Sinister Games on a Dark Mountain

“One of us is to finish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard Rainsford.”

She said to herself scrambling through the forest ever more eager to get to the safety of the neighboring country of Salved. As she broke through the branches of a wild berry tree, partially covering her sent from bloodthirsty Shepherds chasing her, she found herself in a small little clearing about twelve feet across. Sunlight lit the clearing from two parted trees somewhere above, the only lighting in this cursed forest, towards the left of the clearing there was a mossy boulder with a tree growing around the backside. Towards the right there was a single tree branch that seems to existed on its own, pulled down by a perfectly seeming fully ripened red apple. Running down the middle of the clearing was a little stream. But as much as her legs yearned to rest on the boulder and as much as her stomach grumbled and her throat begging to be wet by the cold stream water she knew it was either just her imagination or a trap. Real or not she chose to avoid it running around the outer right side still unsealed by the

On a beautiful evening, with a slight breeze, four friends named Jeff, Koby, Junior, and Lamar were walking by the creek. They saw fish jumping from the muggy water, frogs croaking, and birds chirping. Skipping rocks across the slow moving water, laughing all together, suddenly they heard a growling noise. They were all worried. Jeff grabbed his flashlight from his camouflage utility bag. While crouching Jeff and Lamar slowly went through the tall brush and into the woods. Koby and Junior quietly followed the two. All of them heard rustling through the ferns, tall grass, and the thorn bushes. Scratching against the enormous red wood, while the sun is starting to set in the west a very large figure that was brown and furry started to

Last week, my little sister and I were playing together while our big sister was doing the laundry. When Lola and I got bored with the spinning tops, we decided to find another game. Paola, our sister, went down stairs to put some clothes in the washing machine, but she left a laundry basket upstairs. I took a pair of panties and put it on my head like a helmet. Lola did the same because she always copies me. I brought the basket on the top of the stairs, I helped my little sister to sit in and I sat behind her. After I gave a strong push, our sledge went down so fast, we had flew only one second and we were already laying on the floor. At the time, I thought I could die, every parts of my body were hurting. When I heard my

The thick bushes with their leathery green leaves, and twisting branches, were a tangled growth well over the height of her head. She had moved halfway up on a mountainside. Now, the ravine the creek was in was narrow, and steep all the way down to the water. It was very hard to see any distance ahead of her while walking in the heavy cover. She was following some sort of game trail that skirted the side of the mountain but away from the openness of the stream. She turned a corner and started down a gradual slope when something dark caught her eyes on the trail ahead. It was two black bear cubs rolling around and wrestling with each other. She stood and watched their comical antics and couldn't help but chuckle at how much they looked like little children who teased and poked and chased each other in play. One cub would wrap its arm around the other's neck and chew on its ear. Then the victim would break away and circle right back to jump on the back of its sibling. All thoughts left her mind for a few moments as she saw them play in their wild home. She had never been so close to animals like this before and was riveted in place by fascination. Then Christopher got restless, cried aloud, and suddenly both cubs stopped playing and looked towards her. When they saw her standing there, they became alarmed and separated. Each one ran up a separate tree by the path. Once in the trees they looked her way and then bawled loudly. It was a noise that sounded like a deep "Maaww,

As terrifying as it was, it was all the more scary when a limb shot out of the evergreen and shoved us away. We tumbled into the down comforter that was the soft, off path snow. It was abnormally soft, like a cushion to land on, and it all seemed to be as cold as dry ice. The tree was still. Murphy helped me take off my skis, as I did her. We struggled to grasp what had just happened. Walking to the other side of the tree, our confusion matched our curiosity. We stalked slowly to the other side. When our small bodies made it through the sickly thick snow, we thought our eyes deceive us. It was in fact, not a tree, but a human wearing a brown snowsuit that had shoved us away, from behind the tree. As our eyes drifted to where he was looking, we discovered he was studying a white squirrel. Though we wanted to scare it off, we snuck away quietly away so as not to ruin his research. At last continuing our trip down the hill, our young, golden bonds were to be shared for

The cold will consume them, their transfixion with the forest beauty broken. They will decide to saunter home, defeated—but impressed by their surroundings. They will never know it is too late. Once the forest feels that the serene winter peace is broken, feels the intrusive and unwarranted curiosity, no one may leave. Cold, branching fingers will begin to grasp at their ankles, motioning them to stay. The panic, the cold, and the diamond ice will leave a person breathless as they are dragged into the depths of winter, among all the others the forest has taken. Their bodies will be dragged under the ice, and cold hands will caress their limbs until they lose their breath—and their minds. They will remain dormant under the ground for months to come, until their peaceful slumber is broken once

One day, Autumn was walking through the forest, singing to the birds, while she collected apples for her mother’s pies. Suddenly, a shuffle of the browning leaves resounded in her ears. Believing it was simply some mischievous squirrels, bounding through the bushes, heedless of the impending winter, she continued on her way, using her god-given knowledge of the fruits around her to choose the sweetest and ripest apples. Again, the rustling came, this time accompanied by the sharp crack of a twig breaking under the large foot of a heavy animal. Autumn, quite frightened now, turned on her heel and swiftly made her way towards the edge of the forest. The rustling followed close behind her. Too terrified to turn and face her stalker, she sped up her pace, a bead of nervous sweat trickling down her face. As she began to see the first glimpses of her cottage through the trees, a large, leather gloved, hand wrapped itself around her wrist, causing her to drop her woven basket. Before she could cry for help, another hand, just like the first, set itself over her mouth, reducing her screams to muffled whimpers. She felt a cold metal necklace through her Hesitantly her attackers hands unwove themselves from their tight grasp on her and she whipped around to face him. Her hand, following closely on the path her body took, lashed out with surprising force, leaving a quivering red mark on his face; a perfect imprint

