The silence of the forest was almost absolute, broken only by the rustling of leaves under shoes and the quiet crackle of twigs. Marta walked in the lead, clutching a torch in her hand and looking around nervously every now and then. She was followed by Kuba, with his hood pulled over his forehead, and Lena, clearly excited - although it is hard to say whether it was more the adventure or the fact that they might break the most important rule in town: stay away from the old tower. The tower stood at the edge of the woods, black and covered in ivy, as if nature itself was trying to hide it from the world. Since they were children, they had heard rumours that it was spooky inside, that people went missing inside - and the elders swore that sometimes at night they could see a faint light in one of the dusty windows there. "It's just fairy tales," Marta whispered, repeating herself in her mind, although her heart was beating faster than usual. To be sure, she looked around to the side - the path led deeper and deeper between the trees, and the sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon. "Come on, just a little further," Cuba said, although his voice didn't sound very confident. They reached a large iron gate, which was ajar, as if someone had opened it in front of them. Lena raked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled broadly - her courage was infectious. "Shall we go in?" she asked. The tower, up close, looked even more frightening. The windows were broken and there were strange marks on the bricks that neither of them could recognise. Martha ran her fingers over one of the drawings - it was as cold as ice. Inside, there was semi-darkness. Their footsteps echoed off the stone walls. Suddenly, they heard a noise - something like a quiet whisper that spread through the interior of the tower. Cuba stopped first. "Do you hear that?" A quiet voice rang out from somewhere above, on the stairs leading upwards. For a moment everyone was silent, staring into the darkness. Before they had time to step back, a light flashed from around the bend in the stairs. Someone - or something - was coming down towards them. They could feel the tension rising. Martha raised her torch, ready at any moment to throw herself into flight. Footsteps could be heard more and more clearly.... And then suddenly the light went out.