Fanni Kepenyes
Emily was walking alone in a forest near her home. She loved spending time there. It was always calm and seemed to be another world, far from the noises of the city. Suddenly she heard a strange noise. It was like a whisper she couldn’t understand. The girl was very imaginative, and her mind immediately started to wander.
The forest was magical. This was the place where people could meet spirits and ghosts of their loved ones. However, only a few came here. Most were too scared. The forest had stood there ever since the city was founded. It could be seen on every painting and picture; all the citizens knew it. In the beginning, it was like a normal place where people would go to get closer to nature, to spend some time with their families in a peaceful environment. It was like this until decades ago when children were playing nearby. They were laughing and happy to be with their friends. Suddenly they heard strange noises and whispers. Than a strange woman appeared in front of them. The kids started yelling and screaming, and the woman disappeared immediately, but this didn’t change anything. The kids ran home crying and said the place was cursed. Their parents and other citizens went to the forest. At first they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The birds were singing the sun was shining and they thought the whole tale had been made up by the kids. They were very angry. They wanted to get home and tell the children this joke was not funny. Before they could turn around, everything went cold and silent. Then they heard whispers, and the voices became louder and louder. Everyone started running. After this experience, they never let their children go close to the forest.
Years later a girl was standing here. She was the only one to go there, and she didn’t mind. A ghost appeared in front of her. It was a strange woman.
“I didn’t want to hurt them. I just wanted to see my son. I died in an illness when he was only one year old. I just wanted to see him. I ruined everything. Ghosts can’t see their loved ones anymore. It is all my fault. I shouldn’t have shown myself, I just wanted to tell him I love him.”
She started crying.
“It isn’t your mistake,” Emily said. “People should have listened to your whispers, but they were afraid of everything unknown to them. This place is amazing. If they had waited, they would have seen everyone they had lost. Don’t blame yourself!”
She hugged the ghost, and at that moment another ghost appeared and another. They came to the place where for centuries they had tried to tell people they meant no harm. They looked like humans, they wore clothes from different eras, and all of them were crying and glistening with a mysterious silver colour. It was the most beautiful moment Emily had ever seen.
“I will tell them all of this, I will show them that there is nothing that can hurt them here.”
The ghosts whispered, thanked her, and disappeared, but the girl still heard their whispers for a few moments, and then everything went silent. Then a voice brought Emily back to reality.
“So you are hiding here! Everyone was looking for you!” Ashley said. “Do you want to spend your birthday alone?”
Ashley, Emily’s best friend, was standing nearby, a confused look spread across her face. She never understood why Emily liked to spend so much time in the forest.
“Of course not! Let’s go!”
The two girls walked out of the forest and didn’t look back. They didn’t see the strange woman standing there silently and smiling.