Before Rhenho could respond, Yasu suddenly covered her mouth with a finger, whispering. "Shhh… don't say anything. I know what you imagine about."
Rhenho's heart pounded in her chest. She hated that Yasu could see right through her, but she couldn't help it. The silence felt unnatural, as if the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
Rhenho gently pulled Yasu's hand away and said softly. "This time I don't imagine. I mean it."
Rhenho held out her hand, showing the fine hairs standing on the back of it. "Here you see for yourself the hairs on my hand stand all."
Yasu grabbed Rhenho's hand. She noticed the coldness that had settled there. Then, she clasped her own warm hand over it reassuringly. "Okay don't worry. Nothing will happen. We will be out of this forest soon."
Renho's fingers were digging in as if holding on could somehow anchor her to reality. She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Her voice trembled with genuine fear. "Yasu,chan… I'm scared…"
Yasu stopped walking and turned to face her friend, her expression softening. She placed a reassuring hand on Rhenho's shoulder.
"Don't be afraid!!!" Yasu said firmly. Her voice was steady, filled with determination as she tried to soothe her friend's rising panic.
Rhenho swallowed hard. However, her wide eyes betrayed the storm of fear swirling inside her. The shillouhete around them seemed to deepen. It twisted into shapes that played tricks on her mind. She whispered. "What if a goblin appears?"
Yasu rolled her eyes. Her tone tinged with playful annoyance. "You should stop reading and watching fantasy stories."
Rhenho sighed, a sheepish smile crossing her face. "Okay… it seems you're right. I realize that I was always drifting into every story I watched. But fantasy stories are so interesting."
Rhenho grumbled softly, a habit she had carried since childhood. She had always been inseparable from her fantasy stories.
So much, so that it had led her to suffer from maladaptive daydreaming. A condition where her mind often drifted into vivid, immersive fantasies. It was both a blessing and a curse, especially in moments like these.
The two friends, Rhenho and Yasu, were certain it would take them only fifteen minutes to reach the forest's exit. Yet, as the minutes stretched into half an hour. The familiar trees seemed to close in around them. But the exit remained elusive.
"Yasu chan…" Rhenho's voice was tentative. She tried to break through the growing tension.
Yasu responded with a noncommittal. "Hmmm..."
"It seems like we're lost." Rhenho realized that they were passing the same path over and over again. Her voice grew firmer. "We've been walking in circles. I'm pretty sure we're passing the same path over and over."
They stopped, the realization sinking in like a cold stone. Yasu's fear deepened. "Rhen chan… don't make a joke…"
"Yasu chan, I'm not kidding. Have you made it?" Rhenho insisted. She grabbed up a torn piece of fabric caught on a tree branch. "Here, look at this! This is my shirt ripped. So, we seem to walk around."
Yasu fell silent, her eyes fixed on the torn cloth. Slowly, the truth dawned on her. Rhenho was right. Something was terribly wrong.
Suddenly, Rhenho's gaze shifted beyond Yasu. A large, dark shadow loomed ominously behind her friend.
Without a word, Rhenho gently covered
Yasu's eyes with her hands. She whispered. "Yasu chan, close your eyes. Don't look at anything."
Yasu struggled to free herself, panic rising. She hissed urgently. Her voice trembled with a mix of annoyance and frustration. "Rhenho, let go of your hand!!! I can't see anything."
But Rhenho's grip was firm. She whispered, her voice barely audible but laced with dread. "Yasu chan… don't talk loudly. There is a creepy creature behind. I think it's a goblin."
Rhenho's eyes darted wildly through the shadows. However, all she could see was the dense blackness of the forest night.
Unfortunately, Yasu didn't believe what Rhenho said about. She said. "Rhen chan, I've reminded you many times. Don't take your imagination into the human realm. I think it's a creepy beast, like a bear."
Rhenho's face was pale, her breath shallow and uneven. Her voice trembled and was low, the fear in it unmistakable. "Yasu chan. I'm not kidding. I see it with my own eyes. It's there, just beyond the trees. Its eyes... they're glowing."
A strange sound shattered the heavy silence of the forest. A guttural roar that was neither fully animal nor entirely human. It echoed through the towering trees, reverberating off the trunks and sending icy chills down their spines. The dusk seemed to hold its breath, as if the forest itself was trembling in fear.
"Yasu chan, do you hear that voice?" Rhenho whispered. Her voice trembled with a mixture of dread and disbelief. She clung tightly to Yasu's head, seeking comfort in the familiar touch.
Rhenho tried to convince Yasu that she didn't lie. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Suddenly, panic sharpened her voice.
"Let go of your hand!!!" Yasu demanded. She was struggling to break free from Rhenho's grip. The fear in her tone was unmistakable, raw, and urgent. She started to believe her.
Reluctantly, Rhenho uncovered her eyes. Yet she made her own eyes tightly shut. As unwilling to face whatever lurked in the shadows nearby. Her breath came in shallow. Uneven gasps as she tried to steady her racing heart.
Yasu urged, desperation creeping in. "Rhen chan, open your eyes!!!" She needed her friend to be strong, to face the unknown with her.
Rhenho's voice was barely audible. Her words were a fragile whisper. It was filled with the raw edge of terror. "I don't want to. I don't dare see anything. I'm so scared. Goblin is real. Yasu chan, don't you hear that?"
Yasu took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Yeah, I heard it too. Now let's see what it is, whether a beast or someone is trying to scare us."
Slowly, with trembling hands, Rhenho opened her eyes. The shadows seemed to shift and ripple in the dim moonlight.
They turned around.
Relief flooded their face as the ominous shape behind Yasu vanished by. It revealed nothing but the swaying branches and the quiet forest ground.