“Nobody cares…” Hannie sniffed and wrapped her arms around herself. She wondered how long she could stay out here. Would they even notice she was missing? She was never going back…

A twig snapped. Heart thudding, Hannie peered over her shoulder into the dark murky distance. She saw sinister shapes in every dark corner. That gnarled old tree – a man with an axe. The craggy rock face was a crouching murderer with a hunchback and an eye patch.

Hannie squeezed her eyes shut. Her breathing was heavy and too loud, her heart was beating against her chest. “There’s nothing there,” she whispered to herself, but even so, she started running, back towards the house.

Weird woods-y noises rushed through her ears – the roar of the wind, the crunching of dead leaves, the twitter of insects and animals. Her own breath was ragged. And then, her left foot hit something hard and she was flying.

The wind knocked out of her, Hannie lay face-down on the cool, damp ground. Head swimming, she closed her eyes.