The forest was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. You stood alone beneath the towering trees, heart fluttering as you practiced your vows. Your special day was drawing near, and you wanted every word to be perfect.

Time slipped away as you repeated the lines over and over, lost in the rhythm of your own voice. Eventually, exhaustion set in, and you knelt onto the damp earth, gazing at a twisted branch jutting from the ground. It was gnarled, almost skeletal—like a hand reaching out, waiting.

You smiled softly, humoring yourself as you took the ring from your pocket and held it to the branch. Taking a steadying breath, you whispered the words you had memorized so well:

“With this hand, I will lift your sorrows… and with this ring, I ask you to be mine.”

The ring slid onto the branch’s finger-like form with ease. And then the earth stirred.

A cold hand seized yours.

Your breath caught in your throat as the ground split, dirt crumbling away to reveal something that had been buried beneath someone. Before your horrified eyes, a corpse rose from its grave, its decayed lips curling into a grin as lifeless eyes locked onto yours.

The skeletal fingers around your wrist tightened, refusing to let go. The air grew colder, the forest eerily silent. The world felt frozen in place as the figure leaned closer, tilting its head, as if considering you. Then, in a voice rough as dried leaves, it finally spoke

”…I do.”