Once upon a Halloween eve, a young woman found herself lost in a darkening forest whose paths she had traveled since she was a young girl. She had heard the stories told by the townspeople, but had paid them no mind. The air was chill and damp. She clutched her cape close and hurried toward what looked to be a clearing. She hoped she would find one of the fields surrounding her house and be able to laugh at the fear growing inside her. A twig snapped behind her. She remembered a story about a creature with glowing red eyes.
She stepped into the clearing and saw a stone cottage bathed in soft light. Leaves rustled in the shadows behind her and another twig snapped, this time closer. She hurried through the growing darkness toward the cottage and saw crumbling gray headstones emerge from the misty dark on either side of her. The woodland spiders had put out their webs to catch their dinner. Usually she was afraid of them but tonight she broke through them and brushed the sticky, and sometimes wriggling remnants from her face. The stories came back again. A graveyard, the black wolf, the evil King and Queen... More rustling behind her. Something was definitely following her.
The cottage was just ahead. Tendrils of musty-smelling mist curled toward her. Somewhere in the darkness a creature screamed, and another howled. Were those bones she saw? She broke into a run.
Reaching the cottage, she banged on the rough wooden door. It was unlatched and creaked open at her touch. Behind her, heavy breathing and a low growl. She caught a glimpse of a shaggy black head and those glowing eyes. Seeing no choice, the young woman rushed through the door and was immediately transported into a forest.
