Fear of the dark. [YiZhan FF - Mystery Thriller]✔️

3. - Campfire and Offerings

3. - Campfire and Offerings

When you work and are really busy like we were, time passes quickly. The little light that was at the clearing, quickly disappeared and we sat in the dark in front of the campfire. A huge fire, which worried me. Because the sparks from it spread everywhere. And because it hasn't rained for days and it's high summer, everything is very dry.

Zhan hasn't left my side since earlier. But now he has been sitting with Missy for an hour and they are talking. Are they a couple? I should have asked him earlier when I had the chance.

But instead I asked such general things as what he does for a living. He is employed as a graphic designer in a small company. He mistook me for a model. But I quickly explained to him that I only work as a security guard in a supermarket. I couldn't find a job in my field after graduation, so I looked for another job. Somehow I have to earn my money.

We also talked about our families. He doesn't have any siblings and his parents have normal, simple jobs. If I remember correctly, his father is an office worker and his mother works as a hairdresser.

My family is also very normal middle class. My dad works as a mechanic in a car repair shop, my mom is a cashier in a supermarket and my big brother works as a car dealer. But enough of that.

If I had to describe what it looks like around me, I'd say it's black. I can't see anything here except for a few outlines of the first rows of trees. Everything further away from the campfire is black.

The other two groups from Poland and Romania stay among themselves. As soon as it was dark, they brought out their alcohol. They are loud and don't care about disturbing us. But nobody wants to say anything to them, they are not very friendly now that they are drunk.

At 10 pm our guide also came out of his tent again. He told us that now it was time to make offerings to the forest and the spirits in it. But we should offer something that is important to us. So that the spirits would leave us alone and the forest would protect us.

Everyone joined in and looked for things to throw into the fire. I didn't really have much with me that meant anything. Only one thing actually. A bandana that I received as a gift from my grandmother many years ago.

I was hesitant to offer this bandana until Zhan came to me and showed me a necklace with a pendant. At first I thought the necklace was from an ex-girlfriend of Zhan. But then he told me that he had a younger sister and she lost her battle against cancer and the necklace had belonged to her. So this necklace really meant a lot to him. Nevertheless, he threw it into the fire without hesitation. I did the same and offered my bandana.

Zhan didn't go back to this Missy and sat with me instead. We didn't talk and just watched the fire. Well, until a loud scream almost made all of our hearts drop.

Panicked, we jumped up and looked around, then another scream. Zhan was so frightened that he stood behind me and held onto my arms.

Then I heard my brother yell, "Leni are you totally stupid? Why are you screaming around here? Do you have any idea how much you scared all of us?"

Leni yelled at him, "There was really a fat spider here just now."

I spun around to face Zhan and because he was still close behind me, we were suddenly nose to nose. We looked at each other in embarrassment for a moment, then he let go of me and sat back down. I cleared my throat in a fake way and sat down next to him again. I admit, I kind of like him. Well, I mean Zhan. But I don't think I'd stand a chance with someone like him.

Unlike my big brother, I've known for a long time that I like men. My brother has known for two years. I've known it practically my whole life. But so far it has never really sparked. Sure, I had a crush on one or the other time, but it was never serious.