Noah couldn’t sleep.
He tossed in his creaky bed, the forest brushing against his window like fingertips tapping for attention. The canvas Eli had given him sat on his desk, turned face-down — but it didn’t matter. He could still feel it. That shadow behind him in the painting, standing just a breath away.
The strangest part?
It didn’t scare him.
It thrilled him.
The next morning, Noah skipped the market and walked straight toward the trees. He didn’t even hesitate this time. The path felt familiar, like the earth remembered his steps.
He didn’t know what he was going to say. He didn’t even know why he needed to see Eli again.
He just… did.
When he reached the cabin, Eli was outside — barefoot, shirt loose, sleeves rolled up, paint smeared all over his hands like warpaint. He didn’t look surprised to see Noah.
“You came earlier than I thought,” Eli said, not looking up from the canvas he was working on. “It’s still morning.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Eli dipped a brush into dark green and swept it across the canvas. “Sleep is where the pines whisper loudest.”
Noah shifted awkwardly. “You keep saying that. The pines whisper. What does that even mean?”
Eli paused. His brush hovered above the canvas, paint dripping.
“You really want to know?”
Noah hesitated — then nodded.
Eli looked at him. Really looked at him. His eyes were pale grey, like fog right before rain. Then he pointed to the forest behind him.
“Go into the woods. Alone. After midnight. No lights. No music.”
Noah blinked. “That sounds like how people die in horror movies.”
Eli smirked — the first real expression Noah had seen on him.
“You won’t die,” he said. “But something will change.”
🌙 That Night
Noah waited until the clock struck twelve. His mom was asleep. The house was still. The trees outside his window were waiting.
He slipped out the door, hoodie zipped up, heart racing.
No lights. No phone. Just him and the cold.
As he stepped into the forest, the temperature dropped. Dew kissed his ankles. The air tasted electric.
At first, there was nothing.
Then the whispers began.
Not voices, not words — just feelings. Regret. Longing. Curiosity. Grief. The forest pulsed with memory.
Noah walked deeper.
And then—
He heard his name.
Whispered softly. Behind him.
He turned, breath caught.
There stood Eli. Not quite real — a little too still, a little too glowing.
"Eli?" he whispered.
But Eli didn’t speak.
He just watched.
Then, impossibly, he stepped forward — reached out — and touched Noah’s chest, right over his heart.
Noah gasped awake in his bed, drenched in sweat, heart racing. He looked around. Window open. Forest whispering.
And on his desk?
A new painting.
Him. In the woods. Eyes closed. Eli’s hand on his chest.
Painted in moonlight.
🌒 The Next Day
He marched to the cabin, heart in his throat. Eli was painting again, barefoot again, like the forest had raised him.
“You were in my dream,” Noah said.
Eli didn’t stop painting.
“You touched me,” Noah said, voice quieter now. “In my dream. You left another painting.”
Finally, Eli turned.
“I didn’t leave it,” he said calmly. “The forest did.”
Noah stared at him. “Are you saying the trees are painting now?”
“I’m saying,” Eli said, walking closer, voice low, “that I see things. You feel them. And that shadow in your dreams?”
He stopped just a breath away. Noah could feel the heat between them.
“…It’s getting closer.”
And this time, it wasn’t just creepy. It was intimate. Like secrets brushing skin. Like the edge of something dangerous… and beautiful.
...❤️🔥 Chapter Three End...
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 10 Episodes
Comments