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The Story:
She stopped to catch her breath. She didn’t know how far she had run, but they had given up their chase.
In front her was the clear beginning of a cluster of unique trees, too vast to go around. A cool breeze rolled across her ankles, and she shuddered at the thought of where she might be.
Kneeling to the ground, she lowered her head into the breeze.
“We love you, Katy. You’re so pretty,” many voices whispered to her.
She sprang back up. The Whispering Forest was in front of her, and she had no choice but to go through it.
The place was a mystery but not a myth. They said the trees poured all their energy into growing tall so as to escape the whispers, wasting no effort on branches. With nowhere to fall asleep at night but the ground, the whispers would leave you feeling so deeply loved that you want to stay with them forever, wallowing in their irresistible charm until you die.
There had been only one known survivor—a man incapable of feeling loved because no one could compare to how the forest made him feel. Eventually, he took his own life.
However, a theory had been developed about the forest—one possible weapon. If you already knew a love deeper and truer than any other, the whispers could not charm you. You would be invincible.
Katy did know such a love, but she was afraid it would not be enough. After all, it had never been so thoroughly tested as what this place was sure to do.
She took a moment to gather her memories of him. She armed herself with those memories and the hope of seeing him again someday.
“I’m spoken for,” she said to the ground.
The breeze spiraled up her body until it reached her head.
“We’ll see, my love,” the whispers said in unison.
When it returned to her ankles, she held her head high and stepped into the forest.