《The Mystery of the Forest》 Chapter 1 - The Man in the Forbidden Forest Once upon a time, a man lived in a land surrounded by wish granting trees. Legend has it that all your dreams could come true if one only knew which one to approach. The problem came when those filled with greed approached trees that fulfilled by using the fuel inside the heart. Sometimes those hungry for wealth were transported to a new world where they became rich but surrounded by strangers starving for those new founded riches. Dreams easily turned into nightmares if one didn¡¯t have the purest of intentions. The man who lived in this land saw many friends and family disappear from the wish granting trees. He never discovered their fates. Were they happier living in the new world? No way to know unless he dared to ask the trees and that terrified him. So he lived his life doing his best to guide others to the right wish grantor. Some people smiled when the magic entered their lives. Others screamed in horror. A select few managed to say a few words before being swept away. ¡°Rostam, it is unlike anything¡­¡± Purple clouds floated where she once stood. Lips formed from the bark and grinned. The man scribbled in his notepad, forest 2, 4 shadows, 2 rain, and 1 purple clouds. He didn¡¯t understand what it meant and how one person could be taken by menacing silhouettes and others in soothing water falling from above the canopies. Was it the tree, the forest, or the person? If he could learn the secret behind the wish, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid. But since he didn¡¯t know, he studied and guided till he traveled all throughout the land observing the moments a tree made a dream come true. He never saw that grin formed in the bark again. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°How dare you! It was a lie!¡± Another rare occurrence. Blue flames took this friend. It looked painful. Forest 6, 20 shadows, 3 pink snow, 1 blue flames. Now he leaned on his cane writing the words that replaced his memories. He didn¡¯t even remember when started using a fallen tree branch as a walking stick. Sigh. Frustrating to map the entire world only for your loved ones to go against what you learned. This forest granted wishes in a way that brought out the worse in people. Night tucked these trees in an ill-omen. A howling wind screeched where the blue flames burned before. The man thought he should never take anyone else here again. He scribbled, forest 6 renamed to Forbidden Forest. Twigs snapped under his footsteps. The walk home hypnotized him. He shivered and buttoned up his jacket. A shadow on a tree trunk grabbed his attention. He lit a torch and stepped closer. The sizzling of the fire comforted him. He brought his face closer till he could almost touch the trunk with his nose when something spat in the old man¡¯s face. Lips formed in the bark and grinned at Rostam like that one time 20 years ago. Except unlike then, the lips didn¡¯t fade back into the tree. They remained and they moved in a way that allow the old man to hear words. ¡°We have a bet among us whether you¡¯re going to die with you dreams still living inside you.¡± The lips opened and a tongue made from roots licked the sides of its trunk. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to talk to your kind, but I just have to know, why do you think you can help your friends when you can¡¯t even help yourself?¡± Chapter 2 - The Man in the Nightmare He blinked and gulped. The talking wish granting tree breathe so heavily that all the sounds of the Forbidden Forest vanished except for a noise that reminded the old man of mice crawling inside walls. A kind of ¡°KREET, KREET, KREET!¡± that gave him goosebumps. Sweat formed and fell on the black soil. Worms dug back into the ground. Lightning stabbed the night in the heart but no one would have known if they didn¡¯t keep their eyes opened for the threat of death robbed even the heavens of its thunder. The man gasped. Through his nostrils and mouth, he took it all in then he took it all out. ¡°¡­when did you¡­ begin observing me?¡± The tree stopped breathing. A large rain droplet put out the man¡¯s fire. Thunder continued to roar in silence when the wish grantor said, ¡°Since before you were born.¡± He felt strange. Even though darkness envelope him, he could still see the mouth of the tree. He wanted to ask more questions than his vocabulary supported. His heartbeat crawled inside him like those rats inside those imaginary walls. What did this thing mean? What is going on? What the heck? What¡ª He wanted to scream but he could barely speak, ¡°Do you¡­ observe¡­,¡± his heart cried with the most delightful fear, ¡°do you observe everyone?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± It smacked its bark lips and the birds in its canopy screeched, ¡°Some do because they are freaky like that.¡± It grinned again before sticking out its tongue of roots and wrapping the old man¡¯s ankle. The tree whipped the man to his back and said while the tongue slithered into its woodful mouth that looked like a bottomless abyss, ¡°You never answered my question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to.¡± ¡°That sounds like an answer to me.¡± A thunderous lightning bolt startled old man Rostam. When he came to and glanced back at the tree, the grinning mouth disappeared from the trunk. He saw his cane on one side and his notebook of memories on the other. He grabbed the cane but when he reached for his notebook it got sucked into the ground, page by page. That¡¯s when the old man realized only his arms moved. The birds in the canopy screeched. A howling wind breezed by his ear and images of strangers laughing and pointing their fingers at him popped into his mind. Eventually the strangers in his head came out of it and now laughed and pointed at his fallen body. He wanted to cry but no tears formed. He tried to scream but his mouth felt so dry he thought a fire burned his tongue mute. He wanted to close his eyes and get away, very far away, but he could only stare at the dancing shadow people pointing and mocking him until one of the silhouettes seized him. And then another. And another. Until the shadows that enveloped him now shallowed him whole. And like that, the old man that once guided others throughout the world of wish granting trees had vanish from its realm. Unfortunately for Rostam, this wish granting tree fulfilled wishes through fear. Chapter 3 - The Man in the Void ¡°Can you help me, sir?