Stairways

By Ashwin E

A police investigation is ongoing in North Thorn forest near the Berkton village. Villagers are confused and looking at the police officer that came up at investigation. "He said he saw a guy in that photograph go through the forest 4 days before" a old villager talk to his fellow villager.

Few days before William was packing his bags and his mom came to his room and asked , " Where are you going Will ?". He replied " I'm going for camping at NorthThorn forest, I will back by next day" . Mom felt uneasy when she heard the name of forest. "Isn't there your friend Jake went and gone missing". William sadly said " Ya mom, I miss him, I'm going there to mourn for him, I will return soon".

Even though William said he is out for camping,he had other plans in his mind. He was depressed by sudden disappearance of Jake as he was only close friend for him in his whole life. He was planning to find him after months of digging through every thing about the forest. He finally set up to go there after months of research. He got to know a lot of travellers have disappeared in that forest and was never found. He wasn't afraid of such news as he thought that it must be Rumours made by nearby villagers and there's something suspicious happening in the forest.

He reached the forest and started walking with map in his hand. Suddenly he stumbled upon a old lady with ragged clothes who was trying to lift bundle of small branches on her shoulders. William helped her and she thanked him. She striked conversations with William. " Why are you here,son? " He replied " I'm here on camping" . William asked about Jake to lady but she said she hasn't seen anyone here for a year or so. At last William bid Goodbye when lady tapped him and said " If you ever saw a stairways in this forest, don't walk through it's steps". William nodded and said "okay" and walked away from her. He laughed and thought in his mind, "maybe some age old myth, I don't care, I am here to find Jake and I will find him". He was walking and suddenly he had a sensation of something following him. He felt an urge to run and began running fast as possible. On the way he found a huge tree and hid inside a tree panting and sweating.

He sat there for a while. "Must be some wild animal" he assumed in his mind. He began walking again. It was getting dawn. He thought about calling his mom but as soon as he checked his pockets, he couldn't find it. He felt it must have fall out of him while running. He let go of his phone and went on walking in forest. After minutes of walking he saw a old greeny stairways on his way. He remembered old lady's advice and stepped away from it. All of sudden he heard a familiar voice calling "Help". "Jake!", William stood froze. As he move closer, he can hear Jake's voice more clearer . He looked everywhere near it and found noone.

William's mind was ravaged with thoughts of helplessness. Suddenly he felt an urge to walk through the stairways.He ignored the lady's advice and begin walking through the stairs. Every step he took he heard Jake's voice louder and more louder. He reached the last step and begin to feel blackout and dizzy.

New Deputy Sheriff Brandon was still investigating and he was puzzled by disappearance of so many individuals in this jungle. He keep on checking the jungle to find some clues on the missing person William. Another Sheriff who was living in Berkton for years said to him, " Brandon, the villagers here have a myth of mysterious stairways deep in the jungle and anyone who walks through the stairs are taken to another world and they never return from there" . " Aa, some rubbish Myths, Do you believe in this nonsense?, Some killer is lurking out there and we must find it"

.Brandon then assigned other sheriffs to search for the people lost in jungle till midnight. They began searching. Brandon found out a phone while he was searching and took it and followed the path straight to it. He keep walking and later found out a Stairways in deep of jungle. He remembered what old Sheriff said to him. But he blindly ignored that and Walked upon those Stairs taking steps one by one.

By Ashwin E