Birds singing, insects humming, animals chirping amongst the fresh air and wet dew could describe what a typical day in the Eden forest might be like. But it wasn't any ordinary that August morning when a secret hidden within the woods would be revealed.

The shuffling of feet through the dirt and rubble caused the menacing squirrels chattering amongst each other to run away. Any sign of humans coming toward these furry critters caused panic, as the squirrels foresaw people as enemies, not allies.

Yet, one of the pair was unlucky as he was shot at by the hunter. Not killed, but injured; the squirrel limped to escape. Shots were fired afain, but the hunter missed his aim.

Goddamiit!

Leaves continued to rustle as the wind whistled around tree trunks; an omen stating that not all was well in the Eden Forest.

Noticing this take place, the animal's companion went back to help him scurry home.

From afar, Mother Nature watched this disgraceful event take place and knew how to exactly get her revenge, as to attack innocent animals for fun was uncalled for. As her anger aroused, the brisk winds picked up, dark clouds formed and soon the rainy weather caused the hunter to end his activities and headed back to his cabin for shelter.

This was a sign of how Autumn began that Sunday, as Mother Nature waited to bring turmoil to anyone who destroyed her creation. The weather disasters Mother Earth stirred up were even more damaging as they created havoc wherever she went.

And now her next plan was in the works as she foolishly made a deal with the devil years ago. He wanted his request done as soon as possible since he had waited long enough. He wanted her to act as his next puppet in order to obtain the next soul for the netherworld.

Thus, her bony fingers tip tapped along the breeze, as she tried to think of a ruse to get an innocent victim to enter the circus of the damned.

- - - -
Playing blissfully in the woods, three children ran back to the smoky cabin their family temporarily lived in since their house in the city was being renovated.

At first thought, the eldest child, Jaime, didn't like the idea of living so far away from his childhood home. Kalamazoo was where he grew up and the idea of leaving the town ( even if it was temporary) wasn't exactly what he had in mind. His mother kept badgering him to change his mind after several attempts. Thus, Jaime gradually consented to her demands . He couldn't bear to disappoint his mother, since she was the only biological family he had left.

After Jaime's father died of a heart attack, his mother married a real estate agent, Sven Kincaid, who he never got along with. A businessman by day, and animal hunter on vacation, Mr. Kincaid was not easygoing. Jaime despised Sven's hobby by choice as the boy viewed target shooting unethical.

But Mr. Kincaid viewed life differently as he grew up with the notion that hunting was a personal challenge: a test of skill, patience, and perseverance more than cruelty towards animals. For him, it was a challenge of tracking and harvesting games that provided a sense of accomplishment. So no matter what people thought of the sport, he refused to listen, for it was a tradition his father and grandfather did.

Mr. Kincaid also acquired a small cabin in the woods through a business deal and eventually, that was where he became his vacation house. Thus, that was how the cabin became the family's choice to stay while their old place of residence was being renovated.

- - - -
Mrs. Kincaid just cleaned the wooden floors of the living room when her children came back for lunch. She was expecting guests to arrive soon, so she wanted everything to be perfect. She also hoped her children would behave accordingly, but the chances of that happening were quite slim as her two youngest were quite mischievous.

"Mom, may we continue to play outside for a bit?," Stephen asked while rubbing his eyes. He and his sister Seraphina played the game of Mother May I earlier, when they stumbled upon a secret pathway lined up by pebbles littered around across a creek led.

The two siblings were about to continue their journey to figure out where the trail led to, until their older brother Jaime hollered for them to come over as it was lunch time.

Upset that they couldn't continue their short adventure, the twins unwillingly followed their brother back home by actively running in the dirt.

- - - -
"Wipe your shoes off and place them on the rack. Once you finish your lunch, you three can continue playing outside," announced Mrs. Lynnette Kincaid as she looked at her youngest son sternly. She had an inkling he had something up his sleeves as his blue eyes sparkled with excitement. She secretly asked her eldest to tell her why Stephen acted up.
But as Jaime was also clueless with his step-brother's antics, all he could give his mother was a nod and satirical smile. That was the Mother and son code for "Beats me" that only the two shared together, as they didn't want Sven and his children to know.

Smiling at that announcement, Stephen jumped with joy as he was eager to find out what treasure he could find in the forest.

_ _ _ _
Following the fallen colored leaves that led to an opening behind twigs and bushes, the children discovered abandoned circus tents.

Pointing toward the red tarp that covered an antique sign, Stephen ran to unveil what the sign said without hesitation. However, a pull on his shirt prohibited him from running towards his destination.

"Just wait a picken' minute. Stephen, stay still, before you get too hyped up. Look, I know you want to go in there, and I'm not gonna prevent you from going. But as your big brother, both you and Seraphina are my responsibility." Jaime sighed knowing he'd somehow regret what he'd be doing next, but it was the only way to make everyone happy.

"Listen, I'll investigate this area first, before you two could go in. You can't just go in there as it might be private property and we all could get in trouble."

Animals flocked to their own homes as if this section of the woods was inhabitable. Jaime took a step forward behind the bush while holding Seraphina's hand tightly. He could tell she was scared since it was only the three of them left in the forest. Unlike her fraternal twin, Sera was the quiet and timid type, even though she unwillingly went ahead with whatever her brothers did since she wanted to fit in.