Wybie shivered, his light windbreaker did nothing to protect him from the wind.

"Coraline? I'm really cold, how long have we been walking?"

"Shh!" Coraline replied sharply "be quiet, I think I hear something…"

They both listened, and sure enough they both heard the sound of someone whistling a tune in the distance. They approached quietly, unsure whether the whistling person could be trusted. As they drew closer, the whistling grew more clear, and a flickering light began to formulate in the distance.

Suddenly the simple melody was interrupted by a loud crack. The whistling stopped, and the sudden noise seemed to reverberate throughout the forest. One of them had stepped on a stick. The pair held their breath, watching as the light drew nearer.

"Who's there!" a voice called out.

The bobbing light got closer, and they could make out the person carrying it. He wore a tall hat, and carried in one hand the lantern, and in the other a large axe.

"Run" Coraline hissed.

They whipped off into the darkness, stumbling over tree roots and swatting at branches.

They ran for about five minutes, unsure of where they were headed.

"Ow! Shit!" Wybie yelped.

Coraline stopped, holding her side where a cramp had started to develope, and breathing heavily.

"Wha.." she inhaled "...what happened"

"I don't know, I think a branch hit me in the eye."

"Is he following us" Coraline asked, regaining her composure, and looking off into the darkness.

"I don't think so…"

"Good"

"I mean...not really. We have no idea where we are, and it's dark and cold" He looked around nervously.

"Well, I guess we can stop to rest. We can find somewhere to get help in the morning. Do you know how to make a campfire with sticks?" Coraline asked.

"What? No. How in the world would I?"

"Well, I guess we'll just have to deal with the cold then." Coraline said, shoving her hands into her pockets to warm them.

"Wait...hold on a sec" She said, pulling something out of her pocket. Wybie looked closely, and though it was difficult to make out in the half-moon light, he was able to see a small box labeled "Matches".

"Matches?!"

"Yeah! These are the matches I used this morning to light my jack-o-lantern!"

It took several tries, and was made more difficult by the fact that it had rained the night before and much of the wood was damp, but eventually the two got a fire started. The fire jumped and flashed, giving the shadows an eerie life-like quality. They were tired and their bones ached with cold and fatigue, so they fell asleep almost immediately, watching the blue-grey smoke swirl and puff upwards towards the yellow half-moon.


A figure stepped out of the shadows, he wore a pointy hat and carried a lantern in one hand and an axe in the other.

"Beast?!" He called out into the trees.

Another figure, impossibly tall, and shrouded in darkness approached the edge of where the fire's light shone.

"Beast!" The young man said "Are these the souls which will keep my brother alive?" He gestured towards the sleeping children.

"Yes, they will soon be Adelwood. And then, they will be fuel for your brother's flame. You need not do anything, it may take time, but they will eventually lose hope."

The young man nodded, a mournful look in his eyes, as though he regretted the sorrowful fate of these lost souls but knew it to be a necessary evil. He trudged off into the forest. The darker figure loomed for a moment longer, before leaving as well, the fire extinguishing into one last plume of smoke upon his departure.