Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMPBY69FEV71DGD9YXFJ3YT

The moon hung low and heavy in the sky, casting an eerie silver sheen over the winding paths of Richmond Park. Rory adjusted the strap of her messenger bag, her breath fogging in the crisp night air. The Heartstone pendant pulsed faintly against her chest, a steady warmth that felt almost alive. She glanced down at it, the deep crimson gemstone catching the moonlight. It wasn’t glowing yet, but she knew it would. She didn’t know how she knew — she just did. The grove wasn’t far now. She’d been here only once before, during the day, when the ancient oak standing stones had looked merely weathered and mysterious, not ominous. Now, the shadows between the trees seemed to stretch and writhe like living things. She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and kept walking, her boots crunching softly on the gravel path. When she reached the boundary of the grove, she paused. The standing stones loomed before her, their gnarled surfaces etched with symbols she couldn’t decipher. Beyond them, the clearing lay shrouded in mist, the wildflowers blooming unnaturally vibrant in the moonlight. The air here felt different — heavier, charged with something she couldn’t name. She took a deep breath and stepped through the stones. The moment she crossed the threshold, the world seemed to shift. The sounds of the park — the rustle of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl — faded into silence. Even her footsteps seemed muted, as though the ground absorbed the sound before it could reach her ears. The mist curled around her ankles, cool and damp. She reached for the pendant again, her fingers brushing the smooth stone. It pulsed once, a warm throb that made her heart skip a beat. She moved deeper into the grove, her eyes scanning the shadows. The wrongness started small — a flicker of movement at the edge of her vision, a whisper of sound that could have been the wind but wasn’t. She told herself it was nothing, just her imagination playing tricks on her. She’d always had an overactive imagination. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t alone. The wildflowers swayed gently, though there was no breeze. She crouched to examine them, her fingers brushing the petals. They felt real enough, velvety soft and slightly cool. But the colors were off — too vivid, too saturated. The reds were almost bloodlike, the blues unnaturally bright. She straightened, her skin prickling with unease. A soft rustling sound behind her made her freeze. She turned slowly, her heart pounding. Nothing. Just the mist curling around the base of the standing stones. She exhaled sharply and shook her head. “Get a grip, Rory,” she muttered under her breath. Her voice sounded strange in the silence — too loud, too flat. She moved toward the center of the clearing, where a single ancient oak tree stood, its gnarled branches twisting toward the sky. The Heartstone pendant pulsed again, stronger this time, a warmth that spread through her chest. She reached up to touch it, her fingers trembling slightly. The glow was faint but unmistakable now, a soft crimson light that seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat. The rustling came again, louder this time. She spun around, her breath catching in her throat. The mist swirled, parting briefly to reveal — nothing. Just shadows and flowers. But the air felt colder now, the silence more oppressive. She took a step back, her boot sinking into the soft earth. Her eyes darted around the clearing, searching for the source of the sound. The rustling grew louder, more insistent. It wasn’t just behind her now — it was everywhere, a soft, whispering susurrus that seemed to come from the ground itself. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The pendant pulsed again, the warmth almost uncomfortably hot against her skin. She clutched it tightly, her knuckles whitening. “Hello?” she called out, her voice barely above a whisper. The word hung in the air, swallowed by the silence. She swallowed hard and tried again, louder this time. “Is anyone there?” The rustling stopped abruptly, replaced by a silence so complete it felt like a physical presence pressing in on her. Her heart hammered in her chest, the sound of it loud in her ears. She took another step back, her eyes fixed on the edge of the clearing. The mist shifted, curling around the base of the oak tree. Something moved in the shadows. She saw it only for a moment — a dark shape, too tall and too thin to be human, with eyes that glowed faintly silver in the darkness. It was gone before she could blink, vanishing into the mist like smoke. She stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat. The pendant pulsed again, the warmth now almost searing. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Okay, okay. Time to go.” She turned on her heel and started walking — fast, then faster — back toward the standing stones. Her boots squelched in the damp earth, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence. The rustling started again, soft at first, then louder, more urgent. She glanced over her shoulder, her heart pounding. The mist was thicker now, swirling around her ankles, curling around her calves. She broke into a run, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The standing stones loomed ahead, their gnarled surfaces gleaming faintly in the moonlight. She reached the boundary and stumbled through, the world shifting again as she crossed the threshold. The sounds of the park rushed back in — the rustle of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl. She stumbled to a halt, her chest heaving. She turned back to look at the grove. The mist curled around the standing stones, obscuring the clearing beyond. The Heartstone pendant pulsed once more, then fell silent, the warmth fading to a faint, steady heat. She clutched it tightly, her fingers trembling. “What the hell was that?” she whispered. Her voice sounded strange in her own ears — too loud, too sharp. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. The air here felt normal again, cool and crisp, without the oppressive weight of the grove. She glanced down at the pendant, the crimson gemstone glowing faintly in the moonlight. Whatever that thing had been, it hadn’t followed her out. At least, she hoped it hadn’t. She turned and started walking back toward the park, her boots crunching softly on the gravel path. But as she walked, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her from the shadows — something with silver eyes and a form that twisted and shifted like smoke. She quickened her pace, her grip tightening on the pendant. The Heartstone pulsed once more, a warm throb against her chest. She didn’t look back.