The doll in the Woods
READING AGE 18+
The story begins with the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of young Lily in the nearby woods. Her parents, Thomas and Elaine, are frantic with worry and search the forest for days, only to return home empty-handed. After weeks of despair, they receive a chilling clue: a decayed doll, eerily resembling Lily, is found near the forest’s edge.
As the parents investigate the origins of the doll, they uncover the dark truth about the Hollow Mother, an ancient forest spirit that takes souls and traps them in physical forms like dolls. Elaine, determined to save their daughter, enters the forest with Thomas in tow. They soon realize the forest is not just a natural place but a realm controlled by dark forces. The Hollow Mother watches them, testing their resolve and readiness to pay the price for love.
With the doll now alive, but trapped in a decrepit and horrifying form, Thomas and Elaine must navigate the haunted woods, where every step is fraught with peril. They are forced to confront their darkest fears and regrets as they unravel the mystery of the Hollow Mother, and the twisted choices of those who have entered the forest before them. But each step forward comes with a sacrifice.
As they discover the full extent of the forest’s curse, Thomas is confronted with an impossible choice: save Elaine and lose his daughter forever, or save his daughter and lose Elaine. In the final confrontation with the Hollow Mother, Thomas sacrifices his beloved wife, choosing his daughter over the woman he loves in a desperate bid to bring her back to the living world.
In the aftermath, the family leaves the woods, but the curse is not entirely broken. Though they have escaped, the memories of what they lost continue to haunt them. The woods remain a constant threat, their malevolent presence always looming in the background. The Hollow Mother may have been defeated for now, but the price of love, sacrifice, and choice will continue to haunt Thomas and Lily forever.
Unfold
The forest stood still, the silence settling like a heavy shroud around Thomas. The Doll—Elaine’s doll—was now empty in his hands, its once glowing eyes dark and lifeless. He felt the weight of the decision crushing him. Elaine was gone, lost forever in the shadows of the Hollow Mother’s realm. Yet there was a strange sense of peace in the ai……
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