I took the first sip and felt warmth spread through me instantly, Gogol’s Viy came to mind and that line about strengthening yourself with alcohol fit perfectly in that moment, except I wasn’t drinking vodka but egg liqueur straight from the bottle, simple and careless and somehow comforting. Back then I had no idea what was waiting for me. I sat on a stump on a steep slope near Blackroot Spring, just watching the world like nothing could go wrong. November surprised me that day, warm and bright, the kind of weather that lies to you. The mountains around Hollowmere Forest stretched out quiet and endless, almost too perfect. I knew I couldn’t stay there forever because once the sun drops everything turns cold and wrong out there. I still wanted to reach Mount Shadewind and then take the yellow trail toward Wraithvale. That was the plan at least. I wanted to climb higher and take that quiet traverse wrapping around Lake Hollowmere. First though I headed toward the so-called forest church, just a pile of stones pretending to mean something.

The place looked like a broken version of something ancient, something forgotten, and if you stared long enough you could almost believe it mattered. On the way there I passed the Woodcutter’s Cairn, which wasn’t really a hut but a pile of stones waiting to collapse. I remembered a friend of mine, Adam, saying he wouldn’t sleep there even if he had no choice. He said you never know what’s buried in places like that. Animals maybe, or something worse. That thought stayed with me longer than I liked. Time slipped without warning and suddenly it was past one. I finished the bottle and kept moving. I found the spot easily, turned off the trail and stepped into that strange open space. I like places like that, where imagination starts doing things on its own. It felt deeper than it should have, like I stepped somewhere I wasn’t supposed to.

I sat on one of the stones like it was an altar and that’s when everything went wrong. I cut my finger opening a beer and the blood hit the rock and started to foam. That wasn’t normal. Then it disappeared completely. The wound closed almost instantly like it never happened. I just stared at it trying to understand. Something shifted in my head at that moment. It felt like my senses sharpened all at once. Like I started noticing things I wasn’t meant to notice. The air felt heavier, clearer, wrong in a way I couldn’t explain. I stayed there for a moment longer and then got up.

I kept walking toward Mount Shadewind and the trail was empty the whole way. No people anywhere. Even the shelter was silent. I liked that at first. Having the mountains to yourself feels different. Like they’re watching you back. Then I made the mistake. I took the traverse even though something in me said not to. It was getting darker fast and the wind started picking up. The forest changed in a way that’s hard to describe. Everything felt slightly off, like the world tilted just a bit. Then something moved in the bushes beside me.

I froze and pointed the flashlight and saw it clearly. A bear. No doubt about it. It stood there looking straight at me like I didn’t belong there. Maybe I didn’t. Its eyes reflected the light in a way that felt too aware. It didn’t move at first. Then slowly it turned and walked away like I wasn’t worth it. I stood there longer than I should have. I kept asking myself if that was even real. I never got an answer.

Further down near Blackwater Creek I started hearing something strange. A low hum at first. Then louder. Then too loud to ignore. Suddenly someone was standing behind me. I hadn’t heard him approach. He asked if I needed help like it was nothing. He looked thin, quiet, like he had always been there. He said people get lost here all the time. Said he knew the area. I didn’t trust him but I followed anyway.

He led me off the path and told me to watch carefully. Something appeared between the trees. A shape at first, then clearer. A man. Or something that used to be one. He stepped forward, tied a rope to a branch and placed it around his neck. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. He jumped and it was over just like that. When I looked back the man who brought me there was gone. Only his voice remained.

He gave me a riddle and told me to answer carefully. I don’t even know how but I knew the answer right away. It felt obvious in that moment. Maybe too obvious. He told me to go straight. His voice faded as if it was moving away. So I listened. I just wanted out at that point. Something inside me told me things were getting worse. And it was right.

Somewhere along the way I noticed I was holding something. A small glove. A child’s glove. I had no idea when I picked it up. The moment I looked at it images flashed in my head. Three kids. Lost. Gone. Like they never existed. Then I heard a voice. High and distant. Calling. I followed it without thinking. Then another voice appeared from the other side.

I didn’t know where I was anymore or where I was going. The voices kept shifting, pulling me in different directions. That’s when she appeared. A small blonde girl with a calm face. She took my hand like it was the most normal thing in the world. She led me back toward the path without saying anything at first. Then she told me I had something that belonged to her. I gave her the glove without thinking. She smiled and let go of my hand. Then she disappeared into the fog like she was never there...