The fog rolled in earlier than usual that evening. From my bedroom window, I watched it move across Maple Street, and right away I knew something was off. It wasn’t normal fog. It moved too fast and almost looked like it was breathing. I leaned closer to the window, feeling this weird pull in my chest, like something out there wanted me to come outside.
I tried to ignore it. My parents weren’t home and going out after dark was definitely against the rules. But the more I stared at the fog, the more curious I got. It felt like it was calling out to me. Finally, I grabbed my hoodie, slipped on my sneakers, and stepped outside before I could talk myself out of it.
The second I left my porch, everything got super quiet. No cars, no dogs, no wind. Just this heavy, strained silence. The fog wrapped around me so thick I could barely see the end of the sidewalk. Still, I kept walking toward the park, not really knowing why, except that it felt like the right place to go.
When I reached the playground, I saw something glowing inside the fog. At first, it was just a tiny light, but as I stepped closer, it floated upward and shaped itself into something that looked like a person made of mist. I froze. My heart was beating so loud that I almost heard it. The figure lifted an arm and let a small folded note drift down in front of me.
I picked it up. The writing was neat and sharp. It said, “You are the only one that can help.” That was it. No name. No instructions. Just and only that.
Before I could do anything else, the glowing figure had faded away, like it had never been there at all. I stood there confused and honestly a little scared. Help with what? And why me?
Then I heard someone running towards me. It was my best friend Mason.
“Lila! I saw you leave your house. What are you doing? This fog is freaking me out,” he said, catching his breath.
I showed him the note. “Something left this for me.”
He read it and looked at me like he wanted to go home immediately. “This is creepy. Let’s just leave.”
But I shook my head. “No. I think this is important. I want to figure out what it means.”
So we walked farther into the fog together. The deeper we went, the brighter. The light ahead of us became more vibrant. Finally, the fog opened up into a small clearing I had never seen before. In the middle of it was a stone archway covered in glowing symbols, the same symbols on the bottom of the note.
“I guess this is where we’re supposed to go,” I said.
Mason swallowed hard. “Are you sure?”
I grabbed his hand. “Yeah. Come on.”
Together, we stepped through the archway, not knowing our whole world was about to change.