¡± a little girl holding a basket of keys tapped the man¡¯s stomach with her foot. He groaned and that gave her some hope. ¡°I¡¯m lost.¡± Rostam opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness and a yellow light glowing from her basket of keys. She smiled when he stared from the floor that reflected the old man that was no longer old. Noticing his wrinkles and grey head replaced with smooth skin and shiny black hair, the man leapt up. He dropped his cane from his spook and watched it fall through the floor and plummet deeper and deeper into a void that gave Rostam chills. ¡°Where are we?¡± The little girl shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Was hoping you could tell me.¡± Her smile faded when she realized he knew less than her. She walked away and Rostam ran after her, his footsteps stepping twice for every one step taken forward. He did too much and got ahead of her. He stood surrounded by darkness and that reminded him of the shadows. That brought back the fear. As he became afraid, he heard cracks below his feet. The floor now reflected many different kinds of Rostam. She laughed, ¡°I did the same.¡± She half skipped and brought back light and relief. ¡°This place is weird. Walk once and walk step twice. Speak a little and you say a lot.¡± The solid floor returned. He felt better by her side or maybe next to the basket of glowing yellow keys. She picked out one of the keys and handed it to him. It shined fiercely in his palm. ¡°In case you lose me again, use that to keep the shadows away.¡± He held it in front of himself like he often did in the forest while holding a torch. It shined so bright that he saw floating doors far away in the distance. He got excited. The key turned green and he blurted out, ¡°DOORS!¡± She stepped back, the floor beneath her cracking a little, ¡°I¡¯m not sure of that place.¡± ¡°Better than standing in the middle of nothing.¡± His confidence gave her more confidence. They grabbed hands and together they ran a few steps before reaching the floating door. Someone carved this door out of wood. It looked ordinary except for the golden doorknob. Without thinking, Rostam flung the key inside and turned till both him and the girl heard a click. CLICK! The man went for the doorknob when she pulled him back. ¡°Sir, what are you doing?¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Maybe he saw wrong but he thought the girl¡¯s hair got shorter. She stumbled dropping her basket. Rostam leaned in and saw hundreds of red keys inside. Cracks creaked below him. ¡°Why are they all red?¡± Cracks and creaks. ¡°Why are you turning the doorknob?¡± Cracks and creaks. ¡°Because this is the way out!¡± She ran away from him. The man glanced back at the wooden door and then looked at his young friend vanishing into the darkness. He shook his head and grabbed the golden doorknob when he remembered the grinning wish granting tree. He wanted to forget about it. He closed his eyes, squeezed harder, clenched his jaw and picked up one of the yellow glowing keys and sprinted after her. Loud sobbing brought the cracks. He found her but somehow, she had changed to a baby girl. Her basket of red keys had fallen on the floor beside her. The man noticed a few green ones still in the bottom of the lopsided container. Horrific jutting blades of offensive darkness stood between them. As the girl cried, more of the space around her collapsed into the abyss below. He took one step towards her and his leg broke through the floor. One more time he saw himself reflected from the cracking floor and he witnessed many boys staring back at him. They winked. He shuttered until he heard the cracking around the now baby girl grow horribly louder. CRACKS AND CREAKS! The basket tumbled into the dark void. The baby girl wailed and the cracks crashed the world from underneath her. Rostam stared in horror as her cries got softer and softer until eventually nothing. His heartbeat pounded against his existence. The yellow key grew dimmer and he also noticed it felt heavier too. He bit his lip, ripped his leg out of the cracked hole and ran back towards that door. The boy once a man barely saw what lay before him. His key now glowed a red that highlighted only a few feet ahead. He scanned for the pile of keys left behind yet he failed to find them. He panted harder with every step forward while he tried to not let go of the ever heavier key. Loud whipping shots creaking underneath him increased his fear which made the cracks louder and more terrifying until another leg broke through. Half stuck he closed his eyes to not look at the many faces of himself staring back at him. He remembered the grinning words and they returned awareness. That insight brought calmness and the calmness prevented the world underneath him from crashing. ¡°Excuse me, young sir,¡± a big woman holding nothing bumped into him, ¡°Can you help me? I¡¯m lost.¡± ¡°Take this.¡± She reached out and he drop the red key in her outstretched hand. The boy felt the happiness only a deep sense of relief brings when he saw the key glow fiercely yellow. He pulled himself out from the cracks and asked her to look for a door with a bunch of glowing keys near it. ¡°This door right next to you has a lot keys but they aren¡¯t glowing.