The rustling of snow could be heard all across the dark night as two figures clad in black clothing walked together. They walked casually and one of the figures even had a very content expression on his face. The two figures passed under a bright lamp post and  their features illuminated. The figure with the content expression appeared to be seven or eight years old, barely even four feet. He had sleek black hair that stretched slightly down his forehead. What made the child remarkable was his crystal green eyes that reflected in the moonlight. They were so beautiful and cute that any person would stop and stare for a moment when they passed him. 

Next to him was a tall middle aged man that held the boy's hand tightly and walked with a calm and tranquil expression, one void of any excitement or emotion. The man had black hair, similar to that of the boy except he had strands of grey tinging the sides of his head. He had grey eyes that looked straight ahead and never faltered for anything. He slightly resembled the boy next to him and it could be easily identified that these two were related by blood. The boy, with his cheery expression suddenly let out a yawn of sleepiness. In an extremely cute manner the boy asked,

"Uncle, can we go back home now? It's getting pretty dark and I am tired of walking." The man shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head to the boy, not saying anything. He changed directions and began to walk to his left. The little boy frowned slightly and caught up to his uncle. He pulled on the back of the man's jacket and in a cute manner asked,

"Uncle, can we go through the black forest this time? I wanna see it again." The man halted his footsteps and stared down at the boy. He let out a breath and slowly said,

"It's dark there. You still want to go?"

"Un...I want to go. It's fun there. Darkness is fun. Silence is fun. Uncle is there with me all the time so I won't be alone!" The boy cheerfully smiled and waved his hands in the air. The man narrowed his eyes and reached into his coat. Out came a pair of earmuffs that were small enough to fit a child. He bent down to the level of the child and slapped the muffs around the boy's ears. 

"It's cold. We should move quickly." Then, he changed directions once more and led the child on a thicker snow covered path. All the while the child was humming a glee filled tune that rang through the silent night. A few minutes later, the pair arrived at the entrance to a relatively large forest. The forest was completely black, giving it a very eerie feeling. If someone passed it, they would most likely retreat away in fear as the forest completely had that effect. The child and the man however, felt none of this as they stared at the humongous oak trees with snow covering their roots and white leaves. The man stepped forward without hesitation and the child followed him in, giddy with excitement.

The two passed by countless black oak trees but payed none of them a single thought. The child had a very happy expression on his face and the dark atmosphere of the forest did not make him falter at all. It was as if he thrived in situations like this. The man, although mostly immune to the atmosphere, still felt discomfort to a small degree and questioned the child,

"Why do you like this forest so much?" The child slowed his pace a little and scratched his head. Then, with a smile on his face he replied,

"I like everything about it. The darkness, the silence. Everything is great. I can think in peace. I can play in peace. And there's also..." The man stopped in his tracks and looked behind him at the boy who had stopped moving. He questioned,

"And there's also?"

"There's also this feeling I get. Like in the silence, arms are tightly hugging me. This place gives me a very comfortable feeling. I guess I am drawn to it. Uncle what do you think?" The man said nothing in response as he pondered the significance of the child's words. The child did not pester him as he knew very well that this was his uncle's usual attitude. The two walked on for another half hour, the scenery not really changing much except for some squirrels scurrying about and spider webs enlarging in the undergrowth. The two people had already walked a long distance and were nearing the end. The man said,

"Let's go. The end is just---" His voice was suddenly interrupted by the sound of crying invading the quiet atmosphere. The man's eyes widened and the boy had a curious glint in his eyes.

"Uncle. It sounds like a girl is crying. We should go take a look at what is wrong." The man nodded and they both followed the sound of the voice for a few minutes. It gradually grew louder until they had reached a setting where the oak trees became less frequent. They peered through an opening in the trees and saw a large clearing  in which a house was placed in the center. The house was constructed of bricks and looked to be quite old. 

