[ WP ] You walk into the mysterious forest . As you walk further , you notice time tends to stand still . The feeling of peace overcomes you .

A breeze wraps around you, through you, and yet the leaves above barely move at all, just swirling the air like molasses, creating tiny whispers. The particles in the streams of light poking through the canopy above simply hover in the air like tiny hummingbirds, their light casting occasional warmth as you pass through them. You continue to walk forward, and yet you feel like you're not moving at all. You must be in a dream. And what a lovely, peaceful dream it is. Your mind slips away, content to curl up quietly and sleep. 
 
 
 The landscape moves towards you without any effort on your part. The trees extend their branches out to you from the shadows, drawing you in. They speak to you, their voices soothing. You reach for their embrace. Ideas begin filtering into your mind, images of what you should do next. As your fingertips begin to brush the foliage, you ca n't help but wonder at the beauty of this dream. How were you able to create such a masterpiece from your own mind? A piece of your mind, hidden in the back, stirs. You step back from the trees. Is this a lucid dream? You begin to analyze your surroundings even closer. What a peculiar shadow by those roots... is that a boulder? A mossy log? Your mind whirs and small bits begin to click into place. What you see does n't make sense... You bow forward. Why is your mind refusing to tell you what it is? You reach out. 
 
 
 It's a body. 
 
 
 You reel backwards. There are bodies everywhere. Bodies swollen and hanging from ropes on trees, bodies with only half their face and with rusty guns clutched in their grip, bodies with knives plunged deep into their chest. You begin to retch. The shadows around you become deeper and a thick chill carpets the area. The shadows are endless holes, trying to suffocate you. You stumble on a cracked femur, only one goal in mind: escape. As you find your footing, you run forward with a desperation you have never felt before. The voices of the forest become louder; they're a mix of soft moans and quick, raspy whispers. 
 
 
 In the distance, you can see the sun setting. A feeling of dread slides from your head, to your stomach, to your feet. You know you wo n't survive if you do n't make it out before dark. 
 
 
 A hand grabs your ankle, and you crash into the underbrush. Your heart is in your throat. The moans and whispers are overwhelming. You cast a glance behind you at the culprit. The body is n't moving; you simply tripped over their corpse. You run again, not stopping to brush off the dead leaves clinging to your clothing or examining your stinging skin. You feel a bruise forming on your forehead. 
 
 
 The clearing ahead finally is in reach. You find a path and make the dash for your life. The sun's last rays barely peek over the edge of a mountain. The trees feel you escaping and they scream and howl. Their branches snag onto your clothes and knit over themselves in an effort to close off your exit. You unleash the war cry of the century and burst through to the other side. 
 
 
 You come to a stop. Trembling, you turn and look back. You see a sign marking the forest, and your memories begin to flood back. Your entire search party... what happened to them? This enchanting forest must have affected everyone, not just you. You were just the lucky one. You shudder. All of those bodies... who knew their reasons for entering the forest. But it did n't matter their reasons, they all fell victim to the same fate. You absentmindedly brush off the dirt and leaves that still cling to you. That poor girl... your whole neighborhood volunteered to go find her, but now they were all gone... except for you. You eye the sign as though it were obscene and vulgar. It did n't give a warning at all. Even if people did n't believe in the supernatural, a sign as simple as that was n't nearly warning enough. 
 
 
 As you turn away, ready to go home, the single word on the sign burns in your mind's eye: 
 
 
 Aokigahara
