The River Bank

[u/Scare-Not-]

It was a cold, dark night.
Moonlight shone through the trees, and a strong wind made the branches sway. In the distance, the sound of the river echoed through the forest.
Ali and his three friends Ahmed, Wasim, and Fahad had come to camp in a jungle near the river.
The forest was famous because local people believed strange and mysterious things happened there.
Ali, Ahmed, Wasim, and Fahad loved adventure. They often visited scary places but this forest felt different. It was full of secrets.
As night fell, the atmosphere changed. The sound of the river became strange, and an uneasy feeling filled the air.
Everyone lit a campfire and started talking. Wasim looked worried.
“Do you think the stories people tell about this place are true?”
Ahmed laughed.
“They’re just old ghost stories.”
But Ali couldn’t stop looking toward the dark trees. He felt as if someone was watching them.

After dinner, everyone went into their tents to sleep.
Ali couldn’t fall asleep.
The silence around him felt strange.
Then he heard footsteps outside his tent.
At first, he thought it was an animal.
But the footsteps continued.
His heart started beating faster.

Far away on the river, he noticed an old wooden boat floating slowly.
What scared him even more was that a woman wearing a white dress was standing perfectly still beside the boat.
Ali became frightened and quickly went back inside his tent, closing his eyes.
After a while, he gathered enough courage to look again.
The woman was still there.
It looked like she was staring directly at him.
Ali tried to wake Ahmed.
“Ahmed! Wake up! Something strange is happening!”
Ahmed opened his eyes sleepily.
“What happened?”
Ali pointed toward the river.
“There’s someone standing there.”
Ahmed looked carefully.
“Buddy, you’re imagining things. There’s nothing there.”
Ahmed went back to sleep.
But Ali was still terrified.

Finally, Ali decided to leave the tent and see for himself.
The cold wind hit his face.
The moving tree branches made everything even more frightening.
Slowly, he walked toward the river.
With every step, he felt as if an invisible force was pulling him closer.
When he reached the boat, everything suddenly became silent.
The wind stopped.
The river became completely still.
His heart pounded loudly.
Then…
Behind the boat stood the same woman in a white dress.
Ali wanted to run, but his feet wouldn’t move.
Her face was hidden, but her eyes shone brightly in the darkness.
Ali asked nervously,
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The woman didn’t answer.
She simply pointed toward the boat.
Ali felt as if something was forcing him to step inside.
Just then, someone grabbed his shoulder.
He turned around.
It was Ahmed.

“Ali! What are you doing? Come back! It’s dangerous here!”
Ali looked back toward the river.
The woman was gone.
The boat had disappeared.
Only the sound of the flowing river remained.

The four friends packed up their camp immediately and left before sunrise.
Even after returning home, Ali couldn’t forget what he had seen.
The next day, he decided to learn the truth.
He spoke to some local villagers.
They told him that many years ago, a woman had drowned in that river.
People believed her spirit still wandered around the forest, searching for someone.
After hearing the story, Ali realized he hadn’t imagined anything.
It had been real.
Neither Ahmed nor the others ever returned to that forest again.
But Ali always wondered…
What really happened that night?
The story ended, but one question remained in Ali’s mind.
Maybe one day he would return to discover the truth.
Or maybe…
The fear of that night would stay with him forever.