With the final tip of the sun now hidden behined the horizon, the sky had turned to a beautifull blend of dark royal blues and rich purples. I couldn't see any stars, but the clearing was lit up by the light of an enormous moon that dominated the sky.
Shards of silver moonlight highlighted the edges of a thick mist that swept all along the boundary of the clearing, hiding the forest from view and making it seem like I had stepped into another world.
I slowly made my way through the tall grass towards the small wooden house. I don't know what I was expecting to find there, the wooden panels were cracked and covered in moss, and several tiles were missing from the roof. It didn't look as though anyone had lived there in a long time.
However as I approached the door, I could see it had been left ever so slightly ajar, and from the small crack a glow of warm flickering light escaped out. Nervously I stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Inside the house was just one large room, with a cool stone floor, and bare wooden walls. There in the middle of the room was a small open fire, and sat quietly, crosslegged beside it a strange figure wearing a long, brown, hooded tunic.
As I entered the room the figure looked up from the fire. Between the shadows cast by the dancing firelight, and the large hood that hung down in front of the figures face, I couldn't see anything of what they looked like.
'Who are you?' I asked.
With a slow mesasured voice, that sounded ancient and full of wisdom, and yet at the same time with a warmth and gentleness to it, they spoke. 'I am The Guide, and I have been waiting for you'.
