Whispers and games

The little girl stood at the center of the clearing, her appearance unsettlingly ethereal. Pale skin contrasted sharply with her tangled, dark hair that framed her face like a shadowy halo. Her large, wide-set eyes sparkled with a mix of mischief and an eerie wisdom far beyond her years. Clad in a tattered dress that seemed to merge with the dark forest around her, she exuded an unsettling calmness, as if she were a part of the very darkness that surrounded them. Every movement was deliberate, and her smile held secrets that felt both inviting and sinister.

Akena stared at the little girl, her heart racing. The child stood there, pale and ghostly against the dark backdrop of the forest, her wide eyes shimmering with an unsettling curiosity. "Tic-tac-toe," she repeated, a faint smile creeping across her lips, as if she were privy to a secret that eluded Akena.

Akena blinked, relieved that it was just a child but felt confused as she squinted her eyes before asking- "What are you doing here?" she stammered, pushing herself off the ground. "Aren't you afraid? This place is—"

"Cursed," the girl finished, her voice a whisper that seemed to echo through the stillness. "But I'm not scared. Are you?"

Akena's stomach twisted. Tales of witches and sinister beings in the forest flooded her mind. "Why are you here alone? Where are your parents?"

The girl shrugged, her matted hair swaying like tendrils of shadow. "They left me. They're never coming back.."- her expression remained unchanged even while speaking of the grieving incident.

"What do you mean, never..?" Akena pressed, confusion flooding her thoughts. "This forest is dangerous. You shouldn't be—"

"Don't worry." The girl interrupted, her tone suddenly grave. "But you need to leave before night falls. It's not safe to linger. Others will come."

"Others?" Akena felt a chill creep up her spine. "What others?"

The girl tilted her head, her eyes glimmering with something like mischief. "The ones who play games with the lost. Like tic-tac-toe. But not the fun kind."

Akena swallowed hard, unease coiling tighter within her. "I can't go back home. I'm in trouble," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You'll be safe with me," the girl said, taking a step back and beckoning with a crooked finger. "Come, I know a place and...don't touch the fruits..any of them they deceive rather well for their beauty" Akena nodded taking look at the fruit that now had lost it's glow. "Creepy.." Akena thinks to herself. "They lose their glow when their secrets are told since there remains nothing fascinating about them anymore" .Akena gulped at the living fruit, now a bit more cautious of her surroundings.

Without waiting for a response, the child turned and began to walk deeper into the forest. Akena hesitated, her instincts screaming to turn back, but curiosity pushed her forward. She had no other choice—she couldn't return to the house, and the strange child might know more about this place.

As they moved deeper into the trees, the air grew thicker, cloaked in an eerie silence. The trees loomed overhead, their branches twisting like gnarled fingers against the sky. The light began to dim, swallowed by the encroaching shadows. It almost seemed like the forest had been paving a path for her. Akena felt a pull in her gut, the remnants of her bravado fading with every step.

"Where are we going?" Akena asked, trying to mask her fear.

"To a safe place," the girl replied, glancing over her shoulder, her smile unsettling. "The witch's house."

Akena froze. "The witch? You mean to tell me witches really exist? you're kidding!", a faint smile tugged at Akena's lips at the absurdity of her sentence.

For a brief a second the child's expression had shifted , her expression no longer seemed like a child's, an evil being ...a demon if she were to describe it and that was the moment Akena had realized the being walking in front of her was no child. The child laughed, a sound devoid of warmth. "Oh you seem oblivious of everything..have you never played the games?"

Akena's heart raced. She clenched onto the rosary in her pocket tighter than ever, as her body ran cold making goosebumps spread all over her. "What games?"

The girl's expression darkened. "You don't want to find out. If you stay so naive, you'll become part of the game rather soon."

Akena felt the weight of dread settle over her. "What happens if I do..become a part..what happens then?"

"Then you'll be lost forever," the girl warned, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

Suddenly, they reached a clearing. In the center stood a crooked, dilapidated house. Its windows were shattered, and the door hung ajar, creaking softly in the wind. Akena's heart sank.

"Is this it?" she asked, dread coiling in her stomach.

"Go inside," the girl urged, her voice unnaturally bright. "You'll be safe here."

As Akena hesitated, the child's smile widened ominously. "Remember, don't mingle with those who play tic-tac-toe."

Before Akena could respond, the girl vanished into the shadows of the forest. The air turned cold, and a heavy silence fell over the clearing. Akena now trembled at the unusual and quick disappearance of the little girl. Akena stood frozen, her instincts screaming at her to run.

Then, from the shadows of the doorway, a figure emerged. The witch stood there, her eyes glinting like shards of ice. "Welcome, child," she crooned, her voice a low, inviting murmur. "I've been expecting you."

Akena's heart raced, panic flooding her senses. She wanted to flee, but the witch's gaze held her in place, paralyzed by fear.

"You've come to play, haven't you?" the witch said, a sinister smile spreading across her lips.

Realization struck Akena like a cold wave. She had been playing the demon's game all along. The game had started the moment she heard the words "tic-tac-toe" from the child's mouth. The girl had not just been warning her; she had been marking her entry into a world where the rules twisted and turned, where every choice mattered—and the stakes were life and death.

Akena's breath quickened, her mind racing. The forest wasn't just a backdrop; it was a chessboard, and she was already a pawn in a game far beyond her understanding.

"Let's see how well you know the rules," the witch hissed, stepping closer, and Akena knew in that moment there was no turning back. The game had begun.