時とともに失われた記憶

Chapter 3: The deep holes in the trees.

TW: Dead animal, g0r3, dead human. 13+ only. 16+ if sensitive to blood. 

Another morning, I wake up, feeling the cold air on my skin. I glance outside, and the smell hits me first—like rotten meat. Still half-asleep, I squint out the window. There's something lying out there—a dead animal, maybe a rodent, but it's hard to tell without my glasses. I sigh, sitting up slowly, and search for a nearby river to wash up in. I don't have much—just my old, torn clothes that I've been wearing for what feels like forever. The mornings have been freezing lately, and I shiver as I put my dilapidated clothes back on.As I step outside, I glance to my right and see a narrow path leading down a hill. Something about it makes me uneasy, a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I walk toward it anyway. The farther I go, the stronger that awful rotting smell becomes. I pinch my nose and keep moving, but curiosity gets the best of me when I spot a large bush off to the side. I push the branches aside and immediately regret it."Oh... oh no... oh god... no..." Lying there, tangled together like some kind of sick puzzle, are two bodies. They look human, but they've been mauled, torn apart by some wild animal. I can't take my eyes off them—parts of them are twisted and rearranged like a Rubik's cube, and I feel sick to my stomach. Every instinct in my body tells me to turn back. I know I shouldn't go any further, so I run back up the path as fast as I can.When I reach the top, I spot another trail leading in the opposite direction. This time, I hear something—whispering, faint and eerie, like it's coming from deep within the woods. I follow the sound, and eventually, I find myself surrounded by strange trees. Their trunks are hollow, full of holes. Every time the wind blows through them, the trees seem to hum a haunting tune, a soft melody that fills the air. It's oddly calming, like I'm completely alone in the world, with just the wind and the trees to keep me company.I sit down on the rough, crunchy forest floor, leaning my back against one of the hollow trees. The whispering continues, but it feels peaceful now, like a lullaby. The wind wraps around me, and slowly, I drift off to sleep, alone but comforted by the soft, singing trees.