Therapy Bits

It was the middle of the night and the forest was quiet. No animals or bugs disturbed the silence. There were no birds, no chirping.

Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. The trees stood motionless, their branches black against the pale wash of moonlight. To anyone passing by, it might have looked peaceful—but Maya knew better. She could feel it in the air, that thick, unnatural stillness that only came before something wrong.

She tightened her grip on the flashlight, its beam trembling slightly as it cut through the mist. The path ahead looked the same as it always had—twisting roots, moss-covered stones—but every step felt heavier, like the forest itself was watching.

Then she saw it.

In the middle of the trail lay a circle of stones, perfectly shaped and arranged with impossible precision. Inside it, the earth was blackened, as though burned. She knelt, brushing her fingers over the surface. It was cold—too cold.

A sound broke the silence. A low hum, almost like a whisper, rising from the ground. The air shimmered faintly within the circle. Maya froze, heart pounding.

Then, slowly, a voice came—soft, tired, and impossibly old.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

The flashlight flickered once. Twice. And then, the forest wasn’t quiet anymore.

Missy’s MAD Challenge # 062 – M.A.D. Works