The young boy and the man crossed over and strode towards the house. The sound of the crying girl was now clear as day and it was easy to discern where she was. The door to the house was wide open and it showed signs that someone...or something had come in unauthorized. The man stood in front of the little boy and held his arm out in front of him in a protective stance. Slowly, they advanced forward and pushed the door wide open. The man removed a knife from his belt and held it in front of him, a stern and cautious expression appearing on his face. With a sharp turn, he leaped around the wall and pointed his knife, ready to strike at whatever would be there. 

What met his eyes was the figure of a small little girl, kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down her face. The little boy walked into the scene and stared at the girl with pity. She had a very pretty face despite her age and long black hair. She wore a small pink skirt that was stained in blood and a small ribbon decorated her whole body. Next to her was a pair of bodies. One was male and the second one was female and both appeared to be middle aged. They wore normal clothes and their eyes were wide open. The female body resembled the little girl on the ground. Both figures had bloody holes inside their chests, obviously the result of knife wounds, based on the tears in clothing.

The little girl had apparently noticed their presence as she looked up at them in curiosity. Then, tears once again streamed down her cheeks. She was younger than the little boy and had a lot of cute charm. In a high pitched voice she squealed,

"M-mommy! Mommy and Daddy aren't moving! Why aren't they moving? What is this red stuff? I'm scared. I'm so scared!" Something shook within the little boy as pity overtook him. He stepped forward and pulled the little girl into his embrace. The girl's eyes widened as shock overcame her. Then, her tears fell even faster than before, this time one coming from the solace of the boy's embrace. The tall man walked over and squatted down next to the little girl. In a calm and quiet tone he whispered,

"Little girl. Do you know what happened here?" The girl flinched when she heard the question but noticed the reassuring smile on the boy's face, which implied that the man could be trusted. Gathering the courage to speak, the little girl grabbed the hem of her skirt and stifled her cries.

"Me, Mommy and Daddy were playing outside together today. We were having so much fun. Daddy would chase me around and I would run. Mommy sat on the grass and watched us go. We played until evening. Then, we had to go inside." The girl bit on her lip before continuing. "Mommy made us dinner and we were laughing and eating before we heard a weird sound at the door." She paused her speech and looked down at the floor. The little boy tilted her head towards him and smiled warmly.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"It's okay. You can trust us. We will help you out. Just tell us what happened. What went on after you heard the weird sound?" The girl, seemingly reassured, resumed her recount.

"Daddy's eyes turned really cold that time. We don't get any visitors in this part of the forest. He took a knife and went to the door. Me and Mommy followed him and we waited in the living room. But...but as soon as Daddy opened the door, a guy with a knife stabbed him. He...he fell to the ground. So much blood! I didn't like that Daddy wasn't moving. I called out to him many times but he wouldn't listen. Big brother, why wouldn't he listen to me?!" The girl looked at the boy that was a year older than her for an answer. His hand came to rest on her cheek and he dodged the question, gesturing for her to go on. 

"Daddy fell down and the guy threw him into the living room. He was wearing black clothes everywhere so I couldn't see him clearly. He saw Mommy there, and charged towards her. I tried to stop him but he threw me into a wall and I felt so dizzy. I saw him strangling Mommy and...she was fighting back. She tried to fight back. Then, he took a knife and stabbed her too! I don't remember what happened after that." She had finished recounting her tale and looked at the boy and the man for answers. The man sighed and told her,

"Little girl, your parents have gone to rest in the heavens. They are safe there now and are watching you from above. You are all right." 

"Really mister?" The girl's eyes turned wide, as if she was having a hard time accepting that her parents were actually happy somewhere and safe. The man nodded and looked over at the boy. After pondering for a short while the boy said,

"She's like me. She has lost her parents as well."

"Indeed. What do you wish to do?"

The little boy ignored the question and instead stared at the little girl's pretty face. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes and she looked worried.

"Little sister, what is your name?"

"I...I don't remember clearly. My head was hit hard and it hurt a lot. I only remember what happened today. I don't know my own name." The boy smiled at this and scratched his head. As if a light bulb materialized in his head, his eyes suddenly brightened up and he excitedly said,

"Little sister, do you believe in fresh starts?"

