text: “What if they exist?” “So now Tim’s afraid?” Albert chuckled. The rhythmic crunching of the leaves was the only sound that broke the calm of the woods. The chirping of the birds, the occasional rustle of the leaves were the sole sounds the forest produced. The greyed leaves on the ground crumpled as the group strode on. The treetops loomed above like silent watchers, waiting. The subtle fog and the dark tree trunks constricted their vision to a few metres. Kyle glanced around, looking for something of interest. He noted how the weather had conveniently turned gloomier than when they left. He quietly stared at an owl which was overseeing the group from its elevated branch. He pulled out the map. An outline of the forest, with a point marked on it. He checked his compass. They were heading west, in the right direction. Paul kept his eyes on the trees. He couldn’t help but register how the leaves were turning greener the deeper they went. Even occasional bird sightings grew rarer. The calm orange of the autumn leaves were now a dark green that seemed out of place. The four of them stopped as they reached a clearing. The path opened into a small space without trees. The ground was now covered with a thick coat of grass, shining a bright green. Water from a small stream burbled nearby. Small shrubs were scattered round the meadow. Flowers filled the scenery with little dots of color. This one clearing was more vibrant than all the forest they had seen since they started. They noticed an oak tree stood to the side, its branches spread widely about. Tim took in the sight with eyes wide open. This was not what they set out for, but Tim gladly accepted it. A nice little meadow was surely better than tree monsters. He walked ahead into the grassy clearing. Albert followed. *Of course the Dryads don't exist*, he thought. It was obviously just a myth, and they set out here for fun. He remembered the morning, when they initially planned this endeavour. Kyle was the one who introduced them to the legend. The legend of the Dryads, the tree-stalkers, the wood-watchers. He turned to see Kyle, who was cautiously glancing around. Paul rather hesitantly walked ahead. He was still wondering what this vibrant patch of land is doing in the middle of these woods. *It might be someone’s garden. But there’s no sign of human settlement here,* he thought. *Maybe it's to do with the Dryads?* But for all he knew, it was just another creepypasta. Kyle followed the others to the oak tree. He thought of the woods they crossed earlier. How it juxtaposed to the meadow they were standing. But it felt off. The bright grass and the vibrant flowers. Something about them didn’t feel quite right. Though he was not able to figure out what it was. Tim and Albert went up to the tree. Having decided to have some fun, they tried to climb it. Albert managed to sit atop a branch, while Tim tried to follow. Albert gazed at the horizon. He found it intriguing to see the rather dull forest that they crossed. How it contrasted to the clearing they were in. Paul approached some flowers to have a closer look. He stopped to admire a few flowers. Their petals were stained a bright lavender. He found it odd that there were no bees here in this abundance of nectar. He looked around and wondered if there were any birds here either. He scanned the treetops but was met with just bark and leaves. Kyle sat on a rock, faint traces of moss covering it. His eyes ran along the woods surrounding them. Dense and moderately dark, with the treetops obstructing most light. He looked at the path they came from, noticing the tree branches arching. Looking along the perimeter, he spotted something near the trees. A small speck of light brown, standing out in the soil. He rose and headed towards it. As he approached it, he realized it was a jacket. An old one. It appeared to be made of leather and was faded, wrinkled, covered in mud. *Someone had been here then,* he thought. *Well this venture was disappointing. I honestly didn’t expect any Dryads but at least hoped for something interesting.* He recalled the forum threads he scoured over. Link after link after link. All of them entirely unrelated, summoned by a few keywords. All of them except one. The one that initially caught his attention. A small post, marked as ‘creepypasta’. He remembered reading it to his friends in an eerie monotone. *Beware them. Beware the Dryads.* *The wood-watchers.* *The tree-stalkers.* *You will be lured in.* *You won't suspect until it is too late.* *These nightmarish entities are beyond what we would fathom possible.* *The woods possess a will of their own.* *They lay quietly in slumber.* *Waiting. Waiting for prey-* Hearing footsteps, Kyle turned. Paul was standing there, looking at the jacket. He stepped closer and crouched down. “Someone’s been here then,” he said. “Not recently, of course. The thing’s covered in dirt.” Paul leaned closer. Kyle’s mind wandered back to the post. He recalled. ‘*You will be lured in.’