As I walk through the woods listening to the sounds, I notice that it's eerily calm. I look up at the sky and see that it's getting darker. It must be dinner time soon. I hear a rustle in the bushes and glance to my left. I don’t see anything but I hear another rustle. I look to my right, but, there's nothing there. I turn in the direction of my house and start to make my way towards it. Something tells me to turn around, however, I ignore it and continue to walk home. I hear a stick break behind me and ignore the chills I feel go through me, thinking that it’s just the animals that live here. I continue to trudge along the forest path but when I hear a growl rip through the air I freeze and shut my eyes tight. Feeling the hair on my neck stand up, I immediately sense danger. Something whips past me and sends a cold chill in my direction, adding on to the chill of the forest. I hear a less feral growl in front me and shiver in fear. I feel something move towards me, making no sound as it steps through the snow. I shut my eyes tighter as I feel it closing the distance between us.

The voice was Son. I jumped as if tread by the anthill, “Is it possible if we always date at this gloomy, dank and stinky place? I’m really exhausted of ‘impersonating a ghost’, and also constantly lying people”, sniffed his lover.“People in the village will not recognize we are beguiling them. Believe me!” sighed he. All of the talk were spread to my ear, and it laid bare the truth of his absurd story.What a dastardly behavior!

The birds started chirping in the early morning. The old rickety hut had a strong putrid stench of decomposition. The windows where dark and there was nothing. Svetlana promised toma that they would explore the hut. They saw it the night before when they where setting up there tent near the river and toma said ‘I wan to see wot is in der’. They went over to the front door but it was rusted closed. The pair saw something move behind the dark windows and toma said ‘it get the crowbar’ and then svetlana sad ‘NO we shall stay at the door until we know what is in this dwelling. Meanwhile they where strongly gripping there noses shut because of the deathly stench. Svetlana said ‘toma we need to protect our camp from animals’ as the last syllable left her mouth the pair saw a brown bear sniffing around there tent. They ran down with there knifes out and the bear ran off only after tearing there tent and stealing some chocolate. Svetlana said ‘close call toma you need to get some wood for fire, hurry’.

The sun had just kissed the hill, giving warm color to the sky, but I was feeling cold. The excitement in my heart was slowly losing its fire. My group was lost, and I felt alone, in the crowd of trees, a cold crowd perhaps. “Sandhya, did you read all the information? It is two hour long hike. You have hardly ever walked an hour. Take rest at home. You would not be able to walk all the way. ” I remembered the wise words of my mother. However, I was here walking slowly through the dense forest defying my mother’s advice. I along with Nitisha and Puja were making loud noises with our steps, crushing the fallen leaves, and the broken twigs. I could hear the constant buzzing sounds of the mosquitoes and the crickets chirping. I was keeping calm until a little lizard scattered off through the grass. Adrenaline rushed through every vein in my body as I heard a strange, yet terrifying growling sound. At that moment, every instinct in my body told me to run. I looked everywhere; all I could see were my two friends, and the cold quiet forest. Even worse my anxiousness increased as I tried to locate where the sound was coming from. Trees, flowers, and everything else where my eyes reached looked lifeless. I felt as if they had no soul and I was slowly losing mine.

A loud snapping splintered the silence of the woods, ricocheting off stones and water. Unnatural and wrong, it made the trees sigh in pity, for they were the only ones who knew the end to this particular tale. A girl stood in the midst of the silence, a playful smile gracing her rosy lips as she clutched the wooden stick tighter in her grubby fingers. Beneath her feet lay a twig, snapped cleanly in half from the weight of her body. A feral growl escaped her lips as she twirled, wild honey blonde hair flying, and another loud cracking resonated through the unnatural quiet as wood hit wood. The girl circled the tree and snarled at the gnarly oak. “Surrender now, Titus and maybe I shall let you live.” There was no response to this bold claim and so the girl jumped, a fire in her eyes, slapping the stick against the bark with such a force that it split in half causing the girl to stumble back and fall onto her knees.

My head starts to hurt, and I close my eyes and rub my temples. I reopen my eyes and the owl is right in front of my face. I let out a small shriek and fall backward into the snow. All I can hear was my uneven breaths. I hear a rustle in the bushes to my right, but the dark light proves a challenge to see through. The rustling of the bushes stopped for a minute, and I felt an ephemeral moment of peace. I stood up on shaky legs and took a deep breath in.

It was a chilly evening in Southern Virginia many years ago. There was the old man whose beards were glazed by the winter’s frost, as he hopelessly waited for a ride across the river. Due to the frigid north wind, his body was numb and stiff. Edward, who was passing by saw this desperate old man, who looked so confused and helpless. He asked the old man, “what are you doing here at this late hour?" The freezing man answered, “I am waiting for a ride to take me home.” Edward took some time with the old man, as they waited for a ride to take him to the next side of the river. The wait seemed endless and ineffective. However, they both heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves dashing along the icy path. Anxiously, the old man and Edwin watched as several riders curved the bend. He let the first one pass without seeking attention from him. Apparently, Edward was very annoyed, asking him the reason for not stopping the passing horseman. The man kept quiet as he checked out on whether there was another one coming. The another one passed by, followed by other two. When Edward saw that the old man was not using any effort to seek help from either of the riders, he was tired and decided to leave the old man alone.