The Mysterious Boat

Under the faint glow of the moon, a lake shimmered like glass on the outskirts of a peaceful village shrouded in fog. It was seldom visited by the villagers, especially after dark. They talked about weird things happening on the lake, like the sound of a boat appearing and then vanishes.

They claimed that this was no typical boat—rather, it was a spectral craft moving silently across the sea, propelled by an unknown source.

Arun, a young man full of curiosity and skepticism, made the decision to solve the riddle of the boat one cool autumn evening.

Despite never having seen anything extraordinary himself, he had heard the stories since he was a young child. He told himself, "It's just a story to scare children," but as he got closer to the lake, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

The air was heavy with expectation, and the night was motionless. The moon was low in the sky, illuminating the water with a silvery radiance.

Arun stood on the lake's edge, tiny clouds of breath rising to the surface of the icy air. He looked across the surface, trying to find any indication of movement. Nothing but the soft sound of the ocean lapping across the sand.

He waited, feeling impatient as the minutes seemed to stretch into hours. He was prepared to turn around and thought, "Maybe they were right." However, as he was about to go away, he noticed something: a small ripple in the lake's middle.

Squinting, Arun tried to interpret what he was seeing. Gradually, a boat started to take shape as it emerged from the dense fog that covered the lake. It slid across the lake, ancient and weathered and hauntingly silent. The boat was traveling by itself without any assistance from a person or the sound of oars.

Arun felt a shiver go down her spine. Trapped between curiosity and horror, he stood paralyzed.

His voice was scarcely heard as he asked himself, "Is this real?"

He was driven by a strong desire to approach, examine the boat up close, and figure out how it moved so softly and eerily.

Arun entered a dilapidated rowboat that was moored on the coast without realizing what he was doing. He pushed out, the little boat making a creaking sound as it approached the spectral craft.

The sound of his oar gently cutting through the water was the only sound in the strangely quiet ocean.

The enigmatic boat became more visible as he got closer. Its wood, weathered and stained by time, was undoubtedly ancient.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end because there was something unnerving about it.

"Why is it situated here? With his heart racing in his chest, he pondered, "Who... or what... does it belong to?"

Arun was only a few feet away when he reached out to touch the boat, his hand shaking. His body was frozen in place as his fingers touched the worn wood, a quick, bone-chilling frost snapping through him.

A low whisper that seemed to emanate from both everywhere and nowhere at once filled his ears as the air around him grew heavy and oppressive.

The voice drifted through the mist, murmuring, "You shouldn't have come." Arun's breath caught in his throat as his eyes grew wide with fear. The boat started to travel quicker than before and dragged him with it.

Despite his attempts to release his grip and move away, he was unable to do so as the cold felt more deeply ingrained in his bones.

The lake's surface started to churn as the fog grew thicker, whirling around him as though something was awakening beneath the surface. As the boat pulled Arun farther out into the lake and the shoreline vanished from view, his heart raced.

He was overcome with panic. "Let go!" he cried, the fog eclipsing his voice. The cold became more intense until it felt like his own soul was being sucked away, but the boat kept him fast.

The boat suddenly stopped, and the surrounding water became strangely peaceful again. The muttering ceased, and quiet descended for a few moments, a deafening hush.

The boat suddenly jolted and started to sink, gently at first, then more quickly, dragging Arun into the chilly, dark depths.

He tried to fight, but to no avail. The frigid water enveloped his head, and the last thing he noticed was the dim silhouette of the boat, vanishing into the night.

The mist gradually lifted, the lake going back to its peaceful state as though nothing had happened.

By daybreak, all that remained of Arun was his abandoned rowboat drifting close to the coast. The locals were aware of what had transpired, but they were afraid to discuss it.

The lake was still as silent and ominous as it had been before, and the mystery boat had claimed another soul.

Knowing that some mysteries are best left unsettled, the people avoided the lake even more after that day and kept its secrets to themselves. why it's wise to leave some boats unmanned.