Audio Podcast ten minutes

The mountains were alive with autumn’s breath, leaves crunching under the boots of four hikers—Lila, Marcus, Tess, and Ethan—as they ventured deeper into the mountains. Vibrant hues of orange, red, and gold painted the landscape, while the crisp air filled their lungs with the scent of pine and earth. The trail they’d followed for hours had been clear and well-trodden, but Marcus, ever the explorer, spotted a faint path veering into a dense thicket. No markers, no signs, just a narrow ribbon of dirt weaving through towering pines, the shadows dancing as the sun began to dip behind the peaks. “Let’s see where it goes,” he said, eyes glinting with curiosity. The others hesitated, exchanging glances filled with uncertainty, but they were ultimately drawn by the promise of something undiscovered, an adventure that could unveil secrets of the wilderness. The thrill of the unknown beckoned them, and with a collective shrug, they stepped off the familiar trail, ready to embrace whatever lay ahead, their hearts filled with excitement and a hint of trepidation. 

The path twisted for nearly an hour, the air growing colder, the light dimmer, forcing Tess to pull her jacket tighter around her. Just as she began to grumble about turning back, they stumbled into a clearing that felt almost like a breath of fresh air yet still eerie in its silence. There, half-swallowed by moss and shadow, stood an abandoned cabin, its structure a testament to years of neglect. Its weathered logs sagged beneath the weight of time, with windows dark and cracked, as if guarding secrets long forgotten. Vines crawled up the walls, weaving a tapestry of nature reclaiming what it had lost, yet despite the decay, the place felt… expectant. Lila shivered, not from the chill that permeated the air, but from an unsettling sense of being watched. “This place gives me the creeps,” she muttered, glancing over her shoulder, but Ethan was already at the door, pushing it open with a creak that echoed like a warning through the stillness. As the door swung inward, a rush of stale air escaped, carrying with it the faint scent of damp wood and something else, something foul that made Lila’s stomach churn. 

Inside, the air was stale, thick with dust that hung like a heavy blanket, clinging to everything in sight. A rickety table, uneven in its stance, a rusted stove that looked like it hadn’t been used in years, and a single chair sat in the gloom, casting long shadows against the cracked walls. On the table lay a leather-bound journal, its pages yellowed but intact, whispering secrets of the past. Marcus grabbed it, flipping it open with a sense of reverence, while the others peered over his shoulder, their eyes wide with curiosity and anticipation. The handwriting was spidery, precise, and meticulously crafted, dated October 15, 2024—exactly one year ago. “Weird,” Tess murmured, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Who’d leave this here? It feels like it belongs to someone who disappeared without a trace, leaving behind not just their thoughts but a part of their life in this forgotten place.” 

Marcus read aloud: “Four hikers arrive at dusk, their boots heavy with mud. The tall one, bold, finds the path first, his long strides cutting through the thickening shadows. The wary one, with sharp eyes, hesitates at the cabin’s door, the chill of the evening air brushing against their faces as they exchange anxious glances. A rustle in the underbrush makes their hearts race, igniting a primal instinct to keep watch. Memories flood back as they recall the stories of other travelers who had ventured into these woods, some never returning. His voice faltered, struggling to steady itself against the mounting tension. The description was too specific—Marcus’s height, Lila’s cautious glance, the mud caked on their boots from a stream they’d crossed, each detail a vivid reminder of their shared journey. The journal went on, detailing their exact words, their movements, the way Ethan’s impulsive push at the door seemed more a challenge than a welcome, even the sounds of their laughter that felt like a ghostly echo of the past. But it was written before they’d arrived, revealing truths they had yet to confront.” 

This is impossible,” Ethan said, snatching the journal with a sense of urgency and disbelief. He flipped forward, his face paling as the weight of the entries settled over him like a dark cloud. The words seemed to come alive, predicting their every action with eerie accuracy: “The bold one reads first, the wary one checks the windows, the quiet one finds the trapdoor…” Tess, who’d been silent in the background, was already at a window, peering out as if the very air around them had conjured the instructions from the page. She froze, suddenly aware of how closely she’d just fulfilled the journal’s words, the chill of realization seeping into her bones as her mind raced, piecing together the significance of their movements. Confusion and dread twisted in her stomach as she glanced back at Ethan, who stared at her with wide eyes, both of them understanding that the journal not only knew their past but seemed to weave their fate as well. 

