It was a biting, frosty evening as I walked Max, my ever-curious Labrador, through the dense woods near my house. The silence of the forest was broken only by the crunch of snow underfoot. Suddenly, Max froze mid-step, his ears twitching and nose in the air. Before I could call him back, he darted into the bushes, barking furiously.
I hurried after him, my breath visible in the cold air. What I saw next sent a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with the weather.
Sitting on a fallen log were two little girls, no older than nine. They were identical twins, their wide, frightened eyes peeking out from under messy hair. Their thin, ragged clothes were no match for the freezing temperatures. My heart ached just looking at them.
“Are you okay?” I asked gently, kneeling to their level.
One of the girls shook her head, her lips trembling. “We live in a shed nearby… Mama left us there… a long time ago.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. It was obvious they needed help, and fast. “Come with me,” I said, offering my hands to each of them. They hesitated but eventually took them.
When we got home, I warmed them up with blankets and hot cocoa, and they devoured the sandwiches I made like they hadn’t eaten in days. My 10-year-old daughter, Emma, was already asleep, oblivious to the sudden addition to our household. I set up the guest room for the twins and decided to call social services first thing in the morning.
But that night, sleep didn’t come easily. Questions buzzed in my mind. Who were these girls? Why had their mother abandoned them? And most unsettling of all—was there something they weren’t telling me?
A Shocking Morning
The next morning, I woke to strange noises. From Emma’s room, I heard soft thuds and muffled cries. A wave of panic gripped me. The twins were missing from their bed. My heart pounded as I rushed down the hall.
I flung Emma’s door open and froze. The twins were standing near Emma’s bed, their hands gripping her blanket. Emma looked terrified, tears streaming down her face.
“What are you doing?! Don’t touch her!” I shouted, rushing to Emma’s side.
The twins stepped back, their faces blank but eerily calm. One of them spoke, her voice unnervingly steady. “We were just playing a game.”
“A game?” I repeated, my voice shaking. “What kind of game scares my daughter?”
Neither of them answered. They just stared at me, their eyes devoid of the fear they’d shown the night before. Something about their demeanor was off—wrong, even.
Unraveling the Mystery
After calming Emma down, I decided to keep the twins in sight until social services arrived. But as the hours passed, more strange things happened. Items went missing from the kitchen. The thermostat was turned all the way down, leaving the house freezing. And then I found scratches on the inside of the guest room door, as if someone had tried to claw their way out.
When I confronted the twins, they denied everything, their innocent faces betraying no emotion. But their silence was unsettling.
I began to question my decision to bring them home. Who were these girls, really? And what had they been through that left them like this?
The Truth Comes to Light
When the social worker finally arrived, she gasped as soon as she saw the twins. “I’ve heard about these two,” she said, her voice tinged with unease.
She explained that the twins had been reported missing months ago after their mother vanished under mysterious circumstances. They had been found wandering the woods once before and placed in foster care, but they always ran away—back to the forest.
“No one knows why they keep going back,” the social worker said. “But every family that’s taken them in has reported… strange occurrences.”
I felt a shiver run down my spine. Strange occurrences? What did she mean?
As the social worker led the twins away, one of them turned back to look at me. Her lips curled into the faintest smile, and she said, “We’ll see you again.”
That night, as I tucked Emma into bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over. The forest was dark and silent outside, but it no longer felt like the peaceful place I once knew. Something—or someone—was still out there.
Ryan Bennett is a Creative Story Writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives that captivate and inspire readers. With years of experience in storytelling and content creation, Ryan has honed his skills at Bengali Media, where he specializes in weaving unique and memorable stories for a diverse audience.
Ryan holds a degree in Literature from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and his expertise lies in creating vivid characters and immersive worlds that resonate with readers. His work has been celebrated for its originality and emotional depth, earning him a loyal following among those who appreciate authentic and engaging storytelling.
Dedicated to bringing stories to life, Ryan enjoys exploring themes that reflect the human experience, always striving to leave readers with something to ponder.