Thunder broke the brittle silence over the landscape. Rain descended on the earth, which could finally, after a long period of intense drought, appease its immense thirst. It is funny actually, a thing as small as a drop of water… and yet if there are enough of them, they can flood a field, cleanse a mire and choke a forest.

In the forest of Doga-Kavuue – which miraculously survived the scorching drought that swept through Himakadur for the past few months without a scratch – nothing was, as it seemed. Nearby villagers told tales of Black Magic and witchcraft. It was a place so dark and evil, so filled with negative energy, you even had to be careful to let your mind wander, because it might not come back.  But nothing scared them more than the power, which was said to lurk in the shadows of the trees in the centre of  Doga-Kavuue. Some say it was a mythical beast that survived from ancient times and others talk of demons and the devil himself. But nobody knew the truth, because no villager really dared to come close, afraid they would be grabbed by the unknown and swallowed in to the darkness. Never to hear the beautiful sound of a lioness at sunrise, never to taste sweets the earth produced, never to come back.

And in this vicious and treacherous world one traveller faced the odds. What he was looking for? Adventure perhaps… or maybe he was just searching. Nobody knew. His search had lead him beyond the mountain peeks of Ta-Tarum, over the mighty river Toruck and finally into the treacherous shadows of the age-old trees of Doga-Kavuue.

His, was a journey full of dangers and verged a lot of devotion but unlike many other people who risked their lives on such trips, on the end of his journey lured no gold or other riches. His was a journey without an end, without destination. He lived his life from dawn till dusk, uncertain of what tomorrow would bring. He lived life as it was supposed to be lived, wild and unruly, as the untouched nature he lived in.

For a while already had he been looking for a place to catch his breath, where he could shelter for the rain and come to himself for spare seconds, his heaven on earth. He cursed the rain that had soaked through his clothes; making them so heavy he could barely walk. His line of sight had diminished to the point where he could see no further but an arm length.

I have to find shelter… and fast. I don’t think I can hold out much longer. Cursed rain, cursed forest, cursed gods.

It was if heaven read his mind and decided to punish him for it, as if the freezing cold that sent a chill down his spine every 5 seconds and the ongoing down pouring rain that struck with the force of small rocks weren’t enough punishment, a storm arose. The cold and raw winter wind blew through his soggy clothes. His hands and feet were benumbed and his face was meagre.

While every other sane person would have given up and fallen on the ground to let it all happen because resistance seemed futile, he pushed on.

‘Faster, I have… faster,’ he mumbled.

But his words were taken by the wind; to places no man has ever set foot on, so fast it left him with the uncomfortable doubt if he had ever spoken those words out loud.

Still denying the fact that he ran out of energy, denying the fact that he could see no more and that his cramped legs refused to work properly, he tried to walk faster.

It does not matter how, I just ha…

A fierce twinge of pain, a fall into dazzling depths, and then? Then nothing. The forest had taken its toll on this courageous man. He was the umpteenth victim of Doga-Kavuue.

Slowly the traveller opened his eyes. Pain raged through his head, beating like the drums of his village when the fishermen came home. Next to him an old lady was knitting. She was dressed in rags and her face was covered in the dark shadows of her kerchief. Though her appearance was mysterious she seemed very familiar, as if he had met her before…

Could it be… no that can’t be…

In the meanwhile the old lady had noticed her quest was awake and she stopped knitting.

‘Where am…’ the traveller tried to say, but he was to weak to talk and his effort ended in a sigh. Exhausted, he coughed up some slime. Though he barely had the energy to keep his eyes open he tried once again – with the spirit he had also shown if the woods – to talk. But the lady placed her surprisingly soft fingers on his lips and almost whispering she said: ‘Go to sleep, young man. You will need all your energy for the dangers that lie ahead.’ And although her voice was soft and calm it had a very decisive undertone. It sounded as a request but felt like an order. The traveller decided to obey this mysterious woman and within minutes after he had closed his eyes, he slept.

The traveller dreamed that he opened his eyes.

Where am I, what happened?

Then he noticed that there was something weird about this place. The trees seemed to grow horizontal and the horizon had disappeared. Though the place was very odd, it felt painfully familiar.

Haven’t I been here before? No… wait a minute…

He tried to get up, he needed a lot of strength but he succeeded. Little by little some things came back to him. The world that had seemed odd at first changed back to normal. The trees grew once more to the sun and although he couldn’t see the horizon due the trees blocking his view, he knew it was there. And now he also knew where he was, the forest of Doga-Kavuue. But he still had no clue of what happened.

Oh, yeah… or maybe…no that is not it…

He didn’t know it anymore. All he remembered was a twinge of pain and everything before and after that was a giant black blur, that annoyed him as much as a big stain of ink on his best parchment annoyed a writer.

Something came back to him as if it was whispered in his ears by the divine powers themselves.

Didn’t I have a dream… about an old lady in her cottage… or am I dreaming right now… I went to sleep, didn’t I?

