So I lived in the middle of a forest before, when I was 14. Back then I went with the bus to my school in a small town every morning and back every afternoon. The bus only left twice or maybe trice a day and that meant that if we ended early I would be left alone with nothing to do. I've always been somewhat of a wallflower, but I don't deal well with being alone and having nothing to do. When this happens i usually go for a walk to think. I'm an only child who lived out in the country with two neighbors so i was alone a lot. I like to think this has given me a very colorful internal monologue. Well I had had a stressful week and we'd just ended early. It was two hours until my bus would show up. I made a quick calculation in my head and realized that I could probably walk the 10 km to my home in two hours. And I really wanted a long walk to think. So of I went, following the path my bus took every morning. The only problem is that the bus takes the motorway for a little while and i couldn't go walking along the motorway. I knew there was a way through the forest but I'd never taken it. It had taken quite a bit longer to walk then I had thought, but I was feeling fine - I decided that the most logical course of action was to curt right through the forest. I did this for a while but soon got tired and decided to sit down and rest. And I fell asleep. This was in October by the way. In Sweden. It was below 0 C outside. When I woke up there was frost on the ground and I was cold as hell. And my phone had run out of charge. I legitimately thought I was going to freeze to death. I was laying therm waiting for it to happen because at least then I wouldn't be freezing. After a while of laying there and crying and being pissed off at my self for being maybe the stupidest person alive I realized that i sure as hell didn't want to die. So i started walking. I jumped over a stream and my shoes got wet so i discarded them and put my gloves on my feet. I sprained my ankle at some point. I fell down more times then I care to count. But I kept on walking until i got home. And i did. At four in the morning. With my homeroom teacher sitting in my kitchen. Basically the whole town had been out searching for me. I especially remember one teachers reaction when I came back. She asked my If I'd had nightmares about it. I hadn't had those... well yet anyway but I was really touched she asked. Later she told me she had told the story to her five year old whom had run away in the middle of it before she had managed to convey that I had in fact survived. Today I usually tell the story as the time i managed to get lost on my way home from school. It's kind of funnier and simpler that way.
Once upon a time, I had been getting drunk at my favorite bar. A dear crush came in just as I was leaving - as I knew I was drunk. I insisted we take a shot. It was the fatal "one shot too many." I have blacked out twice in my life and this was one of those times. I left the restaurant knowing I was too drunk to drive and set out for the nearest Wawa, a 30-45 minute walk away. Good to sober me up. On the way there a car of three men pulled up next to me and offered me a ride. Thankfully, I was wasted but not stupid. I refused. I only know this because I was texting as I walked. Walked all the way to Wawa, got a Monster and maybe food and walked back, and an hour and a half later back at my car knew I was still too drunk to drive. Texted my friend who I'd been texting when the guys tried to give me a ride. He had offered me a couch to sleep on...3 hours ago. Now I was trying to take him up on it. He was awake and when I arrived at his house the first thing I did was insult his hair. I was very insistent about sleeping on his couch and nowhere else and snuck out at 7am without saying bye. The horrifying part for me is that 3 men tried to "offer a rode" to a visibly drunk girl and somehow although blackout I was smart enough to say no. Thank god I was smart enough to say no. This I am comfortable sharing.
Of the three stories I have heard like this, two of them ended up involving rohypnol. If you aren't paying attention, it looks like a girl who didn't know her limits. If you are paying attention, it looks like a girl who went from tipsy to sloppy blackout drunk in the space of a Black Russian. The ultimate tell is a crippling hangover. Just be aware - if you ever find yourself far drunker than you feel you should be, there may be an agent responsible other than alcohol.
I'm really certain in this case it was just going too far - I was already slurring-my-words drunk when I took that shot, my inhibitions were generally not lowered (while I did insult the hair of the guy who let me crash immediately upon arrival, I also adamantly and repeatedly confirmed that there would be no bootay-having), and I had almost no hangover. Roofies definitely happen. I try to be cautious about my drinks. As far as I'm aware I've never been drugged... The only other time in my life i've blacked out was definitely due to me not knowing my limits and overindulging. But I have friends who believe they've been roofied. I don't go to that bar.
Holy shit. I really, really don't know what to say to that. That must've been terrifying.
To be fair? Your story, totally terrifying as well. One time my brother convinced me to rub poison ivy all over myself so I would get off school. I remember intently searching out all shiny three leaved (leafed?) plants I could find in our wooded backyard. I truly rubbed them everywhere. I had to go to the hospital because my face swelled so much my eyes were nearly shut. They put me on steroids and that was when I finally learned to swallow pills. I think I was in 5th grade. That would be about 9 years old, mabe 10 as it was the end of the school year. That seems less "yes that really happened" than just "this is a crazy fucked up story" though. As I responded to this thread I noticed more of my stories are the latter than what i think the former describes.
Regarding terrifying - I think I find your story so terrifying because my panic response is - for various reasons - to just shut down and become uncomfortably compliant. I will basically do what someone tells me to, even if it's something I really don't want to do. I think you understand why this can be problematic. I try to avoid all and any situations where that could happen and I've been successful/ish so far.
I feel you on the "this is a crazy fucked up story" part. I've had many incidents where I'm like "I'll tell you a funny story" and listeners are like "That's fucked up".
I was hiking to a mountain lake. Long story short, didn't tell anybody where I was going and needles falling into melting divots look a lot like footprints. It took me 20 minutes of carefully going back over my footsteps in fading light to realize I was off trail, 20 miles from the road, in shorts and a T-shirt, above the snowline, with 70lbs of cameras worth around 10 grand. But, of course, no space blanket, no firestarter, no emergency rations, none of that useful shit. Had to hike 6 miles down a river to find a bridge, then 12 miles on a dirt road before I found pavement, then another 4 miles before anybody picked me up. Called in sick the next day, then went out to buy a GPS (REI failed to sell me one - talk about shitty salespeople). Got home and my legs were swollen 2" outside my socks like rotting sausages. Went to the ER with acute rhabdomyelosis. The attending said "it was a good thing it was you and not me because if I were in your spot I'd be dead." TL;DR I feel ya. There was another time my scirocco threw a wheel over an arroyo 'cuz I was driving like an asshole in Arizona; I was 25 miles from town and decided to overland the loop to save myself a couple hours. But I could see town the entire time, since it was night and there was a moon. I found a skull and spinal column from a deer halfway through that loop, bleached and awesome, like I was gonna be. I took it back and turned it into a lamp. My life was probably saved those two times by my resolve to do something about my shitty sense of direction. I was partying with friends in Maine one summer at someone's house. Wasn't feelin' it (I was the only one without a girl). So I decided to walk back to the cabin we were staying at. I went 17 miles the wrong way (in sandals) and had to hitch back. Didn't want to do that ever again.
Oh, we called the national hospital helpline after I got home. They laughed when they heard my story and my name because I'm named after a girl in an famous Astrid Lindgren story that everyone in Sweden is familiar with. In the story she runs of and lives in the woods. To find my way home I listened to the motorway and made sure I had the moon on the same side the whole time. It was really nice/funny/tragic to see everyone post pictures on facebook about the beautiful night sky. (that they had taken while looking for my lost ass) I mean, yes really fucking pretty but also really fucking cold.
I think it is so interesting that it is and I think that is reveals a lot about what issues a country has by what Astrid Lindgren book is their favorite.
Nope, I had nosebleeds for days afterwards and I was freezing for a week but luckily nothing of the sort.