Night fell too fast on the cliff ๐
Not gently.
Not politely.
One moment there was dusk ๐
The nextโ
white fog wrapped around the cabin like something alive ๐ค๐ซ๏ธ
Thick.
Breathing.
Pressing its face against the windows ๐ช๐ถ
Cold air hummed against the wooden walls โ๏ธ
A low sound.
Like the mountain was whispering secrets it never meant to share ๐๏ธ๐ซฅ
Inside the cabin ๐ก
The fireplace glowed softly ๐ฅ
Orange light danced across the walls
Shadows stretched too long
And then stretched some more ๐
A strange peace settled in.
The kind that comes right before something goes wrong โ ๏ธ
Inside the Cabin โ A Very Wrong Family
Walter was already sitting cross-legged on the carpet ๐งโโ๏ธ
Holding a flashlight under his chin ๐ฆ๐
His face looked like a haunted potato.
Miko was near the small table ๐ต
Carefully pouring tea
Hands steady
But shoulders tense ๐
Barfi sat near the window ๐ช
Fixing an old lantern
Movements slow
Precise
Silent ๐ง๐
Hawk checked every window ๐
Then checked them again
Then locked the door ๐
Then checked it again ๐
Dr. Putin sat at the table โ๏ธ
Notebook open
Pen moving
Eyes sharp but calm ๐ง
Five people.
Five very different rhythms.
Strangeโฆ
But comfortable ๐ค
Walter Decides to Ruin Everything ๐ญ
Walter clapped loudly ๐๐ฅ
"EVERYBODY SIT." ๐
"It's time for SCARY STORIES." ๐ป
Hawk groaned instantly ๐ฉ
"Walterโ"
"No interruptions!" Walter snapped โ
"This is therapy."
Dr. Putin raised an eyebrow ๐คจ
"That is not therapy in any world."
Walter ignored him completely ๐
Lowered his voice dramatically ๐ค
"Long agoโฆ
in a cold mountain cabin like thisโฆ" ๐จ๏ธ๐ก
Miko sat beside Barfi
Pulling a blanket around her shoulders ๐งฃ
She didn't touch him
But she sat close ๐ค
Walter continued, whispering:
"โฆthere lived a ghost called kk ๐ป
who hunted people
who didn't clean their blankets properlyโ"
Hawk frowned ๐
"That's not even a name."
Walter gasped theatrically ๐ฑ
"She broke BLANKETS!
What do you want her namedโSTEVE!?"
Barfi blinked once ๐
"Ghosts don't exist."
Walter pointed at him like a prosecutor ๐
"That's what the first victim said!"
Miko giggled ๐คญ
A small sound
Light
Real
Barfi's lips twitched ๐
Not a smile
But close
Quiet Moment โ A Crack in the Wall ๐ฑ
Walter eventually scared himself ๐จ
Ran to the bathroom "to check the pipes" ๐ฝ
And locked the door from inside ๐
The cabin grew quiet.
Just fire crackling ๐ฅ
Wind humming ๐ฌ๏ธ
Fog breathing ๐ซ๏ธ
Miko looked at Barfi ๐ค
"Are youโฆ feeling a little better today?"
Barfi stared into the fire
Watching flames fold into themselves
"I don't know." ๐
"You liked the view," she said softly ๐
He nodded.
"It was peaceful."
Miko smiled gently ๐
"That's a feeling."
Barfi looked at her
Just for a second
Longer than usual ๐
"โฆMaybe."
Her heart warmed ๐
Neither of them noticed
A thin black book on the shelf ๐
Half-hidden
Waiting
The Book ๐๐ค
Later, curiosity got the better of Miko.
She wandered the cabin ๐ฏ๏ธ
Fingers tracing old wood
Breathing in dust and cold air
Thenโ
She stopped.
"โฆA book?" ๐ถ
Thin.
Black.
No title.
Dusty.
Cold to the touch ๐ฅถ
She carried it carefully back to the group ๐คฒ
"I found this behind the firewood."
Walter peeked over her shoulder ๐
"Is it cursed!?" ๐ฑ
Hawk grabbed his collar instantly ๐ค
"STOP SAYING THAT."
