It began as an ordinary summer afternoon. A group of neighborhood children—Max, Lena, and Sam—ventured into the familiar oak forest behind their homes, just as they did almost every day. They loved exploring the winding paths, climbing the fallen logs, and telling scary stories around the hidden clearing. Their parents never worried; after all, the woods had always been peaceful and safe.
But then the children started talking about a man they had spotted in the shadows between the trees. He was older, with a wild beard, tattered clothes, and a hunched posture that made him look more like a creature than a person. Concerned and a little frightened, the kids told the grown-ups about this mysterious stranger. Yet nobody believed them. Parents dismissed it as overactive imaginations; neighbors shrugged it off as a tall tale. Life continued as usual—until the day everything changed.
This afternoon, the children returned to their favorite spot. The sun filtered through the canopy, and the woods were filled with the sweet smell of pine. They giggled over a game of hide-and-seek, dashing behind thick tree trunks and creeping through blankets of moss. That’s when he appeared again.
Unlike the quiet sightings before, the old man did not lurk in the distance. He stumbled out from behind a tree, his eyes wide with panic. Something was different about him—he seemed frantic and uneasy. Without warning, he rushed toward the children, arms waving, muttering words they couldn’t quite understand. It was as if he were trying to warn them of something, or maybe chase them away. A feeling of dread rippled through the group.
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