Prologue
Clipped From the Dark Hollow Ledger
Date: October 13, 1997
“THIRD MISSING IN THREE MONTHS, IS THE FOREST TO BLAME?”
Locals are once again rattled after a young woman, age 24, failed to return from a trip to her grandmother’s home at the edge of Lost Soul Forest. Authorities have yet to locate the missing woman or confirm any signs of foul play.
“That forest is cursed,” says Mary-Ann Corbin, a longtime resident. “You go in alone, you don’t come out.”
Legends persist of a mysterious hunter or woodsman seen along the edges of the tree line. Eyewitnesses describe him as “tall, quiet, and covered in fur in a flannel.”
The sheriff’s department declined to comment on the rumors, citing a lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, children in the village have coined a new rhyme:
“Beware the woods and beware the man, With teeth like knives and bloodstained hands. If you see him smile, don’t be slow. Turn and run. Don’t let him know.”
