In the heart of Blackthorn Forest stood a tree older than time—Elderwood. Its bark was etched with names, each carved by someone who had heard the legend: Whisper your deepest wish to the wood, and if it finds you worthy, it will answer.
No one believed it anymore. Except for Cora.
Her brother, Finn, had vanished into the forest two winters ago, leaving only his knife stuck in Elderwood’s trunk. The townsfolk said he’d run away. Cora knew better.
On the eve of the logging company’s arrival, she pressed her palm to the gnarled bark. "Show me," she begged.
The tree shuddered.
Suddenly, Cora wasn’t standing—she was falling through rings of time. She saw Finn, hollow-eyed, carving his name. Saw the moment the wood reached back, twining around his wrist like a vine.
"It wanted a keeper," the tree whispered in her mind. "But he fought."
Cora wrenched the knife free. Sap like blood welled up—and the forest wailed.
Around her, trees splintered to life, roots erupting from the earth. The loggers’ screams faded beneath the creak of waking timber.
When the dust settled, Cora stood alone. Finn’s knife was gone.
But the bark under her fingers now bore two names.