Lee sat down on the floor. His girlfriend Mai Ying and his friend Bao sat with him. They looked each other in the eyes, those three, for a long time. There they were, three sixteen year olds, in the prime of their lives, just getting ready to plan what they would do with themselves. Of course, that was far from any of their minds. Lee's father was gone, on a business trip. And as always on the night before a full moon, his father had left at the break of dawn. Because, as everyone in the village knew, no one left their homes during a full moon, and for good reason.
"Beware, never look at the full moon, for when you do, you'll lose yourself in it's depths. The spirit shall control your limbs, and you'll walk into the forest, where the spirit shall devour your soul…"
Lee shivered as a sudden draft of cold air swept its way into the room, even though the door was closed, and it was a warm day.
"So that settles it right? We do it tonight." Bao whispered with no attempt to hide his excitement, "We got 15 other kids who are gonna go, it's gonna be epic."
Lee smiled, "You guys remember the plan? I know we've been going over it all summer, but this has to be perfect."
They went over the plans once, then twice. If they were going to be leaving their little village for spots in the military or a job in the capital soon, they might as well go out with a bang. They had invited a bunch of teenagers who weren't afraid of the old legend, and they all decided that they were going to prove the existence of the forest spirit once and for all. Of course, many people still believed in the spirit, and secretly Lee always thought there was something creepy about the disappearances that only occurred during full moons. One, sometimes two people a month. Sometimes no one would disappear one month, and two the next.
"So half an hour into it, I run off saying I need to find some firewood, and then scream, then, Mai Ying sneaks off while everyone is preoccupied and dresses up as a witch, then comes into the camp and pretends to control you."
Lee nodded as Bao finished.
"This is gonna be epic win."
As the afternoon sun began to set, Lee walked up to the old man's house. The one person who insisted he had seen the spirit. He knew people said the man was a crazy old loon, and that he hadn't really seen the spirit, but was just lying for attention, lonely as he was, but Lee thought otherwise.
He knocked at the old man's door. The door was answered by a lanky elderly man, he peered cautiously out past Lee before addressing him.
"Yes? Why did you come to bother me child?"
"I didn't mean to bother you," Lee answered, "It's just that…they say you saw it."
The effect of these words were drastically visible on the man's face. His eyes sunk even deeper in their sockets, making him look all the more skeletal, his lips turned gray at the corners, and his teeth chattered ever so slightly.
"Saw what?" He stuttered, as if he could somehow avoid the subject, as if he didn't already know.
"The spirit."
The old man looked at him for a few seconds, contemplating whether to slam the door on him of let him in, finally, he led Lee into his ramshackle hut, which was strewn with all manner of oddities, thingamabobs, and just plain trash. There was very little furniture, and, on a high shelf, there were three scrolls. Before Lee had a chance to look around more, the old man told him to sit.
Pouring himself some tea, the man began:
"It was a summer day much like this one, two or three years ago. I was walking, not quite aware that the sun had set because I was so tired from working all day. My bones ached, my back hurt, and I just wanted to go to sleep, but I knew I had work to do, I needed to fetch my axe from the woods behind my house. And then I felt something in my arms and legs. A horrible, tingling sensation. There was a noise behind me but I couldn't turn around, my eyes were fixated on the mountain…"
The man took a sip of tea as Lee looked wide-eyed.
"and then I took a step, then another. I was unwillingly headed toward the mountain, I tried to stop myself, but I just kept going, and going. I had no control over my body. I walked for hours, never tiring, and I couldn't fall asleep, I just couldn't. I was afraid if I lost consciousness I would lose myself. I had heard the legends, and never believed them much, but now I was sure,"
"The spirit was taking me so it could remove my soul."
Lee shuddered.
"But then, something wondrous happened, the sun came up! And I had control again! I ran back, not knowing which direction home was in. I just wanted to get as far away from the cursed mountain as I could. I never looked back."
Apparently a lot more people had showed up than Lee had invited. Maybe two dozen people stood talking near the place they had decided to begin their journey. When Lee looked to Bao for answers, he only shrugged.
"I guess they told other people."
The consequences of what they were doing suddenly hit him. With so many people sneaking away from home for the night, whether they made up good lies or not, he wasn't sure he could pull it off, and if any of their parents found out, he'd be a goner.
The night went as planned. As soon as the sun went down they entered the woods together. The plan was to stop once they reached the mountain and then camp out for the night. The full moon lit the way through the underbrush.
Several times, Lee stopped when he thought he had heard the sound of distant screams somewhere ahead, but he dismissed it as paranoia. But the old man's words still rang in his head, and he found himself jumping at every noise, looking behind himself constantly.
'and then I took a step, then another. I was unwillingly headed toward the mountain, I tried to stop myself, but I just kept going, and going. I had no control over my body. I walked for hours, never tiring, and I couldn't fall asleep, I just couldn't. I was afraid if I lost consciousness I would lose myself.'
He snapped out of it when he heard Bao yell, "We're here!"
The next few hours went by slowly, as if it was a dream. They built campfires, sang songs; lovers kissed and caressed each other, people talked, and all seemed well.
It was nearly midnight now, and Lee was itching to get the plan into action. After all, now was the perfect time to do it, now that all had settled down, and the creepiness was beginning to set in. Then he heard that noise again, that distant wail, that dreamlike noise, like a sad, dying bird…
He looked around for Bao and Mai Ying, but they were nowhere to be found. A chill set in although it was a midsummer night. And people began to look genuinely afraid.
"Come on, where are they…" Lee grumbled. He noticed other people were missing, familiar faces. He supposed they had gone and gotten lost somewhere…
Finding one of his childhood friends, he turned them around and asked where they were. The boy pointed to the woods to the east.
Lee struggled through the underbrush, his skin being scratched by the thickets and bushes. And there, next to a tree, were Mai Ying and Bao.
They were embracing each other, kissing deeply. They turned and saw him, their eyes white with terror.
"Lee-"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" He yelled.
"Lee, behin-"
"DON'T TRY TO IGNORE THE QUESTION! HOW COULD YOU!"
"LEE!"
He didn't listen. And then…he felt a strange feeling in his limbs. His blood ran cold in his veins as they bulged. He grabbed a stick from the ground, not even paying attention to what he was doing. In anger, he stabbed Bao, again and again with the sharp stick. Mai Ying grabbed his arm, but he threw her off. She screamed, not just because of the sight of seeing her boyfriend stab his best friend…
But because of the old woman cackling madly behind them.
To this day, no one knows what became of Lee and Bao, their bodies were never found, despite relentless searches…In the daytime of course.
Mai Ying went insane shortly after getting back to the camp, screaming something about a witch. She was never the same again, and left the village shortly after, a shadow of her former self. Some say she went back into the woods…
On the night of a full moon…