The Secret in the woods

In the small town of Pineville, four friends liked to explore together. Their names were Jake, Emma, Liam, and Sophie. They were all 13 years old and loved adventures. They rode their bikes, climbed trees, and played in the forest behind the town.

One day, Jake found an old map in his attic. The paper was dusty and torn, but they could still see strange signs and a red “X” in the middle of the woods.

“Do you think it’s treasure?” Liam asked.

“Maybe,” Jake said. “Let’s find out!”

The next morning, the four friends packed snacks, flashlights, and the map. They told their parents they were going to play in the woods. It was a bright, sunny day, and the trees swayed gently in the wind.

They followed the map deep into the forest. Birds sang in the trees, and the path was quiet. After a long walk, they came to a place with strange rocks shaped like a circle.

“This is it,” Emma said, holding the map.

Inside the stone circle was a small wooden box, half-buried in the ground. Jake opened it. Inside was a black crystal and a piece of paper with red writing:

“Do not disturb. The dark one sleeps.”

They all looked at each other.

“Maybe we should leave it alone,” Sophie said.

But Jake picked up the crystal.

“It’s just a rock,” he said.

As soon as he touched it, the wind stopped. The forest became silent. No birds, no bugs, nothing. It felt wrong.

“Let’s go home,” Liam said, his voice shaking.

They put the crystal in Jake’s backpack and hurried back. The trees seemed darker. Shadows moved even when nothing was there.

That night, strange things began to happen.

Jake couldn’t sleep. His lights flickered. He saw shadows on the wall, but nothing was there when he looked. He heard whispers saying his name.

The next day, Emma came to his house.

“My mirror cracked by itself,” she said. “And I heard footsteps in my room last night.”

Liam and Sophie came too. Liam looked pale. “Something is following me. I hear it when I walk. But when I turn, no one is there.”

Sophie showed them her phone. All her pictures had turned black.

“I think it’s the crystal,” Jake said. “We need to put it back.”

They went to the woods again. But when they reached the stone circle, the box was gone. In its place was a hole in the ground, deep and dark.

From the hole came a cold wind and a soft whisper: “Too late…”

A shadowy figure rose from the hole. It was tall and black, with red eyes. It didn’t walk—it floated.

“You woke me,” it hissed. “Now I am free.”

The friends screamed and ran. They didn’t stop until they were out of the forest. Their town looked the same, but something felt different. The sky was cloudy. The air was heavy.

They went to the library to find answers. Emma found an old book about Pineville’s history.

“Look at this,” she said, pointing to a page. “Long ago, the people of Pineville trapped a dark spirit in the woods using a crystal. They sealed it with a spell.”

Jake read the next part. “If the crystal is removed, the spirit will return. Only the spell can send it back.”

Liam looked worried. “How do we do the spell?”

Sophie found the spell in the back of the book. “We need to say these words in the stone circle… during the full moon.”

Jake checked the calendar. “That’s tonight.”

They waited until dark and went back to the forest. The moon was full, bright in the sky. The wind blew hard. They reached the circle, and the shadow was waiting.

“You cannot stop me now,” it said.

Jake pulled out the crystal. Emma held the book. Together, they said the spell:

“Darkness go, return to sleep.

No more secrets shall you keep.

By the light of moon so high,

We send you back, goodbye!”

The wind howled. The ground shook. The shadow screamed as a beam of moonlight hit the crystal. It pulled the dark figure back into the hole.

The earth closed. The forest grew quiet again.

“It’s over,” Sophie whispered.

They placed the crystal deep in the ground and covered it with rocks.

From that night on, the strange things stopped. No more shadows. No more whispers. The forest became peaceful again.

The friends never told anyone what really happened. People wouldn’t believe them. But they knew the truth.

They learned that some things should stay hidden. Some secrets are too dark. But with courage and friendship, even the darkest force can be stopped.