He settled into his chair, the firelight dancing on his face, accentuating his features and creating mysterious shadows.
"The story takes place on a night , in a large, isolated house in the forest. A young woman was working as a babysitter for a wealthy couple, taking care of their two young children who were already asleep upstairs..."
Theo's voice dropped to a deep whisper that mingled with the crackling of the fire. The sound of the stream, once calming, now seemed to whisper indistinct words.
"The young babysitter, let's call her Mina, was alone in that huge house. The parents had gone out for dinner in the city and wouldn't be back until dawn. The house was old, made of dark wood, and creaked with the wind that was beginning to blow outside. The only sound, besides the creaks of the house, was the loud, monotonous ticking of a large grandfather clock in the living room."
Theo paused dramatically, letting the silence settle for a moment. Nayun pulled her jacket a little closer to her body.
"To pass the time, Mina decided to explore her employer's library. She picked up a heavy, leather-bound book and sat in the armchair near the fireplace. As she flipped through the pages, a black and white photograph fell into her lap. It was a picture of a lumberjack, a tall, thin man with an axe slung over his shoulder. His eyes, even in the faded photo, seemed empty, lifeless. On the back, an inscription: 'In memory of Joo-ho, the best lumberjack in the valley. Rested with his axe, 1954'."
Yeonha rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at Theo.
"Mina felt a chill, but attributed it to the cold. She put the photo back in the book and decided to check on the children. She went up the stairs, which creaked under her feet, and entered the silent room. The two little brothers were sleeping soundly in their twin beds. She breathed a sigh of relief and went to the window to close the curtain. Outside, the forest was a black, impenetrable stain. That's when she saw it. A tall, thin figure, standing at the edge of the forest, with its back to the house. It was motionless. And over its shoulder, she could make out the unmistakable shape of an axe."
Nayun held her breath, gripping her mug a little tighter.
"Mina took a step back, her heart pounding. 'It's just your imagination,' she whispered to herself. When she looked again, the figure was gone. Relieved, but still nervous, she went downstairs to make some tea. In the kitchen, as the water boiled, a sound made her freeze. It was a dry, metallic sound. Thump. Thump. Thump."
Theo mimicked the sound by gently tapping his mug against the leg of the chair. Nayun jumped.
"It was the sound of an axe hitting wood. Coming from outside the house. Slow, steady, relentless. Mina ran to the kitchen window and peeked into the dark yard. Nothing. The sound stopped. The silence that followed was worse. That's when she heard it. A dragging of heavy feet on the back porch. Someone, or something, was dragging its feet on the porch wood, stopping in front of the kitchen door."
Theo's voice was now little more than a breath, forcing everyone to lean forward to hear. The fire seemed to die down, as if it too were listening.
"Mina froze, paralyzed with fear. She couldn't take her eyes off the doorknob. Slowly, very slowly, the brass knob began to turn. To the right. To the left. Someone was outside, trying to get in. But the door was locked. The movement stopped. A long minute of silence passed. Mina barely breathed. Then, a new sound. A low, rough scratching at the bottom of the door. It was the sound of nails, or metal, being dragged against the wood. And then... a voice."
Theo paused, his eyes scanning the pale faces of Nayun and Yeonha. Cappie's eyes were shining, completely engrossed.
"It was a hoarse, whispering voice that seemed to come from all sides at once. It said, 'Let me in. I need to sharpen my axe.' Mina screamed and ran to the living room, grabbing the phone. The line was dead. The noise started again, now louder, more insistent, coming from all the windows at once. She was completely surrounded. In desperation, she ran upstairs, to the children's room. Maybe she could lock the door, hide. She entered the room and... the beds were empty."
Nayun let out a small, muffled gasp. Yeonha crossed her arms, trying to hide a shiver that ran down her spine.
"Mina's terror was absolute. Where were the children? She heard the sound coming up the stairs. With each step, the thing got closer. The hoarse whisper echoed down the hall: 'I found new firewood.' Mina, in a panic, hid in the only place she could find: the children's room closet. She huddled in the dark corner, among blankets, trying to control her breathing. The footsteps stopped outside the room. The door creaked open. She could hear the thing's heavy breathing outside the closet. The footsteps approached. Then, silence preceded. A heavy, absolute silence. At that moment, Mina held her breath, her eyes full of tears staring at the crack in the closet door. Suddenly, an eye appeared in the crack. A large, glazed, lifeless eye, staring directly at her from the outside."
Theo leaned forward, his voice becoming an icy, piercing whisper that cut through the night air...
"And the voice whispered, smooth as a blade: 'The children are already out'."
A muffled scream escaped Nayun, who instinctively grabbed Yeonha's arm. Yeonha, in turn, gave a small jump in her chair, startled by Nayun's sudden touch.
Cappie laughed at seeing them like that.
Theo leaned back, a satisfied smile on his lips, the firelight revealing his face again. The immediate mood of terror began to dissipate, but a palpable chill still hung in the air.
Cappie asked, full of curiosity.
"What happened next? And the children, where were they? Did Mina die?"
Theo shrugged, resuming his normal tone of voice.
"Ah, that's where the story varies. Some say the parents arrived at that moment and the thing disappeared. Others say she was never seen again. And others... well, others say the Lumberjack still looks for new firewood on dark, moonless nights, in isolated forests. As for the children, some say they never even existed..."
He looked around at the dark forests surrounding their camp. The murmur of the stream now sounded sinister, and every crackle of the fire seemed like a step approaching in the darkness.
Nayun pulled her legs up onto the chair, curling up.
"I hate you a little right now, Theo."
Yeonha, recovering some of her composure, cleared her throat.
"It's... a very good story... But, a child shouldn't hear something like that. Your father was crazy..."
Her voice had a slight tremor, and she couldn't stop looking at the shadows beyond the fire's circle of light. The story had done its job. The campsite was no longer just stunning. It was frighteningly alive, and the night suddenly seemed much, much darker.
The silence that followed Theo's story was thick, heavy with the echo of terror and the comforting crackle of the fire. Nayun was still huddled in her chair, casting nervous glances into the darkness beyond the circle of light.
"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep."