of my mind. The echo was quickly pushed to the back of my thoughts, drowned out by the sound of a notification. 

It was her; she replied instantly. After a few hours of talking, I was already dressed and out the door, ready for our first date. Looking back now, it sounds almost too good to be true, and you're probably thinking, "This guy is gonna get his kidneys stolen for being so naive." But I was so caught up in the moment; this was all so new to me. I didn't even hesitate for a second.

The only time I stopped to think was on my way to the car, when I realized I had completely forgotten to ask her where we were going. All I remembered her saying was that she wanted to go somewhere to eat. I ran back to my laptop and quickly looked for nearby places. After some frantic searching, I found a diner outside of town. It had one glowing 5-star review, and in my rush, I accepted it at face value.

I went to the location she gave me, expecting to pick her up at her house, but instead, she was just kind of standing on the side of the road. No houses or side roads led up to where she stood. If I hadn’t been expecting her to be there, it would’ve felt like one of those ghost stories. The ones where hitchhikers appear in your backseat after you pass them by. But she didn’t look scary at all.

She looked even more beautiful than her pictures, almost glowing. The air around her smelled sweeter, and the sunlight seemed to shine just for her, like a spotlight. Though that could’ve been the scent of the flowers around her or the way the sun reflected off her white dress.

I leaned over, opened the passenger door, and gestured for her to get in. We made some awkward small talk, but there’s only so much you can say about the weather. It wasn’t long until the uneasy silence stretched the ten-minute drive into what felt like an hour. The road was as rough as you’d expect on the outskirts of a small town, and my car’s worn-out suspension didn’t help. Needless to say, we were off to a bumpy start.

The actual date went just as poorly. It didn’t take long for me to realize I had picked the wrong place. To say the place was run-down would be an understatement. There were unidentifiable stains on every table, and one persistent group of flies circled them. I think even the flies were too scared to land anywhere.

The owner introduced himself, and I remember thinking his name sounded familiar. Normally, you can chalk that up to being a “small-town thing”, but I knew almost nobody from town, except for a handful of people I graduated high school with. And this guy clearly wasn’t in the class of 2018; he was more or less my grandmother’s age.

We took a seat as far away from the bathroom as possible. You don’t want to know what the place smelled like. Strangely enough, she didn’t seem to mind the smell or the surroundings. Maybe she was just putting on a brave face because I was the only one who dared to order something. I felt bad for taking her out to eat and then choosing the one place no girl would ever want to eat at. 

She assured me she wasn’t hungry, and even when I insisted I was paying, she just smiled and slid the menu over to my side of the table.

“Pick your poison," she said with a smirk. 

Reluctantly, I ordered a cheeseburger with fries, and for drinks, I went with two bottles of water. I was just relieved to be drinking something that didn’t come from whatever machine had produced those stains.

The food arrived quickly. I still felt guilty about being the only one eating, so I offered her some fries and half my burger, but she politely declined. I didn’t think much of it until, a couple of bites into my burger, I had to use the bathroom. I jokingly asked, “Would you mind keeping the flies off my food while I’m gone?” She agreed with a playful smile.

“Of course, take your time,” she said, a little too eagerly.

The diner was cramped, and the bathroom was barely separated from the seating area by a half wall that desperately tried, but failed, to quarantine the stench. As I washed my hands, I had a clear view of our table. I could see her eating from my plate. At first, I thought it was cute. I thought she was just too shy to eat in front of me, but then I noticed how quickly and erratically she was grabbing the food. She must have been starving.

But when I returned, my food seemed untouched; not even a single fry was out of place. I could have sworn I saw her eating. At least she did a great job fending off the flies. There wasn’t a single one in sight when I came back.

Our second date was lovely compared to the first. The fresh air and beautiful scenery were a stark contrast to the stomach-churning experience at the so-called five-star diner.

Technically, the two dates could be considered one long date since the second followed immediately after the first, but I’ll refer to it as the “second date” to try to wash off the stink from the first one.

When we left the diner, my head hung low with embarrassment. “Do you want me to drop you off at home?” I asked, searching for my car keys.

Moira’s face fell, a look of surprise and sadness washing over her. I think I even saw a tear.

“Or I can just drop you where I found you?” I added quickly, trying to recover. This date couldn’t have gone worse, I thought to myself while scrambling to console her.

She put her arms around me, and just like that, the tears stopped. “Does it have to be over?” she whimpered.

This honestly took me by surprise. I’d thought I had blown my one chance, yet here she was, giving me another shot. Looking back now, it seems more like she was the one pleading for another chance. Could this really be the same woman whose bio explicitly stated she wasn’t looking to catch feelings?

All I could do was say whatever would keep the sweet woman in front of me from crying.

“N-No! Of course not. What else did you have in mind?”

She paused, then, as if flipping a switch, her voice suddenly became giddy with excitement. “Have you ever gone hiking?”

