By midnight Kerwin was lost. Even by the light of a lantern, he couldn’t tell where he was going from where he had been. Everything looked the same in the dark. He cursed himself for not bringing anything to mark tree trunks with- extra handkerchiefs or chalk would have been useful.

Following the path of least resistance, he gave up and made a simple camp. Hanging his lantern on a low branch, he lit a small fire, and spread his woolen blankets on the thickest grass he could find. Perhaps he would have better luck in the morning.

Each time he was about to fall asleep an unfamiliar noise made him bolt upward, heart racing, hands scrambling for the cleaver next to his blankets. The first two times he found nothing and settled back to the ground after a few minutes of staring intently in every direction.

The third time he sat upright, he felt like he moved in slow motion. When he finally sat up, he was confronted with the sight of a naked little girl. She stood on the other side of a fallen log, watching him.