Мелусина

1. Do not look directly at the forest in the dark. 2. Do not enter the thicket of the forest and do not stay long within its limits. 3. If you notice legless creatures scurrying through the forest, lower your head and go back to where you came from. 4. If what is mentioned in the previous paragraph happens, and a voice rings out from behind you, do not look back. 5. Beware of everything red, green and white. 6. Make sure that the number of people who left the forest matches the number of those who entered. 7. Do not look for the unfortunate souls of the missing, but hastily leave the forest. Leave it far behind and rejoice that you are still alive. That hastily scrawled note caught your eye as you searched your friend Jason's homemade hideout. It's been two weeks since you've been in contact. You exchanged a few emails before the connection was abruptly cut off eight days ago. Since then, all the messages you sent have gone unanswered. As a bounty hunter and his colleague, you know full well that only a particularly lucrative contract could have taken him to this tiny village bordering a dark forest to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances. All the missing are children, both boys and girls, starting with the youngest... You received a letter from Jason asking for help, but you didn't even think that by the time you got here, he too would have disappeared. You asked the locals about Jason, but they either deceived you with indecisive excuses for ignorance or just silently looked at you with empty, numb eyes. Such a reaction made you feel extremely uncomfortable, but you believed that such behavior was justified. Eventually, this village lost almost all of its children. You could only imagine how unbearable such a tragedy would have been if it had happened to you. You put a piece of paper that seems like nothing more than a random note. Judging by the other clues you've noticed in and around his hideout, you're pretty sure jason's last destination before disappearing was that creepy old forest next to the village. Obviously, Jason had the same idea as you did: these kids disappeared after getting lost in the woods. So, there's nothing to do. You decide to go into the woods and investigate. But Jason's disappearance has placed a heavy burden on your mind, and you're once again convinced that you've taken with you everything you might need. However, whenever you mentioned the forest in front of the villagers, they all reacted in the same way: they didn't mention anything about what was inside. Without gleaning any useful information and still tormented by vague doubts, you nevertheless resolutely enter the forest. You carefully make your way through trees and shrubs engulfed in morning fog. Following the sophisticated marks that you knew Jason carved into the trees, you soon emerge into a relatively spacious clearing. As you'd expect, it looks like someone was resting here. Stepping forward to take a closer look, you step on something solid. You look down and find a notebook whose cover is slightly rolled up. Instead of seeming accidentally lost, this notebook seems to have been neatly left here in the hope that someone would stumble upon it. However, you do not attach too much importance to this, since concern for the safety of your friend inflames in you an irresistible desire to know what is contained in the pages of his old notebook. Hurriedly flipping through the pages with irrelevant notes detailing everyday life, you eventually stumble upon records of the days during which you lost touch. September 23. Weather: cloudy Now even little Alan is missing. He was the last child in the entire village. I swear I'll find him and bring him home, no matter what the cost. It's been a long time since I first entered the forest, but it still seems just as strange. This pervasive strangeness only reinforces my previous judgment: children would never voluntarily go deep into the woods alone. Maybe they were lured by some monster lurking in the dark, maybe that huge gloomy shadow that I myself saw just the other day? Be that as it may, it's time for me to move on. I lost my comrades the last time I entered this cursed forest. This time, however, I think I've prepared quite well. Always remember: don't stay in the woods too long in one place. September 24. Weather: fog Today, there is fog in the forest, which makes an already difficult task even more difficult. The paths, which are difficult to climb even in the best of times, become even more treacherous. I was able to follow Alan's trail all the way to this point. But now I don't see the slightest trace or sign of his presence. It was as if he had just vanished into thin air. How do I track him down now? I swear by the Divine Light, even the demons have never made me feel so completely helpless. It's as if this monster just materialized here, leaving no way to track him down and find his lair. Maybe I should prepare for the worst... September 28. Weather: cloudy To my greatest regret, I got lost in this cursed forest. But as I peered into the dark thicket, trying to find familiar places, I saw that huge, ominous shadow again. This time I was able to get a better look at it and I saw a pair of paws, exactly the same as those of a steel hen. I swear by the Divine Light, I have never seen such huge paws! I can't believe it didn't notice me! But