Whispers in the Woods

Okay, so this is how it all starts. Marie—yeah, that’s me—decided to brave the woods. Me, the city girl who'd never seen a real starry night until that weekend. Angela, my best friend, booked us a cabin in the middle of nowhere. "Good for unwinding," she said. She couldn't come, of course, because life’s funny that way. Our cabin had those rustic vibes straight out of a Home Magazine, sitting all cozied up against towering trees. No Wi-Fi, no phones, just me and the sound of crickets. Imagine, just sitting there on the porch with nothing but a mug of hot chocolate. Now, the first night was amazing—a clear sky dotted with stars, and an eerie, comforting kind of silence. I felt all kinds of emotions seeing the universe stretch out above me. But then, Mother Nature got creepy. The trees started whispering. Or that's what it felt like. You’d think it’s the wind, but it was more like the trees knew my name. By the next morning, curiosity beat caution. I slipped on my boots, opened the cabin door, and whispered, "Okay, forest. Show me what you got." I followed those whispers, only they weren’t whispers in my head, but vivid, unsettling memories. Events from my past long forgotten, each auditory hallucination leading me deeper. That's when I met Dylan. Well, Dylan met me, cause I was utterly lost. He appeared out of nowhere with that relaxed, mysterious vibe you'd read about in novels. He didn’t ask what I was doing there, just smiled like we'd met before. “You shouldn’t be here alone,” he said in the kind of voice that makes a person listen. “I’m not alone,” I shot back, trying to sound braver than I felt. Dylan just nodded towards the thick of the woods. “The forest has a way of playing tricks.” We walked together, Dylan guiding me deeper, until we reached this particular part of the woods where the air shimmered, almost like the trees were breathing. The whispers grew louder, but this time, they told a united story—a story about my lost brother. Apparently, Dylan was there to help. Can you believe it? Some weird guardian of the woods, appointed to guide people like me through their haunting memories. “Stefan? My brother, Stefan?” I asked, voice breaking. The forest's whispers sharpened, repeating Stefan’s name. “He loved you, Marie,” Dylan said softly, “You were too young to know.” It was the night of Stefan’s accident. Memories long locked away spilled back. The edge of the creek, his laughter, then the scream as he disappeared under the water. A memory I’d pushed away because dealing with it was like trying to hold smoke. “Why now?” I asked, tears streaming down my face. Dylan shrugged, a gentle smile on his lips. “These woods, they reveal when it’s time.” The final whispers, a heartfelt goodbye, wrapped around me like a gentle hug. Plantation glimmered golden as the truth settled in my heart—a weight gone. With a quiet promise to Stefan, I turned back, leaving the shimmering woods behind. Maybe one day, when the forest whispered someone else’s tale, they’d find their own Dylan. Back at the cabin, the air felt lighter. I stood on the porch, stars beaming down as Dylan waved goodbye, like he’d always be there. And just like that, the trees resumed their normal chorus, the weight of the past shifting, releasing. Yeah, I came home to find my own peace. You never know what secrets the woods have until they decide to tell. And sometimes, maybe that’s a good thing.