“Jansen! Have you finished packing your bag?” called Jansen’s mother from the living room.

“No. Just a few more things to pack then I’ll be right downstairs,” he replied. He rummaged through his dresser and packed his toiletries in a smaller bag and carefully placed it in his backpack. After doing so, he carried the bag down into the living room and left the bag by the door. He then walked into the hall and sat on the sofa.

“How many of you will be going for the trip tomorrow?” Jansen’s father asked him.

“Err… if I’m not mistaken, there will be seven of us including me,” he replied.

“OK. Just be careful not to do anything foolish while you all are out in the forest,” added the concerned father.

“Shhh! Listen to the news! Something happened in the forest reserve that you and your friends are going to tomorrow,” Jansen’s mother exclaimed.

“This is just in. A group of people have been reported missing after disappearing for three days in the forest reserve that is located at the outskirts of Stu Pi Dity Town. The search teams are still currently trying to track down survivors,” reported the newscaster who was standing at the entrance to the forest.

“Goodness gracious! Jansen! You all are going there tomorrow! Are you sure it is OK for you to go there? I think you should cancel the trip!” exclaimed Jansen’s mother with a horrified look.

“Oh come on, mum! Why should I cancel the whole thing because of some small accident. I’ll bet they’ll probably be found tomorrow. Besides, I’ve packed my compass. How are we going to get ourselves lost?” Jansen asked as he tried to reason with his mother.

“Are you sure it’s OK? It’s dangerous out in the woods, you know,” his mother explained.

“Yes. I’m absolutely sure that we’ll be back in one piece,” the boy promised.

“In that case, please be careful and look out for each other when you are out there. I don’t want your friends’ parents getting all worked up and worried if they found out their child is missing in the wilderness,” Jansen’s father told him.

“Yeah, yeah. I promise you that, dad,” Jansen replied as a sign of reassurance.

* * *

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Jansen woke up with a start. He glanced at his digital clock and grinned when he saw the time.

“It’s show time,” Jansen said to himself. He quickly jumped out of bed and waltzed into the bathroom. After taking a shower, he brushed his teeth, combed his hair and came out of the bathroom a refreshed and revitalized boy who was ready to take on life’s challenges. He got dressed in his T-shirt and jeans and looked at himself in the mirror. He whistled.

“That’s one handsome-looking guy. Heheh,” Jansen chuckled as he admired himself. He strapped on his watch, put on his baseball cap and went out of his room. He rushed down the staircase and jumped over the final few steps and landed so loudly that his parents turned and shot him an ugly look.

“Behave yourself son. You have not left the house yet and we may change our minds,” his father said sternly.

“Alright, alright. Sheesh. I can’t help it. It’s so exciting to be out in the woods with friends,” Jansen explained in attempt to defend himself.

“Your breakfast is on the table. Come to think of it, what are you and your friends going to eat when you’re in the jungle? There are no food stalls nearby,” said Jansen’s mother, ignoring her son’s excuse.

“I got that settled, mum. Azoth and Elene are bringing the foodstuff and Vivienne is bringing drinks for us. She promised that it is enough for a week,” Jansen answered.

“Oh, in that case, I’m not too worried. Enjoy your trip then,” said Jansen’s mother as her son grabbed his car keys and backpack.

“Yes. Be careful while you’re out there and always call home to update us on your latest condition,” added his father.

“OK. I will. See you folks in another four days!” Jansen replied as he closed the door behind him. As Jansen’s mother watched her son go, little did she know that it would be the last time she would ever lay her eyes on her son ever again.

* * *

“Hey! Hey! Are you guys ready for the big trip?” Azoth asked in an excited manner.

“Yeah. It should be fun, spending three nights out in the woods. I hope nothing serious will happen when we are there. I just heard the news last night. A group of people went missing after entering the forest. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen to us,” said Elene as she shuddered at the thought of it.

“Now, now, let’s not be afraid. I’m sure that the rescue teams had already found those people and that they are back safe and sound. Besides, I got my compass. What else could go wrong?” Jansen replied.

“Who knows? Maybe the compass is too complicated for you to understand,” Jarl snapped.

“Jarl! That’s enough. Why are you being so rude lately?” Gwendolyn asked him in a shrill manner.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting irritated because of this nonsense. We should be on our way there right now,” Jarl retorted.

“Fine, let’s get going then. By the way, where’s Josh?” Vivienne asked as she shot Elene a puzzled look.

“Oh, there he is. Here, Josh! Over here!” Elene shouted at him as she waved he hands.

“Guess I’m the last one here, eh? Sorry guys but I was late because my mother tried to persuade me to cancel my trip to the forest after listening to last night’s news. I heard a group of people went missing. Is that true?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, we shall be safe. I got my compass with me. There shouldn’t be any problems when we find our way out in any case we get lost in the woods,” Jansen reassured Josh.

“Great. I packed my compass, too,” Josh added.

“Good thinking. Now, shall we get on the van now? I’m getting pretty restless over all the excitement,” Azoth said.

“Right, let’s go. Hop on everyone. We’ll be there in an hour or so,” Jansen announced. Right before Jansen got onto the van, a stranger came up to him. The boy quickly turned away for the stranger was in a bad condition. His clothes were torn, he had an unshaven beard, his right arm was covered in blood and what used to be his left arm was now a stump.

“Get away, old man! What do you want from me?” Jansen vociferated as he tried to get rid of the stranger.

“Heed my warning, young one. I know that you have great plans ahead of you while you’re in the forest but beware, many people had entered the damned place but so far, none has ever returned,” the stranger warned him.

Nonsense. As far as I know, the only incident that involved people who went missing only happened yesterday. Now, get lost!” Jansen shouted at the unkempt stranger. After saying that, he got onto the van and slammed the door.

“As far as you know, young one. As far as you know,” the stranger sighed as he watched the van disappear from his sight.

* * *

“Hey, Jansen! What’s with that look? Getting scared of the forest? Worried that your compass-reading skill will fail you?” Jarl asked Jansen who was frowning when he recalled what the stranger had said to him earlier.

“Huh? No. It’s nothing. I was just thinking of something. Nothing serious,” Jansen replied.

“Look, you can tell us what happened. We saw a stranger confront you back at the Chok’lit Shoppe. What did he say to you?” asked Vivienne.

“Hmmm, I hope it’s nothing serious. He told me to cancel the trip to the forest. I wondered what happened in that place. He even branded the forest as a damned place. The stranger back there also stated that many people had entered the place but no one has ever came out of it,” Jansen explained.

“Oh my goodness, is that true? If it is, I think we should reconsider the trip,” Elene exclaimed after listening to Jansen’s words.

“Wait, don’t be crazy. We are already halfway and think about it, look at the state the guy was in. I’ve never seen a man so untidy and disheveled before in my life. You would definitely say that too if you were standing right next to him. His body odour was so bad, you could practically see flies hovering over him,” Jansen continued.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Anyway, why not we play game of poker? It’s getting pretty boring,” Josh suggested. After receiving looks of disagreement, he quickly added, “No, no, no. We’re not gambling. I just want to kill some time.”

“OK, then. Count me in but before we start, where are the cards, you fool?” Jarl lashed out.

“Jarl! If you act like that one more time, I’ll definitely kick you out of the van without any hesitation!” Gwendolyn screamed. With that said, Jarl immediately fell silent and suddenly became so polite that all of his friends could have swore that he would be much more polite than the timid girl who was in their class. After playing their card game, Jansen closed his eyes and nodded off into Dreamland.

* * *