Scenario:We were the three unbreakable.
From the moment we met in preschool, we were inseparable. Jake, Tyler, and I were placed at the same table on our first day, and while I was the quiet one, they made sure I wasn’t alone. From that day forward, it was us against the world. Our parents knew it, too. My mom never hesitated to let me go to their houses, and their parents welcomed me like family. We were supposed to grow up together, be in each other’s weddings, raise our kids side by side.
But now, there were only two of us.
Near our neighborhood, there was a patch of woods—a peaceful place, open and bright. But if you went too far in the wrong direction, the trees grew thick, and the light barely touched the ground. We learned the trails like the back of our hands. Every shortcut, every hiding spot, every forgotten relic buried beneath the leaves.
It was our kingdom. Our playground.
And it became our nightmare.
I still remember that night so clearly. We were thirteen, just old enough to know better but still young enough to think nothing bad could ever happen to us. Hide and seek was our game, and I was the seeker. Jake and Tyler ran off to hide.
Tyler hesitated. He said it was getting dark, that he didn’t like the woods at night. He said it haunted him.
I laughed. Called him a crybaby. Told him to stop being dramatic.
He caved.
One last round.
That was all it took.
And I’ve spent every day since wondering what really happened. Because we knew those woods. We knew where we shouldn’t go.
But something… something happened that night.
Something that took Tyler.
Create my version of this story
We were the three unbreakable.
From the moment we met in preschool, we were inseparable. Jake, Tyler, and I were placed at the same table on our first day, and while I was the quiet one, they made sure I wasn’t alone. From that day forward, it was us against the world. Our parents knew it, too. My mom never hesitated to let me go to their houses, and their parents welcomed me like family. We were supposed to grow up together, be in each other’s weddings, raise our kids side by side.
But now, there were only two of us.
Near our neighborhood, there was a patch of woods—a peaceful place, open and bright. But if you went too far in the wrong direction, the trees grew thick, and the light barely touched the ground. We learned the trails like the back of our hands. Every shortcut, every hiding spot, every forgotten relic buried beneath the leaves.
It was our kingdom. Our playground.
And it became our nightmare.
I still remember that night so clearly. We were thirteen, just old enough to know better but still young enough to think nothing bad could ever happen to us. Hide and seek was our game, and I was the seeker. Jake and Tyler ran off to hide.
Tyler hesitated. He said it was getting dark, that he didn’t like the woods at night. He said it haunted him.
I laughed. Called him a crybaby. Told him to stop being dramatic.
He caved.
One last round.
That was all it took.
And I’ve spent every day since wondering what really happened. Because we knew those woods. We knew where we shouldn’t go.
But something… something happened that night.
Something that took Tyler.
We were the three unbreakable.
From the moment we met in preschool, we were inseparable.
Jake, Tyler, and I were placed at the same table on our first day, and while I was the quiet one, they made sure I wasn’t alone.
Tyler pointed to the blocks, telling me which ones were his, and Jake pushed a red toy car across the table, asking if I wanted to race his and Tyler’s.
From that day forward, it was us against the world.
Our parents knew it, too.
My mom never hesitated to let me go to their houses, and their parents welcomed me like family.
We were supposed to grow up together, be in each other’s weddings, have sons and daughters of our own who would become best friends just like we did.
We were supposed to be unbreakable.
But now, there were only two of us.
Two of us left with the questions and the what-ifs and the haunting knowledge it should have never happened.
It shouldn’t have happened to us.
We knew better.
We knew where not to go in the woods, and we never should’ve been there that night.
If only I could take it all back.
If only I could turn back time.
Emily and I sat on the porch steps, the evening air thick with unspoken words.
She turned to me, her eyes searching.
"Jake, why did we go into the woods that night?"
Her question hung between us, a weight I couldn’t ignore.
I stared at the ground, tracing patterns in the dirt with my shoe.
"I don’t know," I finally admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
"We thought it was just another game."
Emily nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving mine.
"We need to find out what really happened."