Ethan stepped forward as if he still had frightened eyes before him. It took a moment for the heavy rain to stop hitting the open window, and then he shut it quietly.
The house once more grew still.
Too quiet in fact.
Olivia Brooks was at the table like a white poplar sapling. What she had just heard shook her heavily.
"That wasn't the wind," she said nervously. "It was a voice. It said 'Europe.' "
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
He looked in the direction of Blackwood Forest. Through the early fog of the morning, you could still make out dark trees there.
"I heard it too," he finally muttered.
Olivia folded her arms and hugged herself as though cold.
"Ethan... recently strange things have been said around town."
"What do you mean?"
She took her time answering.
"Animals are disappearing. It's said that there are lights in the forest at night. And … sometimes whispers."
Ethan's expression changed.
"Whispers?"
Olivia nodded slowly.
"A few people say they hear someone calling their names when the wind blows past.
Before Ethan could comment, they suddenly heard swift feet pounding outside.
Fast.
Heavy.
Somebody was running towards the house.
THUMP - THUMP - THUMP
The feet reached the door.
Then the door burst open.
A young man rushed in, gasping hard.
It was Daniel Walker.
"Daniel?" Ethan said, surprised.
Daniel bent down, hands on knees, trying to get his breath back.
"Ethan… I've been looking everywhere for you."
"What's going on?" Olivia asked.
Daniel, his Lucy-like eyes glancing around the windows, spoke of the urgency of the business he had to report.
"We don't have much time."
Ethan moved closer to him.
"What do you mean?"
But instead of an answer, Daniel pulled from his backpack a piece of paper which was folded.
It looked old.
Very old.
The margins separated the paper from the rest of it. The paper itself was yellowed with time.
"What's that?" Ethan wanted to know.
Daniel carefully unfolded it and put it on the table.
"It's a map," he said.
Ethan and Olivia both leaned in to get a better look.
The drawing of Blackwood Forest detailed an old path.
The hills.
Streams.
But one area was circled over with red pencil.
Ethan pointed to the spot.
"Where's that."?
Daniel's words degusted.
"That... is the well."
The room went silent.
Olivia immediately backed away.
"No. No trees.It's absurd."
Ethan scrutinized the map before him closely.
"Where's this from?"
"From the basement of the village library," Daniel explained. "There's an old storage room full of boxes from the 1800s."
"I found this concealed inside one."
Ethan followed one of the paths to the red circle.
"This path leads deeply into the forest."
Daniel nodded.
"And look at this."
He indicated a small note written near the red circle.
The letters were faint, but Ethan was able to read them.
DO NOT OPEN.
Olivia shook her head.
"I don't understand. Who would write something like that in a map?"
Daniel looked serious.
"Not to a door, Ray."
"Well, Then what did he mean? "
Daniel slowly pointed yet again to the red circle.
"I think he meant the well."
At that time a strange scratching sound was heard from outside.
Scrrr… Scrrr…
All three stopped whatever they were doing.
The sound came from the ground near the front porch.
Ethan slowly walked to the door and pushed it open.
Cold air rushed in.
His eyes dropped down to the muddy ground.
And then they widened
Footprints.
But not human.
Indeed, footprints, long and twisted with an almost clawlike shape.
They led away from the house.
Straight to Blackwood Forest.
Looking down beside him, Olivia gasped.
"What animal is making tracks like that?"
Daniel slowly shook his head.
"I don't think it's an animal."
The three of them gazed at the trail of odd footprints that disappeared into the mist.
Out of the forest stepped something And during that night it moved through the town But the most unsettling part—that Just meant the footprints pointed to house Were not all leading away from it Some Were even headed toward Ethan's home That spot in the middle of your back, right between the shoulder blades where you feel a shiver Whatever was then popped into the head of Ethan No—because this could mean only one thing Outside the house Something had stood And was watching them And now... Collapsed all back into the forest At Ethan's instinct But this was not over No Indeed It felt almost enough of a beginning thatbas beginnings go For soon they would travel that trail leading down into Blackwood Forest And all of them were completely unprepared for what they might find waiting there