I'm lost. Lost in the cold forest, dead leaves littering the ground beneath me. I have no idea how I got there or how I will ever get out. The moon and stars shine above me, the only light given to me, save for the occasional firefly. I stumble over a rock, falling on my face. I lift myself up, there's dirt in my eyes. I wipe it away, only to be met with an unusual sight. In front of me there is an old wooden sign, cobwebs and moss growing on it, the wood rotting, and tilted to one side. I was sure this sign was not there a second ago, yet the wear and tear of it indicate it had been there for years. Despite the sign's poor condition I can clearly make out the word written on it, in big, scratchy letters; ROOT. I speak the word aloud, pondering what purpose this sign must have. A destination? A warning? Then, at that moment, I hear the crunching of dead leaves behind me. I turn myself around, expecting to see a wild animal. What I see frightens me more than any wolf or bear ever would. In front of me now is a tall, lanky man in a light-brown trench coat and a matching wide-brimmed hat that seems to add at least three feet to his already impressive height, both have moss and fungi growing on them. There is a dark and faded red scarf hanging around his neck. His feet adorn worn leather shoes, also of which there is moss growing on. What frightens me the most is his face, the upper half covered in shadow, only allowing for his glowing, yellow, pupil-less eyes to be seen. His beard is brown, unkempt, thin and scraggly. But truly, what horrifies me the most is his smile. A smile that seems too tall for his jaw, a smile that sports wooden teeth that seem to be rotting as much as the sign had been. The sign. I spin around, but the sign is nowhere to be seen anymore. I slowly turn back around to face this horrifyingly impossible man. I am now aware that I am shaking. The man's smile seems to get impossibly wider. He finally speaks in a voice like gravel and twigs snapping: "You called...?" (If you want more to this story, let me know!)
