An ethereal wind blows through a gap in the passenger window of your car. You've tried several times to close it, but it seems like the old girl is finally starting to fall to pieces. You remind yourself that it doesn't matter - as soon as you've signed the dusty old lawyer's papers, you'll be rich enough to buy whatever car you want. It's such a shame that you have to travel all this way, and find your way through the deserted forest, just to meet him. He did seem strangely insistent, though.
As you ponder your situation and mentally spend your new fortune, the car lurches and splutters to a stop. You step out and see that the engine is smoking. You give it a kick, more out of frustration than hope that it will work, and turn to look at the road ahead.
The flickering headlamps illuminate a dark road, closely bordered with leafless trees and thick clumps of nettles and ferns. A few hundred yards ahead, the road forks. You reach into the car and grab the map, but an unfortunate gust of wind snatches it from your grasp and steals it away into the night.
You walk as quickly as possible to the split in the road and take in each choice. To the left, the road seems to dip quickly and is flooded with darkness. To the right, the road seems flat but less well-worn. There is a soft, golden glow somewhere in the distance, but you can't make out whether it is a house or something more sinister.
To head along the road to the left, go to [[2]].
To head along the road to the right, go to [[3]].The darkness engulfs you until you can't see your own hand in front of your face. You are sure that the moon is nearly full in the sky, but there is no evidence of that as you wander lost along the road.
Somewhere behind you, or perhaps off to one side, you hear something moving through the bracken, trying hard not to make a sound. The way the sounds echo amongst the slumbering trees makes it impossible to work out where it is coming from. You hasten your step until you are practically springing, but without being able to see where you are going, it isn't long before you trip and fall to the floor. You feel the hard grit cut into your cheek and the sharp-angled stones pressing into your chest.
Behind you, you hear a voice whispering to you. "Come quickly. You shouldn't be out here alone. It isn't safe."
If you want to turn around and listen to the speaker, go to [[4]].
To stand up and keep running, go to [[5]].You wander along the gloomy path, trying to keep the golden glow in your sight at all times. It's hard, and trees regularly block your view as the track twists this way and that. Eventually, you break out into a clearing, perhaps two dozen feet across, that has been cleared of all debris.
In the middle, casting a soft golden glow on the trees is a low fire. Around the edge of the fire, four men are sleeping on the ground. Discarded cans of food tell you that they enjoyed a feast of boiled potatoes and beans before drifting off.
To wake the men, go to [[7]].
To tiptoe past them, go to [[8]].You turn around and stare up into the wrinkled face of an old man. He doesn't look friendly, as such, but nor is he immediately threatening. If anything, he looks annoyed that he's had to rescue you.
He offers you his hand to help you up, and you take it. His skin is ice-cold and smooth to the touch, but he is surprisingly strong for somebody so small.
"Come with me," he says. "I will take you to where you need to be." Without waiting for you to answer, the man sets off along a hidden track.
To follow him, go to [[6]].
To turn and sprint in the other direction, go to [[5]].You ignore the shouted pleas of the man behind you and stumble forwards. You push on into the darkness, sprinting faster than ever before. Your heart thuds against your ribcage in perfect timing with your pounding feet.
Suddenly, the world tilts to the side, and you realise you are running over empty air. You reach out blindly, but there is nothing to grab hold of. As you brace yourself for the inevitable impact, you realise that no money was worth dying for.The old man leads you through knee-high bushes and between twisted trees that reach out and claw at your clothes, but you ignore all of the pain and discomfort to keep up with him. For somebody so old, he is incredibly sprightly, and he regularly disappears behind distant bushes or thick tree-trunks. Eventually, you catch up with him just as he comes to a halt in front of a wooden cottage. It has seen better days, but it still offers some protection from whatever is lurking in the forest. You follow the man through the front door.You stand on the edge of the clearing and cough politely. The men are in too deep asleep to hear you, and they barely stir. You try again, this time louder and more insistent. One of them rolls over and mutters something under his breath, but that's it.
Just as you consider walking across the clearing and going on your way, you notice another man returning from between the trees. He's carrying a tin filled with water from a nearby river. He places it down and looks up, spotting you easily.
"Oh! An intruder, are you?" he asks in a gruff voice.
You mutter something about looking for an old house and your car breaking down, and the man starts to laugh.
"Ai, there's a lot of cars that break down out here. It's the road and humidity. The engines can't handle it. I know where your house it, right enough. Come on, follow me." With that, the man stands up and heads into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. You race after him, taking care to keep the fire between you and the slumbering oafs and catch up with him a hundred yards or so further along the track.
"Head along here for about five minutes, and you'll be at the house. Don't step off the path, whatever happens. There are far worse things out there than my buddies and me," he says before turning and leaving you alone again.
You follow the man's advice and proceed along the track. Go to [[9]].Treading as lightly as you can, you step into the centre of the clearing and make your way around the fire. You try to keep the flames between you and the men at all times, but you hadn't counted on the fact that one of them had disappeared to fetch water just before you arrived.
He returns now and shouts out to wake his friends. Within seconds, they are on their feet and surrounding you. They don't take kindly to strangers in their camp, and they quickly bind your hands and feet and throw you into the back of their van. Wherever you end up next, you won't be signing the lawyer's papers tonight.Within a few minutes, you approach an old but serviceable house. It is a single-story cottage with boarded windows and a door hanging on one hinge. Despite all that, it is clearly a better place to spend the night than the open forest. As you stand there taking it all in, you notice an old man heading through the front door.
To follow him, go to [[10]].
To head to the back of the house for a better look, go to [[11]].EndEnd
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