There’s no trapdoor,” Lila said, her voice tight, but her eyes darted to the floor, as if searching for an escape from the unsettling atmosphere that surrounded them. Ethan, unnerved by her sudden defensiveness, started stomping around the dimly lit room, desperately searching for any sign of a secret. After what felt like an eternity, his foot struck something solid beneath a threadbare rug, and he knelt down in disbelief. There it was—a wooden hatch, barely visible, where dust and age had concealed its presence. The journal had known all along, its cryptic messages hinting at mysteries yet to unfold. With a rush of adrenaline, he yanked the hatch open, revealing a steep, rickety ladder descending into an impenetrable darkness that seemed to swallow all light. The air grew heavier, filled with uncertainty, as the group exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of terror and an almost magnetic compulsion to follow the script, drawn by the possibilities that lay hidden below, compelling them to confront the unknown. 

Lila clutched the journal now, reading as they descended into the depths of the unknown. “They climb down, hearts pounding, into the chamber below. The air is still and heavy; the walls carved with cryptic symbols they cannot read or decipher…” The ladder led to a stone-walled room, damp and cold, its walls etched with spiraling runes that seemed to pulse faintly in the dim light. Shadows danced across the surface, casting eerie illusions that both enthralled and terrified them. A pedestal stood at the center, holding a single object—a small, black stone, smooth as glass, reflecting the faint glow of the runes around it. The stone drew them closer, an inexplicable force urging them to reach out and touch its surface, as if it held secrets of ancient power or forgotten knowledge waiting to be uncovered. 

The journal’s next entry made Lila’s hands shake: “The quiet one touches the stone, and the truth is revealed.” Tess, who’d barely spoken all day, stared at the stone, her hand trembling as it reached out, the air thick with anticipation. “Don’t,” Marcus snapped, his voice laced with a mix of fear and urgency, but Tess’s fingers brushed it, fueled by an irresistible curiosity. As she made contact, a low hum filled the room, vibrating through their very bones, and images flooded their minds—flashes of the forest, the hidden paths they had never noticed before, the cabin where secrets lingered, themselves walking the trail, as if seen through another’s eyes, each moment feeling eerily familiar yet profoundly alien. The journal’s author wasn’t human. It was… something else, watching, recording, guiding, threading their destinies together in ways they couldn’t yet comprehend, hinting at a deeper connection to a past long forgotten, whispering truths that could change everything they knew. 

“They understand now,” the journal read, “that the trail chose them, that time loops here, and that they were always meant to find this place, a nexus of fate hidden away from the prying eyes of the universe.” Ethan cursed under his breath, feeling the weight of destiny as he backed toward the ladder, heart racing with dread and uncertainty. The runes glowed brighter, each pulse resonating like a heartbeat, while the air grew thick around them, pressing them in place, making it hard to breathe, as if the very fabric of reality were tightening. Shadows danced at the edges of his vision, and he could almost hear whispers of the past echoing through the chamber, warning him of the consequences of his next move. The final entry was blank, except for one ominous line: “They decide.” The gravity of that simple phrase settled heavily on his shoulders, leaving him paralyzed by the weight of choice and the potential ramifications that could ripple through time itself. 

Lila dropped the journal, her mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Were they trapped in a never-ending cycle, doomed to repeat this very moment for all eternity? Or could they find a way to break free from this dark fate that loomed over them? With a sudden surge of determination, Marcus grabbed the ancient stone, its rough surface cool against his palm, and hurled it against the wall with all his strength, watching as it shattered into tiny fragments of dust that spiraled through the air like a storm. The intricate runes that had been glowing brightly dimmed, the resonant hum that filled the space faded into an eerie silence, and for the first time, the air felt lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted. They scrambled up the ladder, hearts pounding wildly in their chests, filled with both fear and hope, and fled the cabin, the unsettling past behind them as they dared not look back, propelled by the urgency of their escape and the prospect of a new beginning. 

The trail was gone when they reached the clearing’s edge, swallowed by the dense undergrowth that had once whispered of adventures untold. The forest seemed ordinary again, devoid of the magic it once held, yet the journal’s weight lingered in their minds like a distant echo of an unforgettable encounter. Had they truly escaped, or was this haunting experience merely a part of the script that bound their fate? They never spoke of it again, but each wondered, in quiet moments, if the trail was still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting patiently for the next wanderer to stumble upon its secrets. The lingering sense of mystery wrapped around their thoughts, fueling their imaginations with what-ifs and maybes, making the ordinary feel extraordinary in the flickering light of fading memories. 

From Book Four of Tales of Tom2 2.0 link to Amazon