Chapter 1: The Mysterious Road
In a small village called N’kosi, deep in the heart of Africa, there was an old, forgotten road. The road led into a thick, misty forest that no one dared enter.
The elders in the village always warned residents to never go near it. They said that the road was cursed, and anyone who walked on it would never come back.
One hot afternoon, a curious young man named Kwame decided he would uncover the truth. Kwame was 18 years old, adventurous, and full of questions.
He had heard the stories about the road since he was young, but he didn’t believe in them. “It’s just stories to scare us,” he thought. So, without telling anyone, he set off towards the road, determined to find out for himself what was really there.
The air grew cooler as he walked deeper into the forest. Soon, the sun seemed to disappear, replaced by a strange, greenish light. The road was narrow, and the trees were so tall that they blocked out most of the sky. Kwame was beginning to feel uneasy, but he pressed on, his heart racing with excitement and fear.
Then, he heard a sound—a soft whisper, like a voice calling his name. “Kwame…” it echoed, low and cold. He froze, his body trembling. Was it the wind? Or was something in the forest speaking to him?
Without thinking, Kwame turned around and ran. But no matter how fast he ran, the whisper followed him, louder and clearer. “Kwame…come closer…”
Suddenly, Kwame tripped and fell. He looked up and saw something that made his heart stop. The path he had been running on was no longer there. In its place was a wide, dark river.
The river was flowing backward, pulling everything towards its deep, dark waters. And on the other side of the river, there was a village—a village he had never seen before.
Chapter 2: The Stranger’s Warning
Kwame stood up, brushing the dirt from his knees. He was still shaken, but something about the strange village across the river called to him. It looked like N’kosi, but it was old, abandoned, and covered in thick vines. The houses seemed to be swallowed by time, the doors barely hanging on their hinges.
A cold wind swept through the trees, and Kwame heard the whisper again, but this time it was louder. “Don’t go…” it warned. “Leave this place before it’s too late.”
Kwame’s heart beat faster. He wanted to turn back, but the curiosity in him was too strong. He had to know what was going on. “Who’s there?” he called out. His voice echoed back at him from the mist.
Just then, a figure appeared from behind one of the broken houses. A tall, old woman with gray hair and a face that seemed both kind and terrifying. She stepped forward, her eyes locked on Kwame’s.
“You should not be here, child,” she said in a deep, calm voice. “This village is cursed. You are not meant to find it.”
Kwame took a step back, his legs shaking. “What happened to this place? Why is it like this?”
The woman sighed and looked down. “This was once a village of happiness, a place of joy. But the road you walked on… it doesn’t lead to this world. It leads to something much darker.”
Kwame didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
“The road you came from is part of an ancient magic,” the woman explained. “It pulls people into this forgotten place, and once they arrive, they can never leave. The villagers here made a terrible mistake many years ago. They disturbed the spirits of the forest, and now the forest keeps them here forever.”
Kwame looked around. “So, they’re all trapped here?”
The woman nodded. “Yes. And you, child, are now in danger too.”
Kwame’s mind raced. “How can I escape?”
The woman looked at him with sorrow. “There is no easy way out. But if you wish to leave, you must find the Guardian of the River, the one who controls the flow of time. He alone can guide you back, but he is not kind to those who trespass on his land.”
Kwame gulped. He knew this was just the beginning of something much bigger.
TO BE CONTINUED
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