There are several reasons why young children should not wander the woods. The wilderness is filled with great unknowns, and if they go too far they may become forever lost.

Such a fate befell on the children of one village which had been built at the edge of a vast forest. Every winter people are known to have gone missing in the woods, some of whom never return.

But children are foolish and often disregard the cautions of their parents. 

One foolish child ran into the woods to hide during a game with their friends. They climbed over the roots of great trees, leaving behind small footprints that were soon covered with the falling snow.

The child eventually became lost, unable to trace the path from which they came. Tired and alone, they sat down to rest at the base of a snow-covered tree. Looking up at the grey sky, the bare branches looked like claws stretching out to each other, caging them in.

Cold and now spooked, the child stood and brushed the snow from their bottom. They figured they should try to find their way back when they noticed something under their foot.

Curious, the child stooped down and dug through the snow. What they found made them scream in fright.

The blue face of another child stared up at them with blank eyes, the mouth agape as though it were screaming for help. 

The child stumbled back and screamed, their call echoing throughout the woods.

Such foolish children are never seen again. They remain forever trapped in the clutches of the woods.