Elijah Henderson

No one dared enter the forest, not even the villagers living nearby.

I had heard many beliefs from different people.

Some said the forest was hiding something from us.

Others said it was all just a myth.

The villagers mostly felt safe, though only rarely would someone mention that it could be dangerous.

Because there was no proof, most people didn't believe any of it.

And honestly, neither did I.

I had been there before and nothing had happened.

It had felt peaceful.

Maybe it was just our mindset, whether we choose to believe or not.

I didn't want to miss this chance, so I decided to go with her.

We stepped into the forest and while looking for the right place to set up our tent, we noticed strange signs on the trees as we moved forward.

That's when we met a group of strangers, just like us, who had come for hiking.

We decided to team up with them.

With their help, we successfully set up the campfire before dark.

While resting, we even planned to watch the sunset from the bridge inside the forest.

We laughed, sharing stories.

They were attracted to my beautiful pebble chain, so I removed it from my neck and handed it over for them to see.

While talking, they accidentally lost the thread.

I didn't make a big deal out of it and kept the pebble safely in my backpack.