* *This clearing would be a perfect trap. And we’d be some perfect fools-* Paul spoke, breaking Kyle’s trance. “There’s a scrap of paper here,” he said, pulling his hand out of the jacket’s pocket. “Great now you’re searching the jacket?” “I’m bored,” he said. He held the scrap of paper up, for Paul to read. The paper was yellowed and dusty. Evidently pretty old. Words were scratched on it as if there were just a few seconds to write. It read so: *This did not seem right to me. I was correct. It was all fine until they smiled. It all started when they smiled. They are coming for me. I do not have much time left* The corner of the paper was stained with deep red. This morbid detail left Paul unsettled. He called out to Tim and Albert who were still on the tree, jumping from the branches. Tim followed Albert as they walked to Peter. Kyle stood there, transfixed in thought. He wondered if they found something. They did. Paul handed them the paper. “They’re coming for him?” Tim asked meekly. “The paper is old. Really old.” “Is he dead?” Tim questioned again. “Perhaps. There’s even a blood stain here-” Kyle replied. “I get that, but what about the part where he says *they smiled*?” Albert interjected. Kyle thought again. *We can’t ignore that. Even the post I showed said something about smiling*. “Even the post said something about smiling,” Kyle mentioned. He tried to remember what it said. *It begins when they smile-* He kept his hand on his head, trying to remember what followed. Glancing around, he tried to recall the words. He froze. There he saw it, amidst the woods. Just a tree, but the trunk reflected a smile. A cruel, twisted smile. *Surely my mind is playing tricks on me.* Blinking his eyes, he looked around. Looking back at the tree, his blood went cold. He was met with the same crooked smile, staring into his soul. The bark of the tree was contorted, forming a curved line. Above, two holes in the bark stood. Hollow holes, inside of which you could see but void. This rather deceptively simple geometric configuration met Kyle with the eeriest thing he ever saw. “Tha- That tree is..... smiling-” his voice quivered. “Pfft, you’re tryna scare us aren’t you?” Albert laughed. Paul looked around at the trees. His eyes sifted through the treetops. *He must be seeing things*, he thought. He laughed at Kyle. Until he saw it. The bark of a tree distorted ever so slightly. Slight, but enough to make him see a face. The crooked smile gazed at him with a cold inanimateness. He refused to believe it at first. *I’m seeing things now?!* He looked elsewhere, his mind racing. Biting his lip, he glanced at the others. Kyle stood transfixed, uneasily shifting his legs. Albert was looking at them intently, with a confused expression. Tim stood, his eyes wide with fear. A cold breeze swept past them. Kyle shuddered. He knew something was wrong. Either that or he was going insane. He swirled around, with his heart still pounding. Every single tree he saw stood bearing a cold smile. He didn’t understand how or why his brain picked up the faces. Yet he saw them everywhere. They appeared to see him too. He glanced at the others. Peter bore a look of horror on his face. Albert stood scrutinizing their expressions. Tim was staring at them nervously, trying to figure out what happened. At this point he was breathing hastily. Kyle tried to calm down. To no success, his eyes darted back to the woods, the inanimate faces staring back at them. Paul took a few steps back. He was certain Kyle was seeing this too. He wondered why they were still standing there. All senses in his body told him to run, run for his life. He looked at the others and spoke hurriedly. “We should... go now,” Paul said. He turned around and started running. Almost instinctively, Kyle followed. He ran for his dear life. Watching their second friend depart, Albert and Tim ran too. Tim’s heart pounded as he ran through the thick woods, following the others. Though he was scared, the fear was nothing compared to what followed. His muscles momentarily froze when he saw it. The trees, they appeared to be smiling at him. The queer, twisted faces sent a sense of foreboding through his blood. The inability to understand all this didn’t help either. He ran faster, wanting nothing but to be back at home. Albert wondered why they were running. He looked around, attempting to find the reason. He was about to question them when the sight struck him. He stared wide in horror. The woods were somehow smiling at them. Crooked, evil smiles. The hollow eyes pierced through him with a cold gaze. It appeared that the trees were watching them from above, like little ants crossing a pavement. The coiled faces appeared to be looking down upon them. His heart pounded quicker and quicker. He felt goosebumps creeping around his skin. Suddenly, a thunderous noise erupted from behind. Visibly startled, the four of them halted. They turned around. Tim shrieked in horror. Kyle gasped and stumbled backward. Albert stood there, his shoulders trembling with fear. The breeze began to grow stronger. The four of them stood in the grim woods, their eyes wide at the monstrous sight ahead of them. A behemoth of a tree stood in front of them. It appeared to be standing on four limbs, attached to its trunk. Branches contorted and moved, like a thousand hands adjusting their position. It stared at them with dead, hollow eyes. Eyes so void you could wonder if they were eyes at all. Yet the human brain couldn’t help but interpret them. Two dots over a concavely curved line would always be a smile, no matter what. *This is it, this is a Dryad,* Paul thought. *But is there just one?