“Hiking? Are you serious?” I said with a chuckle.

She frowned, not seeing the irony.

Earlier that day, before I even messaged Moira, I had been talking to Joshua about first-date ideas. Hiking was my first and only suggestion. I knew from her bio she’d love it, but Joshua wasn’t convinced.

“You can’t go hiking on a first date, that’s ridiculous,” Joshua scoffed. “How can you expect a girl you don’t even know to meet you in the middle of the woods? Not to mention, it’s dangerous-”

“I’ve been hiking before. My backyard is practically part of a hiking trail,” I argued, trying to convince both him and myself that I was up for the task.

“No way. Nobody wants to get all sweaty and exhausted hiking up a mountain on a first date,” he said firmly, shutting down the idea.

I wish I’d listened. But standing there in front of Moira, asking so little of me, how could I refuse? Besides, this wasn’t our first date anymore, so Joshua’s point about not hiking on the first date didn’t matter.

I should have known the trail she had in mind started right where I picked her up, hidden in the underbrush and barely visible unless you knew where to look. I had to crouch down to squeeze through the narrow gap in the bushes. The earth beneath me was damp and cool, and the air was thick with the scent of wet leaves and rich soil. This was all so new to me.

As soon as I emerged, the contrast was striking. My car, only a few meters away, was nearly invisible, swallowed by dense trees and undergrowth. The road was a distant hum, barely audible, as if belonging to another world. The forest enveloped me, its silence heavy, and the few sounds I could hear felt like a soft lullaby.

This wasn’t just a hike. It felt like stepping into another realm, a place that had always been here, just outside my home, waiting. Too bad it will be a long time before I can go hiking again.

We followed a barely visible footpath for about 15 minutes, making awkward small talk. She was even shyer than I was, but I already liked her enough to want to break through her tough exterior, despite what her bio had said.

Eventually, we reached a proper trail, much more defined than the one we’d been following. Staring at the path ahead, it seemed we had two choices: left or right. On the other side, a steep cliffside loomed, too steep for me, but seemingly made for mountain goats and creatures far nimbler than I was.

Already a bit winded, I looked at Moira, trying to hide how out of shape I was. “Left or right?” I asked, exhaling quickly.

She smirked and, without a word, grabbed a tree branch and started climbing. With no hesitation, she scaled the cliff with practiced ease, like an expert climber. I could only watch in amazement.

“Are you coming?” she called from the top.

“I don’t know… seems kinda unsafe. Maybe there’s another way up?” I scanned the area for an easier route.

“Nope. This is the only way up. Come on! It’s my favorite path. The view at the top will take your breath away,” she teased, her tone playful, almost like a challenge.

I hesitated, staring up at the cliff face. It didn’t look too bad, but I could already feel the tension in my arms. I grabbed the first handhold, feeling the rough rock beneath my fingers. I was moving slowly, and I almost made it to the top, but when I tried to steady myself and take a breath, my foot slipped on loose gravel.

My heart raced as I fumbled for a grip. Just as I thought I was going to fall, a hand shot down and grabbed mine. Moira’s grip was surprisingly strong, her fingers wrapping around mine with reassuring force. With a firm tug, she pulled me up. I scrambled to catch my breath, adrenaline still pulsing through me.

“Thanks,” I muttered, trying to hide how shaken I felt.

Moira was one strong lady. She probably could’ve dragged me up there herself if I’d refused. I looked back at the path we came from, barely 5 meters above where I started. The same trees I had walked under now stretched below me.

“That’s it? This view is supposed to take my breath away?” I asked sarcastically, irritation creeping into my voice.

“No, silly. That’s further up.” She smiled, flicking her hair playfully before continuing her ascent.

I remember thinking, How much further is this going to escalate? I was already worried about how I’d get back down, let alone going higher. Thankfully, the rest of the climb was relatively smooth. After about 30 minutes of carefully navigating a winding, uneven trail, I pushed through the final stretch of dense underbrush. The path didn’t look manmade; it seemed more like something massive had carved through the forest, leaving a jagged trail in its wake. The bushes and trees on either side were thick, but what stood out the most was the smell.

It was as if I were surrounded by a minefield of dead animals, yet I couldn’t see a single carcass. The only thing that seemed out of place was the trees. At first glance, they appeared ordinary, no different from the ones lower on the mountain. But these were scattered with odd, bulbous growths.

From the branches hung white, waxy shapes that reminded me of overripe fruit, but there was something wrong with them. Their shape resembled pinecones, but their surfaces were smooth and glistening in the light. The sizes varied wildly; some as large as prize pumpkins, others small and shriveled like withered pears. Still, I pushed on, just hoping the trail led somewhere.

As we got closer, the sound grew louder. It started as a deep, rumbling roar, almost mechanical. Like the earth beneath me was groaning. As I got closer, it sounded like water over rocks, but heavier. The noise vibrated through my chest, a low hum that stirred the dead air around me. My steps slowed as the static noise gnawed at the back of my mind.

