It was a cold night, and the wind was blowing softly on my face. It was quiet, so quiet that I could hear the sound of my own heaving breath. The tall trees were swaying, their branches creaking eerily, the dry leaves crunching under my feet. The only light in the dark forest was my lantern, which gave out a dim white light. I was clutching it so hard I could feel the tension in all the muscles of my hand. I was so scared that I was about to turn around.
But then, I heard a sound. I stood there, holding my breath, not daring to move even a finger. I didn’t even know what it was. I waited for some time, and then took a few steps, carefully. And there was that sound again. Closer. I shuffled deeper into the forest, knowing I wouldn’t dare to turn back, to get even closer to the sound. It was probably something harmless, like a branch about to fall, but I was petrified by the idea of it being a person, only a few metres away, spying on me. So I kept going, my movements so mechanical that I looked like a robot, so slow that I felt I was getting nowhere. I forced my muscles to move faster, to give me enough energy so that I could get out, to the other side of the forest, where the path would be open, where I would have a clear view, where I would be able to see if there was someone, where I would be able to just run, straight ahead, without stopping, until I got back home. But for the time being, my body would not respond to my silent, pleading prayers, it would not move fast enough for me to be able to defend myself if someone tried to harm me. So I waited anxiously until the rush of adrenaline, which supplied my legs with enough energy to start running.
And I ran. I ran until I got to the path outside of the forest, the path where everything was clear. I ran until the cold air against my bare face forced me to stop. And there I was, standing in the middle of the path. I slowly turned around, preparing myself for the worst. But all I saw was the forest, looking peaceful. The trees swaying just like they were before, the branches creaking just like they did before. There was no one there, it had just been my vivid imagination, playing a trick on me, forcing me to believe that there was a person trying to harm me or do something bad. So I breathed out, relief washing over me. My heartbeat slowed down, and the fear that had taken over me disappeared. I walked home calmly, holding my lantern.