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The Discovery
When Elara realized her daughters were gone, the air seemed to leave her lungs.
She knew where they had gone.
There was no question in her mind.
Dropping her tools, she ran toward the forest, her heart pounding with a terror she had tried for years to keep buried.
“Lina! Maris!” she called, her voice breaking through the stillness.
The forest did not answer.
Branches scratched at her arms as she pushed deeper, following the path she had hoped never to walk again.
And then she saw them.
Both girls were sitting inside the hollow of the fir tree, their faces calm, almost serene.
“Get out!” Elara shouted.
The sharpness in her voice startled them. Maris scrambled to her feet, while Lina hesitated, confused.
“Mother?”
“Now!” Elara’s voice trembled with urgency. “Come out now!”
They obeyed, stepping away from the tree.
Elara pulled them close, holding them so tightly they could barely breathe.
“You must never come here again,” she said. “Do you understand me?”
“But why?” Lina asked. “It felt… safe.”
Elara’s grip tightened.
“That’s why,” she whispered.