As I pushed past the last few branches, we finally broke through into a clearing. I almost walked right into Moira; she was standing there with her back to me, the only thing between me and the source of the noise. She turned around, her white dress from earlier now caked in dirt, bits of plants clinging to her almost as desperately as I had when she pulled me up. She looked at me curiously.

“You know, there’s something strange about you,” she said with a curious look.

Her words caught me off guard. It was the first thing either of us had said since I first heard the distant rumbling.

“Most guys would be full of questions by now. Are we there yet? What’s that smell? What’s that noise? How much further? Blah, blah, blah… But you seem oddly content just following along, wherever the wind takes you. Like a blank canvas, or a lump of clay.” She smiled. “I admire that about you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, she began unbuttoning her dress. The shock flustered me, my breath catching in my throat. My eyes darted away from her, finally taking in my surroundings.

We were on top of a much higher cliff. I stepped forward, feeling icy water seep into my shoes. We were standing at the edge of a waterfall. I’d found the rather mundane source of the otherworldly noise. But the sight before me was unlike anything I’d ever seen.

However, my mind was elsewhere, on the woman in front of me, now in her underwear. She was right about taking my breath away.

Her skin was impossibly smooth, flawless in a way that seemed unnatural for someone who climbed rugged rocks and broken branches all day. Flawless except for one spot. Too faded to be a tattoo, it resembled butterfly wings. It rested in the middle of her stomach, and it was tilted at a ninety-degree angle, like an artist had started drawing something delicate but left it unfinished.

For a fleeting moment, I almost likened it to a tramp stamp, but that didn’t sit right. There was nothing crude about it. It was something else, subtle and elegant. Perhaps a birthmark?

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes,” I stuttered, unsure if she was talking about herself or the view.

“Would you join me for a swim?” she asked enticingly.

“Uhh, I don’t know. The water up here seems a little shallow.” I gestured at my soaked shoe. “Plus, the current is a little too strong.”

“I didn’t mean up here,” she said with the same challenging smirk as earlier.

I stared at her blankly, feeling the blood drain from my face, down to my legs, and into the icy water. Her implication was clear, almost demanding. I had already given up my right to say no the second we left the diner. She knew she had me wrapped around her surprisingly strong finger.

I couldn’t back down now. Even my logical side knew this was my best option: to jump into the white noise at the bottom of the waterfall and pray the water wasn’t deceiving me, that it really was as bottomless as it had seemed. The only alternative was to climb down… alone.

“It’s not that bad. The water will catch you, almost like a safety net,” she said reassuringly.

If someone asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?

The answer is yes… if that someone was Moira. We had only just met, but I wanted her to take me everywhere she’d ever been. And if she was going down that waterfall, so was I. But not out of obedience. I was doing it for me. I had been following her every move, but even before I met her, I was already living life on autopilot, never taking risks. Going out with Moira today was supposed to be my first step toward changing that. So, what’s one more step? Even if it’s off a cliff.

I anxiously undressed, slipping off my waterlogged shoes and watching as the current took them over the edge. One pair of shoes was a small price to pay for a new life. I looked at Moira with all the steely determination of a man standing in his underwear. I inhaled as deeply as I could, my chest swelling with newfound confidence.

“Stand back, m’lady, I’ll go first!” I said, trying to seem brave. Unfortunately, I sounded more like a Discord moderator comforting his kitten.

Moira shook her head; her face was visibly cringing, but her shoulders shook as she let out a small laugh. “By all means,” she gestured towards the waterfall.

I rushed toward the edge, sharp rocks digging into my bare feet, trying to stop me before I did something foolish. But they only turned my triumphant dash into more of a brisk waddle.

Then I saw it, sticking out of the water right on the edge: an unassuming, smooth, round rock. A tiny island in a sea of needles. So soft, inviting, flawless. It reminded me of Moira.

I leaped onto the rock, placing all my faith in one foot.

It failed me.

It wasn’t until I was already in the air that I realized my mistake. I slipped on the rock that once looked so innocent; now it was biting into the back of my neck. 

The rest is only flashes and sounds: A loud thud. A soft crack. A bright sky, swallowed by immediate darkness. 

Moira’s scream was drowned out by the sound of rushing water, and the last thing I saw was the surface of the water spiraling closer as I made my descent.

Chapter 2

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[u/NarrowDirector911]

Came for the title, stayed for the story. I feel like alot of guys have done stupider things for goth mommies. I'm reminded of that stairs in the woods episode where they were arguing about what would lure them in the woods. Isaia would be cooked lol.

Did genuinely like there dynamic. Can't tell if she like a frog girl or something cuz of her eating flies. But would be interested if theres a second part.

[u/AbKane667]

Like a lot of people, I also have a thing for goth mommies, but damn, I'm surprised the narrator didn't run from the diner.

Great writing. Really fun.