A chill ran through the mother’s veins as the girl finished speaking. She had heard of this strange figure in their small town, ‘Mr. Phantom’. He was an eccentric old man who always seemed to lurk around the outskirts of town and had a habit of sending children on strange tasks.

The mother had no idea why her daughter was doing as this peculiar character said, but she was determined to find out. After a brief questioning from the mother, the girl finally gave in to explain what was happening.

The little girl had been having strange dreams since last week about a figure that told her to come to his forest in the middle of town to begin “The Rituals.” When she had woken up this morning, the girl calmly went to the backyard with her dolls and began to dig small holes as instructed.

The mother was taken aback by this news but she could not argue with the gleam of excitement in the girl’s eyes. She knew what she had to do.

For the rest of the day, the mother waited vigilantly until nightfall. When darkness came, she grabbed a flashlight and followed her daughter into the forest determined to catch this mysterious Mr. Phantom in the act.

They finally came to a clearing and there he was- a tall shadowy figure wearing a torn suit and a peculiar mask that covered his face. He smiled and opened his arms, beckoning for the girl to come to him.

The mother was filled with rage. She grabbed her daughter and dragged her back home as the figure watched in silence.

The next day, they learned that the old man had been caught by the police, and it later came out that he had been kidnapping children and performing dark rituals.

The incident terrified the young girl, but the mother was relieved to know that her daughter was safe. From that day forward, she forbade her daughter to go into the forest ever again.