Since it's spooky season i thought about doing
something slightly different i really hope you guys are going to like this one. This is part I and please don't mind all the typos this story absolutely destroyed my brain and my eyesight anyway let me know what you think.
"Have you ever felt like the world is too loud sometimes?"
"No. For me it's always quiet."
~
The soft crackle of the fire is the only sound breaking the deep silence. It smoothly cuts through the murky atmosphere of the night, and the sight of its origins is just as mesmerizing: waves of blazing fire helplessly reach out towards the sky, weak and strong, the flames rising aimlessly as they sway amongst the smoke.
Sitting there, alone and surrounded by trees and the calming waves of the bonfire, is numbing enough to make time still. The temperatures are low enough for a crisp breeze to tickle your cheeks, seeping through the layers of your clothes as your hands seek for warmth against each other. You can almost pretend you're completely on your own, that voices are not coming closer and that the sound of hearty laughter isn't overpowering the eerie quietness of nature.
"Thanks for keeping the fire alive," Lisa gasps as she stumbles closer, almost tripping with the rocks that loiter around the uneven ground. Jennie's booming voice is even stronger than Lisa's, hooting excitedly as her and Jisoo starts opening various snacks. Soon enough you're no longer alone, finding yourself surrounded by more than three people that bundle up in front of the flames. The fire looks smaller than ever now, its mellow noises completely placated now that rapid conversations mix confusedly with each other.
"No problem," you respond as Lisa takes a seat next to you.She seems to read your mood right away and you're not surprised, returning the gesture smoothly when she gives you an encouraging smile. Your eyes are probably saying how it's one of those nights, when the moon and the stars whisper unhappy words and your thoughts are louder than your surroundings.
It's not easy to get through them, but at least Lisa seems to understand, and that's more than enough right now. She passes you a bag of chips as Jisoo gets up from the chair she was sitting in, hands on her hips as she clears her throat loudly.
"I think it's time for ghost stories," her words make the small crowd cry out in both despair and relief. Lisa joins the first group and it makes you giggle, playfully pushing her away when she grabs your arm in terror. Lisa is not as vocal about her disdain as Jennie, who whimpers weakly as she anxiously fills her mouth with more unhealthy food.
"Let's just go back inside Lisa's house," the later says with her mouth full. "I don't like those woods." She points towards the darkness. The flames' reach is not enough for your eyes to focus, but everyone surrounding the bonfire knows what Jennie means.
The Manoban family's cottage is large and beautiful, but the dense woods that begin a hundred meters away give an ghostly vibe that is both gripping and terrifying. It's one of those sights you're not sure if you should approach or run away from, too enchanting to look away, but too puzzling to explore. Lisa barely had to mention it the moment she invited all of her classmates for a relaxing week during the summer— everyone already knew about the darkness that loomed in the distance, ghost stories running wild about the now famous silent woods.
The fact that Lisa's still well and alive after spending so many summers here should be enough proof that there's nothing wrong with the woods. It still doesn't stop the same girl to cuddle closer to your frame as Jisoo's smile turns slightly creepy, mind probably reeling with a thousand different stories.
"All of you have heard about the mystery of the silent woods already. About how strange the quietness is, as if no animal even dared to live there. The fact that not even birds have been seen around makes it all the more frightening. It's as if they're scared of the trees and the darkness, as if they can sense a threat us humans can't."