Confused and exhausted he dropped himself on the grass that was still wet with early morning dew. It wasn’t until then that he noticed the pain in his stiff limbs. Tortured by the course of events he laid down on the forest floor, worrying about all sorts of things. Slowly he slipped into unconsciousness of the world, a sort of coma, he lost grip on time and reality. How long had he been lying there? Ten minutes, maybe twenty, or a few hours…

When the sun started to set, he decided to travel on, and above all he was thirsty. He stood up to grab his knapsack. But it was nowhere to be found… Suspicious he looked around as if he would see the thief lurk in the shadows of the trees and bushes.

Something is going on here… but what? What was that?

He turned his head in the direction he had heard a sound coming from. He pricked up his ears and listened. His heart stopped and he skipped a breath. It was as if his entire body was focusing on that one point, it was as if he had waited his entire life for this moment. And then he heard it. It was very vague at first but it gradually became louder, more closer, until he could recognize the sound for what it was.

Voices…

Distant voices, but voices nonetheless.

But from who are they? I haven’t seen a living being for miles…

And as he though that, he realised how odd that sounded. He had not encountered one single animal since he passed the first trees of Doga-Kavuue.

What is this for place…

 There was a crack of branches and a rustle of leaves. Rapidly the traveller’s eyes flashed into all directions.

Who was that… what was that…

He started to panic… but for what? He was afraid but what was he afraid of. Wild animals? There were none. And that was the fact that disturbed him the most. If it was no harmless deer or another harmless animal… than what was it? Which dark and evil being dared to spy on him, what stole his knapsack? And why? Was it hungry… did it long for more?

Now the voices were so loud he could clearly hear what they were saying.

My name…

The voices were screaming and shouting his name as a dark and mysterious choir. Louder and louder, until it was so loud it echoed through the trees and seemed to come from all directions at once.

I will stay here no minute longer… this place is haunted.

He started to run as fast as he could, he ran like he never ran before, he ran like the devil himself was after him… and maybe he was. Where he was running to he did not know… but he never knew. He was so scared he did not notice that the tree formations became denser, that the forest swallowed the sky above him and that the only light came from the ominous lights that shone vaguely between the trees. He was so scared he did not notice that he was no longer in a forest but in a prison. And every attempt to escape would be ruthlessly beaten down by the prison guards, the trees.

The trees… they are alive. I saw one moving, right over… no, over… where am I?

He now saw shadows everywhere. He saw them in the trees and in the bushes he even saw them moving over the ground, silently as a serpent that creeps up his prey.

Have I lost it?

He did not know. But somehow he felt like someone was staring at him. Someone… or something… he was not safe. But was he safe where he was heading? He knew only one thing… if he…

He did not saw the root sticking out of the ground, he did not saw the tree it was attached to and he did not felt his foot tripping over it, but he did fell the pain that surged through him – it sliced him in to two like a hot knife through butter – when he smacked his head on the ground with such force it was a miracle he did not break his neck.

What was that? Where did that come from?

That were the last things that flashed through his mind.

But did he really trip over the root? Did not the root grab his feet? There was more to the trees than just their mighty appearance.

He did not know if he had lost consciousness but when he tried to open his eyes he felt a twinge so agonizing he thought he was going to die. He kicked with his feet and threw hands in the air like a mad man and his entire body was racked with sobs. Over time the soaring pain faded. He slowly opened his eyes and he stared right into the eyes of…

‘Mum, what are you doing here,’ he shouted astonished.

Although his mom looked very anxious she said: ‘you don’t have to yell at me, Maku. I’m sitting right next to you. Her voice sounded unnatural and emotionless as if she tried to suppress her feelings.

‘But…’ Maku took a look around. He was no longer in the forest; the trees were gone and replaced by the walls of his room. He lay no longer on the forest floor but in his safe and comfortable bed.

‘What happened,’ he added quietly more to himself than to his mother. It was as if his energy faded away after he realised he was no longer in the forest.

‘You had a nightmare,’ his mother replied and her voice wasn’t as calm – faked or not – as before, but was shaking.  ‘You were kicking and screaming and I couldn’t wake you up.’ There was nothing I could do but to stare at you and scream your name.

She placed her head in her hands. She cried and sobbed uncontrollably. She looked at him with tears shining in her eyes – as dew on the top of a tree when it is being touched by the gentle rays of the sun – and empty she added: ‘You are all I have, and I thought I lost you too.’

‘Mom, I am fine, really I am,’ Maku said clumsy and stumbling over his words, uncertain of which words to choose. ‘It was just a bad dream, everything will be all right, trust me.’

His mother hugged him so tightly as if she was never wanted to let go of him.

You dirty liar, you know it is not true.

A voice in the back of his head protested against the things he had told his mother. Somewhere he knew it was no bad dream, somewhere he knew more was going on and involuntary he looked at the bookcase behind his mother. His eyes glanced at a book that was resting on the top shelf. It’s cover had writen on it ,with big golden letters; The Riddle of Doga-Kavuue.