Shadows in the Woods. When fear becomes reality. Alexander Skopintsev

      A black SUV was moving leisurely along the winding road winding among the majestic pines and fuzzy firs of the St. Helena Canadian Forest. The summer sun, breaking through the dense foliage, created a bizarre play of light and shadow on the hood of the car. The air was full of the scent of pine needles and wild flowers, and the silence was broken only by the soft rustling of tires on gravel.

      After a kilometer the jeep stopped in a small clearing surrounded by mighty maples. The engine stopped, and two men got out of the car.

      – My God, Jake, look at this beauty! – The first, a tall, blond man of about thirty-five, breathed in the fresh forest air.

      – Yes, Mark, it’s really beautiful here,» replied his companion, a stocky brunette in his early forties. – But who knows what secrets these forests hide?

      Mark looked at his friend curiously:

      – What are you talking about, buddy?

      – Same old thing,» Jake grinned. – Let’s make camp while it’s still light.

      The men set to work. Mark started unpacking his backpack, pulling out the tent and sleeping bags, while Jake gathered kindling for the fire. Suddenly, as Mark bent over the bag, Jake crept up behind him and, with a loud growl, pounced on his friend.

      – Aah!» Mark shrieked, jumping up in surprise. His heart was racing, and his eyes widened with fright.

      Jake laughed, and a second later Mark joined in, realizing it was only a joke.

      – What are you so scared of? – Jake asked through his laughter. – Don’t worry, he hasn’t been seen in this part of the forest.

      Mark frowned:

      – What are you talking about?

      Jake smiled enigmatically and pulled a map out of his pocket without answering. Spreading it out on the hood of the jeep, he began to run his finger over the paper:

      – Look, we’re here now. This is where our camp is. And this is the trail that leads to the Indian territories. We need to go a few kilometers this way and then turn to the river.

      – Wait, Jake,» Mark interrupted him. – Is this even safe?

      Jake raised an eyebrow in surprise:

      – Did you really want safe? Then you should have stayed home instead of looking for him here. We have guns, we can defend ourselves. And he’ll never come here. We’ll go into his forests and his territory when we want to. And we’ll come out when we want.

      Mark nodded thoughtfully, wondering what his friend was talking about, but decided not to ask further.

      Evening was descending on the forest, and the friends, having finished setting up camp, were sitting by the fire, exchanging funny stories from life.

      – Remember last year at Thanksgiving when my mother-in-law almost burned down the house? – Mark said with a laugh. – She was so engrossed in watching a TV show that she forgot about the turkey in the oven. By the time we smelled the burning, it was too late. The turkey had turned to charcoal, and the whole kitchen was filled with smoke. It took us a week to clean the soot off the walls! I could eat a turkey right now.

      Jake laughed, slapping his knee:

      – Yeah, that’s nothing compared to my story. Last week I came into the office wearing different shoes. Can you believe it? One black, one brown. And no one said anything to me until lunchtime! And when they did, everyone laughed so hard that my boss came out of his office to see what was wrong. When he saw my shoes, he laughed so hard he almost choked on his coffee!