"Fresh...starts?"

"I mean a chance to start anew. To live a new type of life. To be a new type of person."

"Un...that sounds like a nice thing. I...I don't want to live without a mommy or a daddy. But....there isn't anyone I know that will take care of me."

"Little sister, of course there are people that would be willing to take you in." The boy glanced at the man and the latter instantly understood what he wanted to do. Sighing in exasperation, the man nodded his head. The boy continued,

"We would be willing to include you in our family." The girl whipped her head around and stared with shock at the boy before her saying these incredulous things. She could never have even dreamed that another person would want to take her in right off the bat after her parents has died.

"B-b-b-b-but...why? Why do you...care for me?Why do you want me?" The little girl was so excited that she began to stutter constantly.

"Ah, you see. I'm like you little sister. I don't have parents either. Mine died early in my life and I was left alone. My uncle took me in and now I have a family. I don't want to see you alone. That would be too sad. Join our family and become my little sister." The little girl was hit by multiple shocks and given no time to recover from each one. Rivers of tears cascaded down her beet red cheeks, this time one of tears.

"Do you want to? It is completely up to you whether you want to join us or not? My uncle could deliver you to an orphanage is that's what you---"

"NO! I want to stay with you big brother! I want to be with you and uncle!" The girl had already made her decision and wanted to remain closest to this new brother of hers that she had been adopted by. The girl lunged forward and hugged the boy tightly. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed with happiness apparent in her heart. The boy scratched his head embarrassingly as he had no time to prepare for the lunge.

"Now, since we are both siblings, we must know each other's names. My name is Lin Xiu Shen. Little sister, you said you don't have a name?" The girl nodded while committing the name to memory. After all, this boy would be her brother from now on.

"Then, since you don't have a name, I shall give you one instead. From now on, you will be known as Lin Jia Yue. But to me, you shall be my Yue Yue."

"Lin...Jia...Yue. Yue Yue likes the name!" Jia Yue laughed happily as she accepted the name that her beloved brother gave her. She knew that even though her old family had died, a new one would be waiting to accept her into their own. She felt grateful that she had been given this chance. Heaven must have wanted me to meet brother, she thought. Lin Xiu Shen looked at her and he felt strangely content now. For most of his life, he had lived alone with just his uncle and had never really had the experience of having a sibling or true friend. Even his uncle rarely spoke to him. Having a sister now made his heart feel much happier and he knew that he would enjoy the new experiences that he would have with her.

The man had been patiently waiting for Lin Xiu Shen to resolve the problem of the girl. Now that they had decided on an outcome, he walked over to the little girl. His cold, grey eyes made Jia Yue shiver in fear but contrary to her belief, the man patted her head softly.

"Since you are now Xiu Shen's younger sister, you are also my niece. You can call me Uncle Chen. We are all family. Come live with us." Though the girl already knew that this would be the case when she accepted, she still looked back at the old house that she used to live in. A melancholy-like air surrounded Jia Yue as she thought hard about her choice.

"It's okay Yue Yue. You will enjoy living with us. Or do you have doubts?" Lin Jia Yue shook her head and leaped towards Lin Xiu Shen once again. 

"None. Jia Yue will go wherever Uncle and Brother will go. Yue Yue loves brother!" Even Uncle Chen found himself smiling at Jia Yue's naivety and innocence. After a while, the three buried the mother and father of Jia Yue underground and payed their respects to them. Jia Yue smiled bravely through tears and remained strong.

"Mother, father. I'm okay now. I am with people who care about me."

After about an hour of praying, Uncle Chen called the two new siblings to leave back home. They walked back, hand in hand, and a cute atmosphere drifting about them. They passed through the black forest without any problems at all. It was as if the happy atmosphere carried by the two siblings overpowered any of the creepiness that the forest previously exuded. Life seemed to be going their way. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the two siblings.