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A city that is not on the map


A city that is not on the map
Kacper had never liked spontaneous excursions, but when Lena and David pulled out a map full of strange signs, it was hard to say no to them. After all, they were already seventeen and the world should be open to them. The plan was simple: bikes, backpacks and a day out of the familiar routine. Even from the morning, the air was heavy, as if a thick, almost tangible veil hung over the forest they were about to ride through. To Lenie, such an atmosphere reminded her of horror novels, but Kacper tried not to give in to his own imagination. David, as usual, pretended not to be afraid of anything, although he nervously fiddled with his bike keys. After an hour's ride, the forest became unnaturally dense - the sun's rays slipped through the leaves in only narrow streaks. Suddenly the road split into three paths, although according to all the maps available to them there should only be one. Lena insisted on taking the one least traveled - "because, after all, adventures don't start where everyone else has already been". The road increasingly reminded them of a dream world: the trees seemed taller than usual and the sounds of birds sounded alien. Finally, they arrived at a place neither of them could remember, although they had lived in the area forever. In front of them stretched the city - but not as they knew it from their daily lives. The buildings were crooked, as if someone had tried to sketch them with their left hand. There was a mist over the streets, and the colours seemed more intense, saturated to the point of exaggeration. They stopped their bikes. No one was strolling through the city. One look at each other was enough for them to know that they all felt the same: something was wrong. Lena pulled an old camera out of her rucksack and took a picture of a strangely bent lamppost. However, an image appeared on the display that none of them had expected - instead of the lantern, they saw themselves standing in a place they did not recognise, holding completely different objects in their hands than they had just seen. The silence around them was so thick that it hurt their ears. From afar came their laughter - quiet, drawn out, disturbingly familiar and yet not quite human. - Shall we go on? - asked Kacper in a whisper, feeling his imagination begin to suggest images he didn't want to believe. At that moment, a figure dressed in something that resembled a mixture of a clown costume and a frock coat from a previous era leaned out from one of the blocks. Her face was blurred, as if someone had spilled paint on it. Slowly, she began to approach, not stopping the ghastly laughter. The three high school students could not take their eyes off her, and their imaginations were working at top speed. What to do next? Do they follow the figure? Do you turn around and try to find your way back? Or immerse themselves in a world beyond all imagination? And then the figure spoke to them by name....


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Age category: 16-17 years
Publication date:
Times read: 35
Endings: 2
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