Aradhya Hari L.M.
പട്ടം (തിരുവനന്തപുരം) കേന്ദ്രീയ വിദ്യാലയത്തിലെ ആരാധ്യ ഹരി എന്ന ഒരു കൊച്ചു കൂട്ടുകാരി എഴുതിയ കഥയാണ് ഇത്.
In the heart of the ancient Blackwood Forest, where sunlight barely pierced the dense canopy, a group of friends set out on a camping trip. They were seasoned hikers – Mark, Sarah, Ben, and Lucy – each eager to explore the uncharted depths of the forest, despite the locals’ warnings about the strange occurrences reported by those who dared to venture too far.
As twilight descended, the friends set up camp in a small clearing. The air was thick with the scent of pine and the distant call of owls. The fire crackled, casting long, flickering shadows that danced among the trees.
“I heard there’s an old, abandoned cabin somewhere in this forest,” Ben said, his voice hushed with excitement. “Supposedly, it’s haunted.”
Lucy shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her. “Haunted by what?”
“Nobody knows,” Mark replied. “But they say anyone who goes near it disappears.”
Sarah laughed nervously. “Sounds like just another ghost story to me.”
The conversation moved on to lighter topics, but the eerie atmosphere lingered. As the fire began to die down, they decided to turn in for the night.
In the middle of the night, a chilling scream shattered the silence. The friends bolted upright in their tents, hearts pounding. Mark, the bravest among them, grabbed a flashlight and stepped outside, followed closely by the others.
“Did you hear that?” Lucy whispered, her voice trembling.
“Yeah,” Mark replied, shining the flashlight around the clearing. “It came from deeper in the forest.”
Despite their fear, curiosity got the better of them. They followed the sound, the forest growing darker and more oppressive with every step. The trees seemed to close in around them, and an unnatural silence fell over the woods.
Suddenly, they stumbled upon the old cabin. It was barely visible in the dim light, overgrown with ivy and nearly swallowed by the forest. The door creaked open, as if inviting them in.
“Maybe we should turn back,” Sarah suggested, her voice barely audible.
“Did you hear that?” Lucy whispered, her voice trembling.
“Yeah,” Mark replied, shining the flashlight around the clearing. “It came from deeper in the forest.”
Despite their fear, curiosity got the better of them. They followed the sound, the forest growing darker and more oppressive with every step. The trees seemed to close in around them, and an unnatural silence fell over the woods.
Suddenly, they stumbled upon the old cabin. It was barely visible in the dim light, overgrown with ivy and nearly swallowed by the forest. The door creaked open, as if inviting them in.
“Maybe we should turn back,” Sarah suggested, her voice barely audible.
With a scream, the friends bolted for the windows, smashing through the rotting wood and into the night.
They ran blindly through the forest, branches clawing at their skin, the whispering voice following them.
When they finally burst out of the woods and into the safety of the open fields, they collapsed in exhaustion, gasping for breath. None of them spoke of the cabin again, and they never returned to Blackwood Forest.
But the memory of that night haunted them forever, a chilling reminder of the darkness that lurks just beyond the edge of the known world.