Dr. Putin adjusted his glasses ๐ค
"Let me see."
He opened it slowly ๐
Everyone leaned in.
Symbols.
Shapes.
Strange diagrams ๐บ๐
Some mathematical
Some psychological
Someโฆ wrong
Hawk frowned ๐
"Looks like nonsense."
The fire crackled louder ๐ฅ
Like it disagreed
Dr. Putin inhaled slowly ๐ฎโ๐จ
"โฆThis isn't nonsense."
The room went still.
"It's a record," he said quietly.
"A story."
"And a warning." โ ๏ธ
The Family and the Bear ๐ป
Dr. Putin began to read.
"Long agoโฆ
a small family lived in this very cabin."
Miko shivered โ๏ธ
"Grandmother, father, and three sons."
Walter squeaked ๐ญ
"We're going to die."
Hawk kicked his leg under the table ๐ข
"Behind their cabin," Dr. Putin continued,
"lived a wild bear."
He turned the page.
A charcoal drawing ๐ค
A massive bear
Gentle eyes
"This bear grew up beside the youngest son.
He loved the bear like a friend." ๐ค
Barfi listened
Unblinking
"But the rest of the familyโฆ"
Dr. Putin's voice dropped
"They beat the bear.
For amusement."
Miko covered her mouth ๐จ
"That's horribleโฆ"
"They kicked it.
Starved it.
Tied it.
Mocked it."
Walter whispered angrily ๐
"Those people deserve lifelong homework."
Only the grandmother was kind.
She gave the youngest son a black book before she died ๐๐ค
The Bear Dies ๐๐ป
"One winter nightโฆ"
Dr. Putin read
"The beating went too far."
The page showed a broken bear
Half-crushed
Still
Only Barfi didn't flinch ๐
The boy screamed for help.
The family laughed.
When the bear diedโฆ
The boy began seeing it.
A shadow in the snow ๐จ๏ธ
Bleeding
Crying
Calling his name ๐๏ธ
The Ritual ๐ฉธ
"To save his friend,"
Dr. Putin said quietly
"The boy used the book."
Walter gulped ๐ฐ
"Please don't sayโ"
"Yes," Dr. Putin nodded.
The ritual pulled something back.
Not the bear's soul.
But the boy's grief.
Rage.
Pain.
Fear.
The bear rose again.
Not a bear.
A demon ๐๐ป
Half-dead
Half-wrong
It killed the father.
Then the brothers.
Then burned the cabin ๐ฅ
Only the boy survived.
Broken.
The Seal ๐ฏ๏ธ
Dr. Putin turned the last pages.
The handwriting shook.
"Four men and one girl," he read,
"must enter the cabinโฆ
for the demon to awaken."
Silence.
Hawk counted silently.
Barfi.
Walter.
Hawk.
Dr. Putin.
Miko.
Five.
Walter screamed into a pillow ๐ฑ
"WHY DID WE BRING THE GIRL!?"
Miko punched his arm ๐ฅ
"SHUT UP!"
Dr. Putin read the final rules:
Do not leave the house at night ๐ซ๐
Your answers lie inside ๐ก
Break either ruleโฆ
and it will rise
The book grew hot ๐ฅ
Smoke curled upward ๐ซ๏ธ
Miko gasped ๐จ
"Doctorโ!"
The book fell.
Hit the floor.
And burned.
Black-blue fire ๐ฅ๐ค
Cold fire
Silent fire
Hawk tried to stomp it ๐ข
The flames crawled around his boot
Barfi watched
Eyes sharp
Heartโฆ faster ๐
The book turned to ash.
The cabin fell silent.
The fireplace dimmed.
And outsideโ
Something moved in the fog ๐ซ๏ธ๐๏ธ
Breathing
Slow
Heavy
Walter whispered:
"โฆIt woke upโฆ didn't it?"
No one answered.
Barfi looked toward the window ๐ช
And for the first time in daysโ
His heartbeat changed ๐ฅ
Not fear.
Not calm.
Awake.