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Off the Path: The Protector  by Janice. Scary Tale. Rated PG. WC: 494. Someone knows just what the Wheeler game preserve holds on Halloween night.

Your unmarked path ends at the edge of the woods, and beyond you see a wide, dark lake. Gray clouds now obscure the moon and only a scattering of twinkling stars are visible across the sky. You can hear the unmistakable, rhythmic sound of paddles slowly splashing in the gently rippling water and you take a few steps forward, searching for the source. There, about halfway to the opposite shore, you see a small rowboat. It is moving steadily in a direct line. You blink hard and look again. You can distinctly hear the paddling, yet you see nothing but the boat itself. There doesn't appear to by anyone aboard.

You hastily retreat to the trail you'd just left. What strange, otherworld have you wandered into on this chilly Halloween night, where the impossible has become real? You've seen things you cannot explain and wonder if this relates to your great-aunt's insistence that your hunt for the missing money could only take place on All Hallows' Eve.

You hurry back, retracing your steps yet again. Along the way, you spot a smaller path you'd overlooked. Should you follow it?

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Yes. You'd prefer not to get any closer to that old tree than is strictly necessary.

Or...

No. You'd rather return to the last fork in the trail and try the path to the right that Rebecca drew on her map.