Story 1115: Nocturne of the Hollow Woods

The Hollow Woods were always silent during the day.

No birds sang. No insects chirped. Even the wind hesitated among the branches.

But at night, the woods played a song—a haunting, low nocturne—as if the trees themselves remembered something unspeakable. It started as a hum deep in the soil, rising with the fog, wrapping itself around those who dared to enter.

Evelyn Blackmoor had heard whispers of it during her travels. Of hunters who followed the song too far and were found months later with hollow eyes and bark growing from their tongues.

She had to know the truth.

The woods met her with silence as dusk fell. No path led in—just roots like coiled serpents and trees bent like mourners. With the lantern tucked away, Evelyn followed the hum that grew louder with every step.

It wasn’t just music. It was mourning.

A lament for the lost.