Wait a minute—she was sure she’d left her bun in the basket!
This was getting spooky.
Lin Yue stood up and searched all around, but her precious pork bun had vanished into thin air. As she scratched her head, the nearby bushes began to rustle and shake. Suddenly, a pale, skinny hand—definitely human-ish, but with claws—poked out from the leaves, rummaging around in her basket. Yue’s eyes widened as she spotted crumbs of bun stuck to its sharp nails!
She yelped and stumbled backwards, landing hard on the round stone with a dramatic “oof!” Her heart hammered. Was it… a person?
But who would be out here in the middle of nowhere?
Whoever—or whatever—was in the bushes seemed even more startled than she was. The pale hand shot back into the greenery, knocking over Yue’s basket and sending wild mushrooms rolling everywhere. A flash of white darted away, vanishing into the undergrowth like a guilty cartoon burglar.
Honestly, Yue would have preferred a wild animal to a random stranger in the deep woods. She’d read enough news stories about “creepy men lurking in the mountains” to know this was NOT the time to hang around. Grabbing her bamboo basket, she took off running like her life depended on it.
She had no idea how long she ran, but eventually, the familiar path back to the village came into view.
“Yueyue! Yueyue!” Granny Zhao came huffing and puffing down the trail, grabbing her granddaughter’s arm before she could bolt past. “What are you running for, silly child?”
“Granny!” Yue clung to her grandmother’s warm, calloused hand, babbling, “There’s a wild man! In the woods! He ate my bun!”
Granny Zhao burst out laughing, squeezing Yue’s hand. “Wild man? Oh, you silly goose. Probably just another forager. Maybe you imagined it.”
Yue wasn’t so sure. Was her anxiety getting the better of her? Had she hallucinated the whole thing?
That night, Yue couldn’t shake the feeling she’d seen one of the legendary “forest spirits” Granny always talked about.
The mountain mist had grown thicker, curling around her ankles like a living thing. Somewhere in the fog, a boy in a half-mask made of animal bone peeked at her from behind a gnarled, mossy tree.
“Spirits wear masks and appear on misty days or full-moon nights,” Granny’s voice echoed in Yue’s head. “If a lost girl sees their face, she’ll be whisked away…”
Yue felt the weight of the boy’s gaze. She wanted to run, but her legs were frozen, as if the mist itself had tied her down.
The pressure of his stare was nothing like what she’d ever felt from another human. It was like being watched by a hungry wolf… or maybe a very judgmental cat.
With trembling hands, Yue fumbled through her little shoulder bag and pulled out half an apple and a marinated chicken drumstick—her entire lunch. She held them out like a peace offering, voice shaking: “You can have it all… just please don’t eat me.”
The shadowy figure in the mist hesitated, sniffing the air. Then, quick as a flash, he swooped over, stopping right in front of Yue. The wind he kicked up sent leaves flying and the mist swirling like someone had just flushed a giant, magical toilet.
Yue’s breath caught in her throat. The masked boy was tall—well, tall-ish. He lowered his head, sniffed the apple in her left hand, made a face, and then sniffed the drumstick in her right. Without warning, he chomped down on the chicken, revealing a pair of sharp canine teeth and two furry silver ears poking out of his messy hair.
“Yueyue! Where are you?” Granny Zhao’s voice echoed through the trees, shattering the silence.
Startled, the masked boy’s golden eyes went wide. Clutching the drumstick in his mouth, he bounded up into the treetops and vanished, leaving Yue clutching her apple, hands shaking, heart pounding.
As the mist receded, Yue finally exhaled. “Granny, do you think there really are wolf-children in these mountains? Didn’t you say wolves used to snatch kids from the village?”
On the way down the mountain, Yue carried a basket of wild pears, still shaken. Granny Zhao, balancing a bundle of firewood on her back, scoffed. “Those were just stories to scare naughty kids. The last time anyone heard a wolf howl was the year your dad was born—forty years ago! No more wolves, and certainly no wolf-children.”
Not a wolf-child, then. But he wore a mask…
Yue was almost certain she’d met a spirit.
The next day, the town organized a tree-planting drive in the mountains. Grandpa Lin, never one to sit still, joined the other old-timers on the expedition. By noon, ominous clouds gathered, threatening rain, but Grandpa Lin still hadn’t returned.
“That old rascal!” Granny Zhao grumbled, peering at the stormy sky and rubbing her aching knees. “Forgot his umbrella, and didn’t even pack lunch! Let’s see how he gets home now.”
“Don’t worry, Granny. I’ll bring Grandpa his lunch and an umbrella,” Yue volunteered, donning her raincoat and boots. She packed a fresh bun in a lunchbox to keep it dry.
Granny Zhao stuffed a handful of White Rabbit candies into Yue’s pocket and fussed over her. “Stick to the main path, don’t wander, and watch your step!”
Yue barely had time to nod before dashing out the door.
When Yue next opened her eyes, she was lying at the foot of the mountain, half-submerged in muddy water, coughing up a mouthful of creek.
She vaguely remembered heading up the trail, umbrella and lunch in hand, only to get caught in a wild thunderstorm. Lightning zigzagged across the sky, splitting trees and sending rocks flying. Through the rain, she’d spotted a faint golden glow—like a firefly, leading her on.
There, sprawled beside the path, was the masked spirit-boy. The golden light came from a small pearl floating above his chest, shining softly through the storm.
Lightning struck nearby, sending pebbles flying. Worried the boy would be fried to a crisp, Yue summoned all her strength and dragged him to safety. In the process, she accidentally knocked off his half-mask, revealing a handsome face, eyes tightly shut.
Under different circumstances, Yue might have swooned. But right now, she was just hoping he wouldn’t wake up and bite her.
Chapter 02
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