The Terrifying Night

The night was unyieldingly dark, and the winds bitingly cold. Suddenly, I heard the sound of drums. The rhythm was eerie and struck incomprehensible fear into my heart.

I curled up into a ball, regretting that I had ever ventured out into the woods without my father. It was my first camping trip, and I had promised my father that I was old enough to explore the forest by myself. “Okay, but don’t go too deep, and you also have your phone to call me or the police if anything happens,” he had said. Even though it was my first time camping, my dad and I had walked in the forest before, and I knew most of it. I had left the camp, excited. However, I did not follow my dad’s instructions and went far into the forest, into parts of the forest where we had never walked before.

As the sound of the drums got louder, I realized I was lost in the wilderness. I started to panic and began to frantically look around for any signs of familiarity. The forest seemed to close on me, and the trees loomed like giants that were planning to surround and devour me. I had a sick feeling in my stomach, and my eyes darted side to side, half-expecting that someone—or something—would come out of the darkness. Suddenly, I remembered something my dad said. You also have your phone to call me if anything happens. I pulled my phone out of my pocket thankfully, knowing that I was saved. I tapped my phone’s home screen, and… nothing. My phone was dead.

The only light I had was the faint glow of the moon. I huddled against a tree, trying to keep warm when I heard something rustling in the bushes. My heart skipped a beat as a figure emerged from the darkness. It was a man in a long coat.

I closed my eyes and prayed for a miracle, but it seemed like all hope was lost. That was when I heard a familiar voice. “Aditya, thank God, I found you! It’s freezing outside. Good thing I brought my trench coat just in case it was cold at night! What did I tell you about not going too far?” Thankfully, it was my dad! I was just happy that I wasn’t lost anymore.

“But... But… what about the drums?” I stammered.

My dad laughed. “Drums?” he said. That’s just the rumbling of thunder! There’s a thunderstorm coming. Listen closely.” I listened and realized that in my panic, I had the rumbling of thunder in the distance for the deep boom of a kettledrum. Ever since that day, I’ve always made sure to never disregard directions given to me ever again!