Whispers of the Aglair Forest
The summer night was warm and full of the sound of cicadas as Lena, Igor and Dorian walked along the dirt road leading to the border of the Aglair Forest. The path was led among tall grasses that tickled their ankles with every step. Lena carried a torch and Igor a backpack with snacks. Dorian held his beloved camera - he believed that something unusual would be captured that night.
There were stories about the Aglair Forest. It was said that the whispers of old trees could be heard in it after dark, and that those who entered alone often felt watched. However, the group of friends did not believe in fairy tales. They were too old to be afraid of forest monsters and too curious about the world to miss the opportunity for adventure.
- 'Whoever finds the strangest stone wins,' chuckled Lena, breaking the silence.
- Okay, but you don't cheat with the torch, you have to share the light! - replied Igor.
Dorian just smiled, looking through the viewfinder of the camera. He took pictures of everything: the mossy branch, the cobwebs in the torchlight, his own trainers sunk in the leaves. This is how they arrived at the old forest hut, about which legends circulated. It was built of dark, old wood, with a roof covered in moss, as if nature wanted to hide it from the world.
- Shall we go in? - Lena asked, slightly concerned but excited.
Igor entered first. The door creaked open, and the smell of dust and dampness rushed in. It was dark inside, but within the radius of the torch Lena could see shelves full of bottles, dried herbs and strange objects. A thick book lay on a table. The leather of the binding was cracked and the cover was embossed with golden symbols that neither of them could recognise.
Dorian carefully opened the book. The pages were old, written in a strange, swirling script. In a moment, the wind came through the broken window, and all the herbs hanging from the ceiling trembled, rustling as if someone was whispering invisible words to them. Lena felt a shiver down her spine.
Igor began to read aloud one of the passages: - "When the moon rises over the crowns of Aglair, let him who wishes to see what is hidden say the incantation..."
Barely had he finished, the torchlight flicked on, and a soft, dragging sound came from the darkness. The book itself turned the page. The hut grew colder.
Suddenly, a light flashed from outside the window, quite different from the glow of the torch - cold, bluish, reminiscent of lightning. Dorian quickly raised his camera, but before he could take a picture, something moved in the corner of the hut. A silhouette emerged, barely visible in the twilight, seemingly composed of mist and shadowy threads.
The friends froze. Lena clenched her hands on the book, Igor held his breath, and Dorian put the camera to his eye, though his fingers trembled.
A misty figure raised his hand and pointed to an old book. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and Lena felt for the first time that the Aglair Forest really did hide something that would not be found in any biology book.
In that moment, all three of them had to decide: put the book down and run away, or find out where their unusual encounter would lead them....
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English
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