¡± And for the first time in Rostam¡¯s life he laughed. Not a fake chuckle or a careless haha. He laughed the only way a child knows how, with pure innocence. He twisted the doorknob and before he pulled it open, he said, ¡°Thank you and whatever you do, once you find a key that glows green hold on to it no matter what.¡± As the old woman saw the young man disappear into the door, she watched the key in her hand glow green. The many dull silver keys strewn on the floor whetted her curiosity. She tapped one and sparks flew. Her sharp intrigued almost sliced her senses, until she understood that she couldn¡¯t possibly carry all those keys on the floor without a basket or something. She held her key like a torch and saw many floating doors in the horizon. She ran towards one that looked nice and, in an instant, she unlocked a new world all for herself. Chapter 4 - The Boy in the Land of Wish Granting Trees Tree branches dangling maroon and Castleton green leaves framed a view of a trail highlighted by forest after forest winding up a mountain covered in snow. The boy didn¡¯t see any trees up there. Above him canopies blocked his view of the clouds whose shapes shifted into pictures of desires if stared long enough at them. He stood in a section of the forest that blocked the heaven¡¯s view, so he saw only leaves, branches, and the occasional animal; this time a hawk peered through him. It let off an odd sound, different from a piercing screech, and flapped off into the view that revealed miles of trees wrapped by uncertainty and nature. The young boy held a key in his palm. It glowed green until the hawk flew off. Now the key blinked yellow. As the bird flew further away, the key blinked quicker and quicker bursts of cautionary Tuscany. The boy ran after the hawk soaring through the forest path. As he got closer to his flying friend, the key blinked slower and stronger until Tuscany yellow glowed canary, sunflower, web, and eventually neon green as the boy ran underneath the great hawk¡¯s wings. The woosh of the open wind blew through the boy¡¯s hair. He laughed and jumped up waving at the hawk. That¡¯s when he noticed for the first time in his life how beautiful the heavens under the sky really were. Everything out in the open felt so good. The aroma of the fields, the warmth of the sunlight, the exhilaration of chasing a great figure spread glee and he smiled staring up at the clouds. The hawk flapped its wings and the boy didn¡¯t notice that he now followed a cloud shaped as a hawk nor that his key glowed crimson, garnet, and finally merlot red. He paused in front of the opening of another forest. He peeked inside and glared at the canopies filling these skies. He witnessed the menacing glow from his key. It scared him so he put it away in his pant pocket. Night transformed the clouds into the certainty that the boy stood alone out in the wild. His fear clouded his view of the stars glowing far in the distance. A strange phenomenon pushed him closer to the new forest. Fear comforted his fear and that confused him into walking forward on the path. His key turned black the moment the canopies welcomed him back. He heard insects and bugs climbing on the trees and he felt as if they were clawing their tiny needles into him. He swatted at a few that buzzed near his ears. Then a different kind of bug buzzed by. Startled he hid behind the closet tree to him. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A grandma holding a dog on a leash pointed at a tree trunk. A couple holding hands stood next to her. The old woman said grinning, ¡°This wish grantor fulfills any hearts¡¯ desires. If your dream to be together forever is pure and true, then approach its trunk and repeat these words: Wish granting tree of the forest, please make my dream come true.¡± They approached the trunk of the wish grantor saying the words while clasping their hands together when the old woman¡¯s dog sniffed, growled, and then howled at the young boy hiding behind that same tree. The dog barked and tugged at the grandma¡¯s leash. She pointed and said while letting go of the chain holding the canine back, ¡°Sick ¡®em!¡± The young boy jumped at the tree¡¯s branch but he couldn¡¯t reach. He ran towards another and leapt and fell on his back. He saw the dog upside down drooling after him. The boy crawled to his feet and managed to grab hold of a nearby tree branch when he slipped. He fell back on the ground and put his arms up before the dog snapped his head off. The beast¡¯s breath smelt rotten. Just a huge abyss of barking bad breath. He remembered the grinning tree¡¯s chasm mouth. The dog and that¡­ that¡­ that¡­ nightmare of a wish grantor! They were one and the same to him. Both forcing him to see a disgusting sight. He had enough of that grinning tree and this dog and that void and all of it! In one heave, he pushed the dog off, reached into his pocket, and threw the black key into the yapping mutt¡¯s trap! It whimpered and the boy limped towards the same tree branch as before and pulled himself up. The bites from the dog created a trail of blood dripping down the trunk. He clenched his teeth and he told himself to climb higher. He didn¡¯t get a great look at the couple but he swore they looked familiar. And that¡¯s when he felt a cold chill. No way, he thought. Suddenly, the young boy remembered that he used to be an old man before being attacked by shadow people. His memory felt like it had been ripped out. He took deep long breaths of air while clenching his chewed up arms. The young boy remembered that once upon time he and his wife walked into a forest with a kind old grandma who used to guide people in finding their wish granting tree. He shivered as he saw bits of his memory. He almost fainted when he remembered killing the boy that interrupted his first and only wish granting ceremony. She gripped the couple¡¯s hands and said in a hush whisper, ¡°It pains me to say this but...¡± That¡¯s no kind old grandma. ¡°¡­ you must kill that naughty boy!¡± That¡¯s the Oogababa!