It was a dark night. The stars did not shine as brightly as they did normally. Only the moon illuminated the path that led her through the forest. The leaves rustled above her head, singing a song in a foreign language she did not understand. It seemed as if the trees had eyes that followed every step she took. They probably did.

The wind blew through her hair and caressed her skin. She only wore a soft white dress that reached just above her knees and goosebumps spread over her skin. Instead of shivering, she smiled. The colder it went, the closer she came. That must be the right way, she thought, eyes locked on the path before her. It was a small path that led between the trees. The villagers never used it, only the animals and her.

In her right hand, she held a woven wooden basket. It was filled with herbs that she had picked earlier. Fenugreek, sage, and sea buckthorn were only a few of the varieties she found. Her knees were still dirty from crawling all over the forest floor in search of the best herbs. Even her once completely white dress had sprinkles of dirt all over it. But that didn't bother her. The only thing that mattered was making them happy. If they were happy, she was too. Though, she just needed to find the hut. It had moved, she could feel that. She only had to find out where, but she trusted them to lead her. They always did.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. The sound stretched all over the forest and other wolves answered, making it sound like a song. A song that put her in some kind of a trance. She grinned and started swirling around, dancing to the song of the wolves. It seemed like she was flying, her feet barely touching the floor. A crow landed next to her on a big rock, eying her interested before he croaked.

Suddenly the wind picked up, making her stop dancing. She looked up and listened. The wolves had stopped howling and there was dead silence in the forest. Anticipation ran through her veins. They were calling her, she felt it in the air that was shifting around her. A fog came upon the forest, wafting on the mossy forest ground. Oh, they seemed to get impatient. A sly grin crept upon her face. If this was the case, she should better hurry as she knew how they could get if someone left them waiting. 

Therefore she picked up her basket, which she had dropped earlier to dance. All the herbs were still neatly in place. Then she began skipping along the pathway, always listening for more sounds to lead her way. Her eyes followed the fog that seemed to form a pathway and soon enough the air around her grew even colder. Now even she couldn't suppress a shiver.
It was dark around her, even the moon didn't offer light anymore. They were close, so close.

Suddenly she heard a branch snap behind her. Slowly she turned her head, looking over her shoulder to see who had been following her. What she saw made her giggle. There was no one standing behind. Well, no person. Behind her stood the hut she was searching for, having suddenly appeared from nowhere. The hut was built of ebony, its blackness making it nearly undetectable between the dark trees.

On the roof, there were sitting two crows. They had worms in their beaks, swallowing them at a speedy tempo. A dim light shone through the windows of the hut, but she could not see any movement inside. Slowly she began walking towards the hut, watching out for any movement. It was not unusual for any creatures to linger around the hut. The door was also made out of massive ebony. She knew from experience that it was hard to open. For her at least. They did not have any problems.

Before she could knock on the door, it swung open. It revealed him. His skin was as white as snow, his cheeks covered in a blushy pink. Strands of his dirty blonde hair fell into his face, making him look like a pretty portrait. “Nick,” she breathed and his red lips stretched into a wicked grin. His teeth were as sharp as fangs, making him look like a predator in the dark night. Nick turned around, calling into the hut, “Nastya, she is here!”

A giggle sounded from within the room and soon enough another figure appeared in the doorway. Nastya tilted her head when she saw her, holding the wooden basket in front of her like an offering.  Placed upon her head was a thick flower crown, consisting of white daisies. Then Nastya grinned and took the offered basket into her hands. She looked inside it, inspecting the herbs. Nastya nodded before thrusting the basket into the hands of Nick.

Nick took them and wandered inside the hut, going for the small cooking pot that was placed on a small fire. While Nick seemed to prepare some sort of soup, Nastya took her hand and led her to the other side of the hut. There was a wooden bank and Nastya urged her to sit down. Nastya began to touch her hair, humming to herself. “I´ll braid them for you,” Nastya then said, beginning with her work. Nastya´s fingernails were long and sharp but she was careful as to not hurt her. There was plenty enough time for that later.

After some short while, Nick appeared in front of them, a deceitful look on his face. He held an ampoule in his right hand, filled with a green glimmering liquid. When Nastya saw it, she began to clap excitedly. “It´s time, it's time,” she chanted, beginning to stand up. She held her hand out for her to take. When she did take Nastya´s outstretched hand, the three of them walked over to the fireplace. The fire was cracking loudly and the flames danced, casting shadows all over the hut.

“You know what to do,” Nick said and gave her the ampoule while Nastya watched with a gleeful expression. Her pale skin seemed even whiter now and Nastya´s eyes glimmered in a dangerous red. But she knew what to do, so she took the offered liquid and chugged it down in one go, while they watched happily. It tasted bitter and sweet and she knew that soon it would take her breath away. Better sooner than later, she wanted the fun part to start.

Nick and Nastya began to hum again, singing some sort of lullaby that sounded strange to her ears. But it calmed her and when she suddenly couldn't breathe anymore, she wasn't scared. She fell to the ground, but Nick caught her, laying her softly on the ground of the floor. Nastya kneeled down, looking at her with wide-open eyes.

Before she closed her eyes forever, she felt a kiss on each side of her temple. Nastya and Nick, giving her the kiss of death.

The end.....or is it?