You decide it might not be safe, stepping into a known magical snare, and you begin to dig through your pockets for something to offer to the fairies instead. You don't have much on you; a few coins, a few pebbles, and a piece or two of halloween candy - but hopefully it'll be the thought that counts?
You bend down to place your humble offering amongst the mushrooms, and turn to head back to the main pathways of the maze so you can go on with your explorations. But as you draw back, a flash of golden light takes you by surprise. You whirl around to find a glow enveloping your offering, and then tendrils of magic rush into the air like a radiant fountain, shining so brightly that for a moment, you have to shield your eyes.
When the intensity softens and you can lower your hand again, you find a golden acorn suspended in midair, and without thinking about it, you reach through the wisps of light to open your palm. The seed falls into your hand; it's warm to the touch, and is three times larger than any acorn you've ever seen. As you inspect it, the magic fades from the fairy circle, and the stillness of the night closes back in.
That's when you realize that the corn stalks ahead of the previously dead end have parted to reveal a new path. Not only that, but the encroaching darkness has revealed something else that's glowing. Dozens of glittering eyes peer out of the shadows at the edge of the forest ahead of you. Every gaze is trained fiercely on the acorn you hold in your hand.
Uh oh. You're not even sure yourself yet what this totem is supposed to mean, but it's clear someone wants it. Multiple someones. Corn stalks rustle around you, and you start to see the eyes blinking into view inside the corn maze as well. What could you possibly do now?
🧡 Clutch the golden acorn close and run! You're going to protect it.
💜 Throw the acorn into the reeds at the foot of the forest! Whatever is out there, they can have it.
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