The Suicide Forest

Two fathers set out for a walk in the woods with their children in search of adventure and peace of mind, but instead kept stumbling upon creepy memorials.

They say a walk in the fresh air calms the nerves and restores one's peace of mind.

My friend and I, filled with the kind of parental enthusiasm that usually ends in dirty clothes and high spirits, decided to take our kids to a secret rope swing in Oxleas Woods.

Pushing through the thicket down from Severndroog "Castle" and crossing a clearing, we finally reached our destination. The tree was magnificent. The rope swing hanging from a thick branch looked sturdy. The only thing spoiling the carefree atmosphere was a makeshift memorial on the trunk. Dozens of photos of a young man, touching letters pinned to the bark, and withered flowers.

I looked up at the branch holding our recreational rope, then at the photos, then back at the branch. A simple spatial parallel formed in my head.

• I think it's time for us to move on, - I said in the tone of a person who just remembered they left the iron on.

My friend, who had also appraised the forest installation, confidently backed me up.

The kids noticed nothing. Kids in the woods rarely notice anything anyway, besides burrs to step into and sticks to wave in front of your nose. They dashed through the forest with the grace and silence of a herd of startled rhinos. They broke off branches the size of a small frigate's mast, darted from one side of the trail to the other, and disappeared into impenetrable bushes every two minutes, from which their triumphant shouts would echo.

• Oh! There's some kind of forest tent made of logs here! - they shouted joyfully from behind the bushes on the right.
• Oh! And here's a huge bug! - echoed from the left a minute later.

We were strolling solemnly along the path, until it was time for the second blow. Another tree towered before us. Beneath it lay neatly placed flowers, and inside a frame, a black inscription read: "Why did you leave us..."

I stopped. My friend stopped. It brought to mind that Japanese forest where people go to never return.

We quickened our pace. The kids once again disappeared into the bushes, and a moment later, their hysterical shriek rang out from there:

• Oh! What.. what is this!??

My friend and I tore through the thickets, gathering cobwebs with our faces. The children were bowing reverently over something in the tall grass.

• Look! This must be a fox den!

Must be, must be. Must be the next time we'll restore our peace of mind at the shopping mall.