Early Morning – The Uneasy Stillness
Kael stirred awake before sunrise, his body tense as if something had pulled him from sleep. An uneasy weight pressed against his chest. The feeling was familiar yet foreign, like a forgotten dream clawing at the edges of his mind.
For a moment, he stayed still, listening.
Silence.
Not the usual kind—no distant chirping of birds, no rustling of trees, not even the faint snores of the villagers nearby.
Just an overwhelming, unnatural quiet.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
He had lived in Redbrook all his life, and even in the dead of night, the village was never this silent.
Slowly, he sat up and swung his legs off the bed. His small wooden home creaked as he moved, breaking the eerie stillness. He hesitated before standing, his instincts warning him that something was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.
The village was exactly as he remembered—the same dirt paths, the same wooden houses, the same empty streets at this early hour.
But something still felt off.
Then, without warning, a gust of wind blew past, shaking the trees and carrying distant voices with it.
Laughter. The sound of hooves. The creak of wooden carts.
The village had come back to life—as if nothing had happened.
Kael clenched his fists. Had he imagined it?
He shook off the thought and forced himself to move toward the well. It was probably just his mind playing tricks on him.
Right?
Mid-Morning – The Vanishing Door
The market was alive with its usual bustle—merchants calling out prices, farmers hauling sacks of grain, children darting between stalls.
Kael let the sounds wash over him, grounding himself in their familiarity.
Then his gaze landed on Old Man Hagan's house.
His heart stopped.
The door was missing.
Not broken. Not open. Just gone.
The entrance stood bare, revealing the dim interior of the house. There were no hinges, no marks, no signs that a door had ever been there.
Kael's breathing grew unsteady. He knew for a fact that the house had a door. He had fixed the hinges last week.
But no one else seemed to notice.
The villagers walked past like everything was normal.
He took a hesitant step forward, his stomach twisting. Should he say something? Ask someone?
Before he could decide, Old Man Hagan walked out of the house.
And the door was back.
Kael's breath hitched. It was like it had never disappeared.
His eyes darted to the villagers nearby.
No one reacted.
No one even looked at the house.
His mouth felt dry. Was he… imagining things?
He forced himself to keep walking, his mind buzzing with questions.
Midday – The Whispering Woods
Kael sat near the village well, staring at his hands.
His heart had finally stopped racing, but his thoughts wouldn't settle.
First the unnatural silence. Then the missing door. What the hell was going on?
He exhaled, rubbing his temples. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he needed—
"Kael…"
His whole body froze.
The voice was soft, distant, yet unnervingly clear.
He slowly turned his head toward the sound.
The forest.
A line of dark trees stood at the village's edge, their canopies swaying gently in the wind. The voice had come from there.
His breathing quickened.
There was no one there.
He glanced around. No one else seemed to hear it.
"Kael…"
The voice came again. Closer.
His pulse thundered in his ears. He knew that voice.
Or at least… he thought he did.
A memory stirred at the back of his mind—a vague, distant recollection. Like a name he once knew but had long forgotten.
Then, just as suddenly as it came, the voice vanished.
Kael sat frozen for a long moment before forcing himself to stand.
He wasn't going to the forest. Not today.
Afternoon – The Villagers React
Whispers spread through the village by evening.
"Did you hear? Livestock acting strange again…"
"My boy says he saw shadows moving in the barn last night."
"Something isn't right, I tell you. The spirits are restless."
Kael listened in silence.
He wasn't the only one noticing strange things.
But something else bothered him.
The villagers spoke of shadows, bad omens, and eerie feelings. But no one mentioned the missing door.
No one mentioned the voice in the woods.
And no one—not a single person—seemed to be looking at him directly.
As if they knew something he didn't.
His stomach twisted.
Had something like this happened before?
And if it had…
Why couldn't he remember?
To Be Continued…