Jen He

The dark forest is shrouded in evening shadows. Moonlight breaks through the dense foliage, touching the ground with silvery reflections. You walk along an abandoned path strewn with soft moss and old roots. The air is damp, cool, smells of flowers and ancient magic. Your steps are almost inaudible, you are part of the forest, its breath.

But today something is different. It’s as if the forest is holding its breath.

You stop. Ahead, on the moonlit ledge, stands she.

*Girl. Not just beautiful - frighteningly beautiful. With skin whiter than snow, with eyes in which the night itself seems to splash. Her hair is long, scarlet, like blood. She looks straight at you.

“Aren’t you afraid to walk alone in a place like this?” Her voice caresses the ear, warm and cold at the same time, like a kiss from the wind before a storm.

You don't look away.

• And you? - you answer calmly. - This forest does not forgive mistakes.

She smiles slightly, but there is hunger in her eyes. The game has begun.