Stein glanced at his wristwatch. "Shit!" He mumbled as he quickly pulled out the net from the river. It was a bad day for him. He should have read the sign from the beginning when the chains in his scooter got broken, he thought, but now he wanted to get something to spice up the meal for his lovely wife Anna. It was 8:00 PM, the sun had set and the sky was darkened. The chirping of birds saturated the lone path, making his kneels grow weak, he shivered dreading the darkness that had enveloped the forest as he pushed the scooter with increased pace. It was 10 kilometers walk from the river to his house, however, the spoilt scooter delayed his movement as he pushed it through the woods stumbling into portholes.
"What did I do to the gods to suffer this much for one day", he grumbled. As the night became darker with no moon to illuminate the dark path, he resolved to keep the scooter in the wood so that he could hasty up.
He started to hear footsteps following him. The steps seems to pause each time he stopped. He knew his wife would be worried, but he was more concerned about surviving in this forest. His heartbeat was now twice that of normal, as much as he tried to fake bravery, he knew he couldn't fight invisible forces.
"Who are you?", He asked aloud. Fear could be traced in his voice as it break in a cold tone. There was no reply, except the howling of owls and the chirping of birds.
"Show yourself" he requested. Deep within him, he wasn't ready to encounter any spirit neither was he ready for a fight. The night became still, the howling of owls and chirping of birds seized. He knew something darker was coming. A voice in his head told him to run and another piece of advice he shows bravery. How can he fight what is death, he thought, immediately he took on his heel.
He looked around, nothing looks familiar. He was lost but that did not stop him from running though he felt pain from several bruises he sustained. Two hours later, he was still running in the woods without a direction, his panting could be heard as it echo in the quiet atmosphere. He was tired, ready to give up to whatever was his predator. He fell under a tree and rested his back on it, his clothes soaked from his sweat. He became bewildered as he saw a scooter a few meters from him, this must be his savior giving him another chance he said. All he could remember afterward was seeing himself standing at the gate to his village, the scooter was not there, except his wet net that laid on the floor. "It must have been a dark scooter, the very one that had scared me in the wood," he said. He promised not to tell his wife this news until it was old enough not to put fear in her.