Sally Williams

The sunlight helped them see through the trees; they had painted some with a triangle in case they forgot the way back. The dry leaves crunched under their shoes as they walked, the smell of freshly baked earth was so relaxing, and the birdsong was a melody to their ears.

Soon the sunlight began to fade, so they decided to camp in a place where the trees formed a circle, allowing them some comfort.

The moon rose to take the place of the sun, its faint light dimly illuminating the forest, the night sky ablaze with hundreds and hundreds of stars. It was a lovely sight. They built a campfire, roasting marshmallows, laughing, and telling scary stories.

Shortly after, they extinguished the campfire, and each went to rest in their respective tents, looking exhausted. The tranquility of the night was a lullaby that soothed them; the sound of crickets and their own breathing was the only sound, or so they thought.

You woke up to a movement in your tent. You went outside to see who had moved it, but you didn't find anyone. It seemed strange, but you decided to go back to sleep. Not even five minutes had passed when your tent was moved again, accompanied by some giggles. They were soft and high-pitched, nothing like your friends' laughter.

Angry, you went out to confront whoever was disturbing your rest. You didn't see anyone, just like last time. With what little patience you had left, you went to wake up your friends to ask them who had been bothering you, but they all looked at you strangely; none of them had left their tents.

And that wasn't the strangest thing, but two of your friends had also disappeared without a trace. Everyone was alarmed, but you reassured them. They split up to look for them, took some flashlights, and went back into the depths of the forest, now darker than the last time.

You'd decided to go camping in the woods with your friends. Exam week had been really tough, so it was the perfect break. You wanted to clear your head, breathe some fresh air, and not just the smell of ink.

It was the weekend, and you told your parents about your camping trip. They agreed on the condition that you call them if anything went wrong. You said goodbye to them, and your dad lent you his truck to make the trip faster. You picked up your friends at their houses, and everyone put their luggage in the back of the truck.

The journey was fun, everyone sharing the struggles they'd endured with the exams. Upon arrival, you parked the van in a parking lot near the forest, unloaded your luggage, and headed into the woods.