You shiver as cold wind strikes you and makes you move closer to the
fire. Its warmth is the only thing protecting you from the chilling wind.
This night is especially dark - the moon is completely hidden behind the clouds.
A rugged old man - another traveler with whom you share the fire
tonight - rises his head and stares at you.
"You should not travel alone at night, kid" - says the old man. It is
not safe".
You respond with a smirk "How anything in this God forsaken world
could be safe ?".
The old man stays silent for a few seconds, then laughs.
"No no, kid, this is not what I meant. I'm sure a lad like you can
handle a lot. But tell me...have you ever heard about the Searcher ?"
You look at him with disbelief. Just another creepy geezer who has
lived too long in this world to keep his sanity.
Your companion continues, not discouraged by silence - "They say,
that if you travel alone at night, when there is no moon on the night
sky, you can meet him. First you will see a small light blinking in
the distance - could be someone with a flashlight, maybe they need
help, maybe you will decide to come closer...then you will see what is the
source of the light. It's a strange man holding a small lamp in his hand.
Do not be fooled by his appearance - for he is not a man nor any
beast you can imagine. His head will be hidden under a leather bag,
for he hasn't got a face to show you. He will not speak - he'll put
his lantern on the ground. That's how you know he has noticed you - if you
turn around and run, run until you run out of breath and collapse to
the ground, then maybe, if you're lucky you can save yourself."
The man stops talking and coughs. "What a load of bullshit" you think
to yourself, but something makes you want to listen to his story.
Is it getting suddenly colder or it's just the fire dying ?
"But if for any reason you decide to stay, the Searcher will come
closer and put a tome on the ground. Whatever you do, do not pick it
up. It may appear familiar to you, like a story your mother used to
read to you, or your diary that you have lost years ago. However
tempting DO NOT read it - for once you do, you will never be free of
the Searcher's grasp. You will find yourself following the dim light
of the creature through the night, then once you can't walk any more you will
continue crawling behind the light on your bleeding knees and elbows,
until you finally die".
The man stops and stares at the fire - his story is over.
You can feel the shivers going up your spine, of course you don't
believe his story, or do you ?
In the morning the old man is already gone. As you pack your things you
notice he left something lying on the ground. It's a leather bag,
just big enough to put over one's head...
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