It starts with a walk.
Just a quiet stroll beneath bare branches, where the frost crackles underfoot and the world forgets to breathe. James wanted silence. Space. Somewhere the noise couldn’t follow him.
He found it in the forest.
But there’s a reason Eldmere’s woods are always empty.
A reason the locals walk the long way round.
And a reason, above all, that they say:
Don’t whistle. Not in the woods.
It doesn’t matter if it’s habit. It doesn’t matter if it slips out, tuneless and soft, like it did for James. There are some sounds the trees remember. Some echoes they welcome.
And once she hears you, it’s already too late.
***
She Wants to Play is one of twelve twisted tales in Welcome to Eldmere, a creeping horror anthology bound by folklore, superstition, and the rules no one dares break. This story twists body horror with childhood rhyme, blending eerie innocence with something older, sharper, and endlessly patient.
If you’ve ever felt like something was watching you between the trees—if you’ve ever stopped mid-step because the woods felt wrong—you already know the feeling.
If you enjoy:
- Supernatural creatures born of forgotten rules
- Forest horror with a mythic edge
- Stories where curiosity turns to transformation
…then this is one you’ll remember.
***
Pre-orders for Welcome to Eldmere are now open, and it’s only two weeks until it goes live!
Twelve short stories. One cursed town. And only those who obey the rules make it out.
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Remember, she’s waiting.
And she’s listening.