something else strange opened up to my eyes – a woman who stood alone alone in such a dangerous place. She turned her head and looked at me with her green eyes, which shone like the most beautiful emeralds. Her gaze was so soft, so gentle... I just couldn't ignore it. All I could think of was to keep her out of danger, but to do that I had to get the attention of this giant monster. I heard the terrifying sound of those bird-like legs scratching the grass as they followed us on our heels. Crows that appeared out of nowhere hovered over our heads, and their non-stop croaking hoarse sounded hoarse in my ears like a memorial service... Without daring to look back, I gathered my courage and stumbled and wandered through the woods. Finally, the noise behind me subsided, and silence reigned again. It seemed that the Divine Light smiled at me again. As I write, this beautiful, mysterious lady sits next to me and looks scared. Her hat flew off during our escape, revealing shiny white curls... I have to ask her what happened and how she got here. September 29. Weather: cloudy I curse the day I took on this task, and I regret that I encroached on such a great reward. How could I know that not only the forest, but this whole damn village would be full of secrets?! A woman named Melusina told me that the villagers had an unhealthy addiction to boys, and they threw little girls into the most insidious forest, and then spread rumors of evil monsters in the forest that kidnapped and devoured children, hoping to make amends with these rumors. And it wasn't just children who were affected. Many young girls were also abandoned in the forest to their fate. Older girls were either sold as wives to neighboring villages or allowed to stay for the sole purpose of having more boys. This behavior is shameful and outrageous, but at least I finally understand why the villagers were so reluctant to discuss the situation when I first arrived. However, if this is indeed the case, then what the hell happened to these missing boys? Melusina gracefully crossed her slender legs and wrapped her arms around her knees, tilting her head and grinning at me, she said, "Why? Because they deserved it." I involuntarily flinched when I heard her words. (What is written next was scrawled hastily.) September 30 I finally managed to escape, to escape from the clutches of Melusina! This woman is the devil! The monster with the giant chicken legs belongs to her! This is her HOME! If I hadn't woken up in the middle of the night, I hadn't seen her silently go deep into the woods, and I hadn't decided to follow her... I probably wouldn't be alive anymore. I finally know where all the disappeared people have gone. My buddies, baby Alan, boys... And not only them, but even the person who appointed the award! Ah, the reward... It's all because of this damn reward! "Oh, did I scare you?" melusina seemed to be well aware that I was following her. She didn't seem to be surprised at all and even played with the crow that landed on her shoulder. "I must have forgotten to mention ... I also lost my daughter like that, even before I became a sweet Yaga." "Although it's been a long time ... So much time..." with a smirk, she looked at me, and I watched in horror as her body gradually dried up and bent, and her face sagged and wrinkled like a decrepit old woman. "But you know, the older you get, the more clearly you remember what happened in your youth. For example, the agony you had to endure because your daughter was kidnapped and abandoned in the woods. Or hatred of feeling helpless." As she grew old and decrepit right in front of my eyes, the blazing madness deeply hidden in her emerald eyes burst to the surface. She muttered and raved, as if losing the remnants of common sense: "You look so strong, yes, so strong. That's exactly what I need to protect my daughter, yeah... Don't run away, darling. I'll just borrow what belongs to you and then give it back immediately." I did run, fleeing its creepy shape. But no matter how far I ran, I felt as if something was being stolen from me, something hidden in the very depths of my soul. If anyone finds and reads these words, please heed my warning! You have to leave immediately and never come back... (These words are crossed out, and just below in elegant neat handwriting are written corrections). If anyone finds and reads these words, please do you have to find me! No one should be so cruelly abandoned, no one, nobody, nobody, NOBODY, NOBODY, NOBODY, NO That concludes the recordings. You flip through the pages over and over again, hoping to find some more clues about the forest, the mysterious woman, or her strange dwelling that could help you find Jason. Ultimately, however, you have to accept that this is the last clue you'll be able to find. Just at this moment, a quiet voice is heard from behind you: "Dear, I'm in trouble. Could you be so kind and help me?" Turning around, you see a young woman with long, fluttering white hair in the wind, clutching her red hat in her hands and smiling modestly at you. Behind her, deep in the woods, there seemed to be a huge shadow. Remembering the creepy hut in the notes of Jason and a young lady named Melusina, you unwittingly take a step back, watching her every move. The smile that curves the corners of her lips gets wider as her emerald eyes flash brighter in the depths of the dark forest.