* His attention was taken by a low, deep rumbling that echoed through the forest. He glanced around, looking for the source. But then, his feet felt funny. The ground was vibrating. The vibration grew as the rumbling amplified. As the rumbling peaked, trees in front of them uprooted and moved around. Branches warped and twisted like tentacles turning. Moments later, they were facing an army of Dryads, similar to the first. Around 30 colossal wood entities stood in front of the group, glaring with their inanimate faces. Noone had to be told twice, the four of them did as anyone would. They fled in the opposite direction. Tim screamed like a woman, as he sprinted across the trees. The sinister faces watched them from above, like an audience watching gladiators in a stadium. The hollow eyes seemed to follow them as they passed through. A loud thumping emerged from behind. Paul chanced a look behind. He shouted and ran faster. The Dryads were following them. Not even running, the Dryads walked, coming visibly closer with each step. The four went faster, running as hard as they could. Yet to no avail. The Dryads approached closer and closer with each step. Albert was on the verge of tears, wondering why they even came here, cursing himself for arriving. Kyle however, found this quite exciting. He marvelled at the sight of the monstrous Dryads. Soon he came to his senses. He casually reminded himself that he could die here. “Kyle!” a voice screamed. It was Albert’s. “Are we going the right direction?!” Realization struck him. They didn’t know which way they were going. Who knows how longer they would have run if not for Albert. *We headed west while coming. We should be heading east to go back*. He checked for the sun’s position. Just then he noticed the weather. The clouds were thick and the sky was grey. No sign of the sun. Cursing the weather under his breath, he realized that he had a compass. He pulled it out of his pocket. He slowed his pace and looked intently at the needle. It turned and eventually stopped, pointing to the top-left. They were going north-east. He yelled, “We’re heading the wrong way!”, and halted. The others stopped too. Paul misplaced his foot and fell flat on the ground. He winced, and shakily stood up again. Kyle pointed east. Suddenly, a deafening *thud* shook the forest floor. Visibly frightened, they turned around. Right behind them a boulder lay embedded in the ground. In the distance, they saw the Dryads holding rocks. They raised their boulders and sent them hurling in the humans’ direction. Kyle jumped behind a tree, hoping it would shield him. Paul panickingly turned around. He leapt behind a tree. He heard a loud crash behind him. Nervously, he turned around. The rock missed him by inches. Tim whimpered. A tear slid down his cheeks. Trembling, he tried to step back. Instead, Albert’s hand caught hold of him. He pulled Tim behind a tree. A deafening crash sounded behind them. Another rock skidded through the forest floor. Paul nervously looked around. He doubted if they would get out alive. He glanced over at Kyle, who was peeking behind the trees, trying to get a look at the Dryads. Just then, a deep rumbling went through the forest. Paul flinched. The rumbling was louder than before. Before long, the ground was shaking intensely. Paul anxiously waited for something to happen. Quite randomly, he recalled the moment they left for the woods. Little did they know what would follow. Adventurously, they hoped to meet some Dryads. But logically, they didn’t really expect to find anything. And now here they are, one step away from death. Of all the ways to die, he didn’t expect to be murdered by a tree monster in Farwell forest. Paul was brought back to reality with a huge *crack*. A loud thumping ensued. The dryads were coming. He signalled to the rest of them to move. As they hurried away, they could still feel their legs resonating. The rumbling of the ground hadn’t quite ended. Kyle was leading the group. They ran as fast as their legs could take them. The thumping behind them didn’t stop. They ran and ran, all sense of time drowning in their pure terror. They ran until they reached the outer parts of the forest. The leaves were now orange, as they ought to be autumn. They stopped when the rumbling could no longer be heard. Panting, they stood there for a while. Still they looked behind their shoulders for any movement. After being nearly murdered by tree monsters, the paranoia was inevitable. After catching their breath for a while, they started walking home again. Tim constantly looked behind his back. He felt goosebumps when looking up at the trees. Every little sound made him flinch, rightly so. Still processing the unearthly incident that just occured, he strode forward with a fast pace. The birds chirped in the sky. The owls hooted from their tree hollows, watching down with their big eyes. They were beyond relieved when they spotted the road. The town was in the vicinity. Being back in the neighbourhood after almost dying was ecstasy in its own way. Kyle sighed and reassessed the rather peculiar chain of events. *We went into the forest. We found a clearing. Out of nowhere, we saw the trees smiling at us. We ran. We encountered some big tree monsters that tried to kill us. We ran away.* *Yes, totally normal. Just another day.* He gave one last glance at the woods before heading back.