𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚

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The sun was already starting to set; the pale orange hue was carefully blended into the pure blue sky, similarly to that of an artist's brush stroke. An intricate glaze of pink and purple was swiped across the horizon, signalling that dusk was fast approaching. The sight was truly breathtaking: it was just a shame that Jules' focus was on something more pressing.

It wasn't long until Jules heard another rustling sound from the shrubbery behind her; she whipped her head around so fast, that it was a surprise that she didn't get whiplash from her camera strap.

Her breathing quickened and her eyes narrowed to quickly scan the area.

"Hello?"

The only response Jules received was the sound of a swarm of birds flying over the trees above her head: the chirping startled her, causing her to duck immediately.

Jules wasn't usually afraid of anything. She was the fearless one in her group of friends: never the one to shy away from a good horror film with no unreasonable lingering paranoia. Julia Montgomery was brave.

But being separated from her friends made her somewhat fearful of the hidden dangers that could be lurking among the rows of trees.

A flash of grey caught her left eye: she gripped the straps of her navy blue backpack tightly and marched towards it. She trudged her way through the forest, silently hoping that it was her friends looking for her. Of course, it was wishful thinking, but hope was too important for Jules to let go of.

A few seconds later, Jules was faced with a truly mesmerising sight: an iridescent lake spread across the horizon with several deer drinking out of the water. The orange sky was carefully reflected against the lake, making it resemble pure satin. The water looked so smooth as it glittered in the sunlight, highlighting nature's natural beauty.

In that moment in time, the only thing Jules was itching to do was to run the tips of her fingers along the top of lake, to test if it was truly as soft as it looked. Instead, Jules lifted her camera and took several photographs of this rare beauty: it wasn't everyday that she saw a secluded bayou in the middle of the forest, surrounded by wild deer during sunset. It was truly magical and she wished that her friends were there with her to witness it too. Proud of finding such a secluded sight, Jules took a quick look at her photography.

She peered closely at her photographs that didn't seem to need editing in the slightest; she loved her Canon camera. The intensity of the deep shades of orange in the water was beautifully captured, and the graceful essence of the deer was expressed to such an extent, that it was perfect for showcase.

Jules loved animals, that much was true; to be given such an opportunity to capture the beauty of a secluded and serene bayou made her heart fill with love and pride. Her photography usually consisted of portraiture, but she dabbled in other areas occasionally.

One of the many things Jules liked to do was to take a photograph of the same setting in the same angle, several times in a row. She wasn't entirely sure why she did this, but it was one of Fliss' greatest pet peaves. Jules flicked to the next photograph; her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she saw something truly unusual. Two photographs would have been completely identical, if it wasn't for a small black square in the far distance in one image. She looked up from her camera at the scene before her, this time focusing on the rows of trees in the distance on her right.

Surely enough, there was the little black square sitting on the outskirts of the bayou. How peculiar.

Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, Jules started to pass the bayou to make her way towards the mysterious box. Why on Earth was it only visible in one of her photographs and not the others?