“The Stake of Shadows”
On Halloween night, the small town of Hollow’s End shimmered beneath an orange moon. Every year, a single name appeared carved into the old oak tree that stood behind the abandoned church. No one ever saw who carved it. And no one dared to ask.
This year, the name was Elias Thorn, a quiet man who had moved to town just months before. Locals said he worked late nights on his computer, always muttering numbers and strange words. When they asked what he did, he only smiled and said,
“I deal in stakes… the kind that decide your fate.”
On the eve of Halloween, Elias disappeared. The next morning, townsfolk gathered at the oak tree and gasped — below his name was a message newly carved into the bark:
“The stakes are settled. Balance restored.”
Some say they still see him in the reflection of that tree’s roots — pale hands reaching from the shadows, clutching invisible cards, whispering about bets no mortal should ever make.
Every Halloween since, the tree claims another name.
And if you listen closely, you might hear Elias laughing, asking,
“Care to raise the stakes?”
Stake ID:RobbyChen
