"Follow me, don't be afraid, this is the way" said that female figure shining like a sun shrouded in mist.
Annie was a girl like any other girl of her age in her teens from the age of 16 and was very popular in her group of friends.
One day at school and before school holidays Annie said to Mary "I had an idea let's go camping the weather is getting nice and we have a wood not far away we invite our group of friends what do you think?"
Mary was always afraid to venture out into the dark, especially in the woods, and stay overnight.
The next day Annie went to Sam and Peter and very excited about the idea of camping in the woods she started to tell what she had thought and Sam and Peter agreed if their parents would also give their permission to go.
After a week, summer began and all these youngsters shyly asked their parents if they could go camping in the woods one night, some with more difficulty, some with less, but they all managed to convince their parents to give permission, but with warnings, lots of warnings. about the dangers they could run in the woods.
The next day, the four friends met in the village garden and decided to make a shopping list to take away.
Annie began by saying, "I bring flashlights, a new tent I have at home and a backpack with food, I'm thinking about some ham and cheese sandwiches and a drink too."
The other friends all said what they would take, some food, another another tent, another the sleeping bags and so they prepared for the adventure in the forest.
On the appointed day, everyone met at the edge of a small lake in the same garden as the village, all with their backpacks on their backs and started walking towards the forest.
The village on top of a hill could already be seen in the distance and among so many trees and vegetation they decided to rest a little while it was only four in the afternoon and they still had a few hours of sun to be able to see.
After an hour they went back to walking along a trail that someone had already done before and arrived around 7pm to a clearing in the middle of the forest it was a clearing surrounded by trees about 10 meters in diameter and it seemed to be the ideal place for set up camp.
So it was Annie, who was the leader of the group, she started to set up her tent and after everything was arranged they decided to make a circle with some stones where they should make a small fire to spend the night.
Night fell suddenly the starry sky appeared and as you can see the darkness was immense with noises and sounds of animals coming from everywhere that seemed to be next to them, others seemed to be further away and Mary was not very comfortable with this darkness but with the fire burning and with his friends close by, he felt a certain security.
The night progressed between horror stories that the boys liked to tell and jokes, but something was missing the firewood they had found was little was running out quickly and Annie decided to go get firewood in a further area of the woods she had her flashlight with her battery fired and went to try to pick up some dry branches.
Anne walked forward, followed a path through the vegetation, looked around, and there she saw a good log to put on the fire.
But something went wrong, she doesn't remember the way back to the camp and she's already walked far enough, even though she screams that they shouldn't hear her.
She started walking around trying to find her way back to something that was familiar to her, but the more she walked the more tired she got and it felt like she was always in the same place.
Annie was lost away from her friends with only a flashlight in her hand.
Some time later Mary asked: "She should have come back, what's going on we have to go get her."
But where would they start and if they got lost too, they decided to wait a little longer but Annie didn't arrive, they screamed her name "Annie, where are you if you hear us scream too."
But Annie didn't show up they decided to go get help they left a message written on the floor in case Annie came back saying "We went to get help if you read this Annie stay here and wait for someone to come get you."
The three teenagers returned to the village and went to ask for help around three in the morning.
Annie's parents didn't want to believe that her daughter was lost in the woods alone.
The population quickly gathered and, well into the night, they started with lanterns entering the woods looking for Annie, screaming her name but no response.
Annie sitting scared and her flashlight getting weaker as the batteries were low she started crying with her head between her legs she was desperate.
"Psssss" heard Annie.
Annie lifted her head and saw a bright light beside her was something divine—a figure that appeared to be that of a child with long hair, dressed in heavenly white.
Annie stood still, she couldn't move, her eyes wouldn't close, what was before her was surreal.
That voice and that figure said to Annie, "Don't be afraid, I'll guide you home.
Annie without knowing how she started to get up from the ground that light was so bright that her legs were shaking she started to walk and then the figure of that child.
Annie walked and walked until she got close to the camp the fireplace was almost out and Annie saw the message her friends had left written on the floor and so she sat and waited.
The figure of that child was beside her until Annie heard her yell "Annie, are you listening?" shouted a voice she recognized to be her mother's.
Annie yelled "I'm here, I'm here."
A few seconds later Annie saw her mother and ran into her arms and around her were her friends and many people who had helped in the search for her.
Annie looked around and after so many questions where she had been she remembered to take a look but the bright child's form was gone.
Annie returned home, the years passed and she was always a good student and one day she went to work for a village newspaper as she had taken a journalism course.
One of her first days at the newspaper was organizing the file, while she was digging through so many old newspapers that some even turned colorless, suddenly a sheet of newspaper fell to the floor.
This sheet of newspaper caught Annie's attention as she had a picture of a 7 year old dressed in white and the headline said.
Missing child in the forest.
When reading the news Annie saw that this child many years ago had left the house alone and got lost in the forest where Annie was also lost, but was found alive by a group of people it was like Annie's story.
Upon reading who this child was, she saw that her name was Stephanie and she was the mother of the owner of the newspaper where Annie worked.
The newspaper owner saw Annie reading this news and when Annie saw her, she apologized for sitting at work reading.
But the owner of the newspaper didn't care and told Annie: "It was she didn't go, my mother guided you she passed away a few years ago and I asked her when you disappeared in those woods to help you."
Annie nodded wordlessly and gave the weeping newspaper owner a hug.