When i was seven, i was playing hide and seek with my older sister in our sprawling backyard. i hid inside an old, hollowed-out tree trunk. a few minutes later, my sister peered around the bark, smiled a really wide smile, and whispered, "found you." i followed her out, but she started walking silently toward the dense woods behind our property line instead of back to the house.
i trailed a few steps behind her until i heard my mom frantically screaming my name from the back porch. i turned around and saw my mom standing there... tightly holding my actual sister's hand. when i whipped my head back around toward the woods, the girl i had been following was completely gone, leaving only a set of bare footprints in the mud that abruptly stopped at the edge of the grass.
i trailed a few steps behind her until i heard my mom frantically screaming my name from the back porch. i turned around and saw my mom standing there... tightly holding my actual sister's hand. when i whipped my head back around toward the woods, the girl i had been following was completely gone, leaving only a set of bare footprints in the mud that abruptly stopped at the edge of the grass.