Under the forest tree 2
(Under the Forest Tree 2)
As Marwan stood facing the Black Sea, pondering how he would reach the island…
He heard the sound of a stick tapping the ground slowly behind him.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
He turned quickly.
An old man, dressed in very old clothes, was holding a dimly lit yellow lantern.
His face was frighteningly pale, and his eyes looked as if they hadn't known sleep in years.
The old man looked at Marwan and said,
"You're going to the Island of Darkness… aren't you?"
Marwan froze for a moment.
"How do you know?"
The old man smiled faintly and said,
"Everyone who comes here, I know where they want to go."
Marwan felt uneasy, but he tried to hide his fear.
"Do you know a way to get there?"
The old man remained silent for a few seconds, then said,
"The sea at night isn't safe… Come with me until morning."
The House Over Water
The old man took Marwan to an old wooden house built directly over the water.
The wooden planks creaked terrifyingly with every step.
Marwan entered the house and began to look around.
Old, torn photographs hung on the walls.
A clock stood frozen at exactly three.
An open window let in a very cold breeze.
The old man sat down and placed a cup of tea in front of Marwan.
He said in a low voice,
“If you hear any noise tonight… don't open the door.”
Marwan swallowed hard and said,
“Why?”But the old man didn't reply.
Midnight
Marwan woke suddenly to the sound of footsteps on the roof.
"Dum... dum... dum..." "The tail... the tail... the tail..."
He slowly opened his eyes.
The house was completely dark.
Then he heard a voice whispering outside the door:
"Marwan... open the door."
He froze.
The voice sounded like Ahmed's.
He slowly approached the door...
But then he remembered the old woman's words.
So he peered through a small crack in the door.
What he saw made him recoil in fear.
There was a very tall figure standing directly above the water.
His face was completely dark... but he was smiling.
Suddenly, his head turned towards the crack with terrifying speed.
The door began to shake violently.
"Open the door, Marwan..."
Marwan closed his eyes in terror.
And then...
Everything stopped.
Complete silence.
The Journey to the Island
As the sun rose, the old man returned as if nothing had happened.
He simply said,
"It's time to leave."
He took him to a very small boat.
While sailing, Marwan noticed that the sea was strangely calm.
No waves.
No birds.
Not even the sound of wind.
Then he took out his phone to take a picture…
But he found a message had arrived from an unknown number.
"Don't go to the island. Run away."
He felt a chill run through him.
He slowly raised his head…
To find that the fog was beginning to lift.
And there… the Island of Darkness appeared.
But the terrifying thing…
was that there was someone standing on the shore from the very beginning, as if he had been waiting for their arrival.
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To be continued…
