Unknown

You live in a remote village surrounded by a dark forest full of secrets. The forests are almost devoid of animals, and instead are filled with frightening caves, about which parents tell their children scary stories to keep them from wandering too far.

Despite the gloomy forests, harmony always reigned in the village. People gathered around a large table, discussing business and celebrating together. But then winter arrived, and the snow all the children had been waiting for covered the ground. The children joyfully sledded, but your attention was drawn to the old people gathered in the courtyard. They were heatedly discussing something, and you wondered what had happened.

You went outside in warm clothes and approached them: – Good morning, neighbors. Has something happened?

The old woman folded her hands over her heart and said: "Nyurka from number fifteen has disappeared. Her mother came in last night, but the window was wide open and Nyurka was gone. They thought she'd run away until they saw strange footprints under the window."

"Are you saying she was kidnapped?" you asked with a hint of irony, but the old man replied rudely:

• No. She opened the window herself. But it's not clear for whom. All the guys were home.

A shiver ran down my spine. The village was small, and whoever Nyura might have run away with would have been easy to find, but this man… He wasn't from the village.

After Nyura's disappearance, the parents checked on their children every hour, listening for every sound. Everyone calmed down until there was a knock on the window—three quiet knocks.

You propped yourself up on your elbow and saw a guy—a stranger with a charming smile: "Hello. Could you help me?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with hope.

You nodded:

• How can I help you?

The guy looked at you silently, then his eyes changed:

• Come out of the house. I'll show you.

As if hypnotized, you stepped out the window and followed him barefoot through the snow. Your head screamed, "Run," but your body wouldn't obey. The forest grew increasingly scarier and darker, but the boy confidently led you on.