Kapitel 1
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me through the thicket, but he was simply too fast. “Wait!” I called out after him. My words were swallowed by dense fog banks. The further I followed him into the forest, the more disoriented I became. Every time he seemed within reach, he vanished again. Finally, I saw a clearing in the distance. The full moon flickered briefly between passing clouds, and there in the middle he stood. Waiting - for me?I approached slowly. Under his hood, I couldn’t make out his face, shrouded in shadows. And yet he seemed somehow familiar. I didn’t know what would happen, but I wasn’t afraid. As I got closer, I saw that he was holding something in his hand. A shimmering stone hung from a cord. Fascinated by this sight, I carefully lifted it into my palm. I had never seen anything like it before: Every time the clouds parted for a brief moment and the moonlight fell on the clearing, the stone glowed in infinitely many colors.I felt the stranger’s piercing gaze resting on me. He was tall. I raised my eyes to finally recognize who He was.But I was startled when I heard branches cracking behind me. Was someone else here? I looked around. Something was approaching at a rapid pace. Fear gripped me and adrenaline coursed through my body; every fiber was tense. When I turned back to him, he was gone again. I could just make out the point of light from his stone disappearing into the fog at the end of the clearing. I tried to follow, but the light point grew smaller and smaller. Like everything else, it was swallowed by the fog. “Wait...” I sighed softly, completely out of breath. I slowed down, but there It was again - and It was getting closer. Behind me, I could now clearly hear footsteps. Quick steps and branches breaking under their weight. I tried to gather all my strength to run away - from Whoever or Whatever was following me. As I ran, I felt Something reaching for me. I kept running, even though my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from my chest. I glanced back and saw shadows forming into a figure. Arms outstretched towards me. Or was I just imagining it? Was it my fear making me completely paranoid? Before It could grab me, I fell into the void. Hidden by fog and darkness, the forest floor ended in a huge, gaping hole. In that moment, I felt like I was falling for an eternity. But before I could finish that thought, I hit the ground hard. I screamed “FUCK!” and groaned in pain. Every movement was agonizing and it was hard to breathe. My hands felt around the ground I was lying on. All around me was complete silence. I paused and just lay there. The moon shone down into my hole. This moment, as hopeless as my situation seemed, was permeated by an absolutely surreal peacefulness. Perhaps it was just the daze from the fall, but time itself seemed to stand still, and me with it.The peace was interrupted when a silhouette suddenly appeared at the edge of the hole. I was startled but remained still, holding my breath so as not to draw attention. Was that my pursuer? He knew I was down here then. Everything felt just as threatening as it had before - and it was real. My pursuer was real! I flinched as something fell on me. Again, something rained down on me. And again. I heard it rustling as it landed on my jacket. My fingers felt around on my stomach to identify what it was. My eyes widened as I realized what was happening: It was dirt. Dirt! I was being buried alive! I tried to get up but couldn’t. It felt like an invisible weight was holding me to the ground. “HEY!” I yelled upwards, hoping it would stop. But what came out of me was barely more than a hoarse whisper. Panic gripped me, because it just wouldn’t stop. Again and again, dirt rained down on me. The next shower landed in my face; my breath caught. This was it...
I opened my eyes. It was that dream again, the one that had been haunting me for weeks. Only this time it ended differently than usual... I tried to shake off the paralyzing feeling the dream left me with and stretched, relieved to have control over my body again. I looked out the window. The first rays of dawn flickered across my face. As I opened the campervan’s small sliding window, cool air streamed in, carrying the scent of damp moss and pines. It immediately filled me with a sense of home - my mother’s home, and now it would be mine too. How many summers had I spent in these woods. I breathed deeply, taking it all in: that scent and the feeling of finally being back. In that moment, I realized how much I had missed this place - even though it would forever be tied to the most difficult time of my life. As I opened my eyes again, my anticipation grew even more when I saw the unmistakable welcome sign for the town: Pinelake Hills. The somewhat aged sign still had the same effect on me as it did in my childhood. Inwardly I rejoiced, looking forward to Rosy’s warm embrace as she would heartily pull me into her arms at the bus station. There are things that are always the same. And good-natured, steadfast Rosy followed that natural law too. She was always there.
There was someone else I had thought about over the years, and I wondered if we would meet again.
