The Beckoning Light in the Distance
You don’t know why, but you have a feeling this is the right choice.
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The light up the hill is calling you.
You don’t know why, but you have a feeling this is the right choice.
Your father had warned you against trusting your instincts too much, but perhaps it was precisely because he was so distrustful of his gut feelings that he died.
Paranoia kills.
The trees rustle as the wind churns through their leaves. Their whistling sound reassures you, as though the wind were urging you to continue. Is the wind spirit giving you its blessing?
Still, the hike is tiring, and the hill is growing increasingly steep. Just when you think you can’t climb anymore without slipping and falling to your death, the forbidding slope flattens.
A few meters ahead of you, stands an old, abandoned church. The light is shining from one of the windows.
Despite the rightness you felt earlier, something makes you very uneasy. You reason that this is because you have always had conflicting feelings towards church, and you are merely projecting your apprehension onto this harmless, dilapidated building. Right?
But you didn’t make that ridiculously steep climb for nothing! You resolve to explore that church, at least through that lit window.
So you creep towards the strange light. You expect to be ambushed at any moment, but you would be ready.
Then the light abruptly snaps off, and you’re left staring at a pitch-black window. The window feels like a ghastly eye gazing back at you.
You flick your gaze from side to side, hoping to find another light, or anything else.
Just then, you hear a sinister creak above you, as if someone were opening a door on the top floor. You wait to hear footsteps, but there’s nothing but silence.
For all you know, whoever it was might not be human, or even alive.
You stay rooted to the spot for a while. Minutes go by with no more sound or movement. The light is still off.
Impatience gnaws at your nerves. You’re not about to leave without discovering anything first!
It’s frustrating how elusive the mare is too. Perhaps you should have worked harder to look for it earlier, but the horse would just flee as soon as you glimpsed it.
Then a flash disrupts your thoughts. The light in the window is back on!
You peer inside, careful not to blind yourself by staring directly into the light, which is coming from a blue lantern.
To your wonderment, you see a foal gazing up at you with innocent eyes. The room looks like an ordinary church room otherwise, with stacked chairs and tables.
But why on earth is there a foal? It is adorable — but appearances can be deceiving.
Your breath catches in your throat when the baby horse trots up to the window. It butts the window glass, as though entreating you to set it free.
What do you do?
- Get into the church and free the foal. If the door is locked, you can pick the lock.
- This is too risky. Just leave, go back down the hill, and search for the mare.
- Keep staring at the foal and see what happens.
