In Raphael's small, forgotten town, nestled in the heart of Riddleplain, there were whispers that the woods surrounding Darkmoore Lake were not entirely of this world. 

Folktales were passed down through generations and spoke of strange happenings—of eerie lights flickering through the trees, creatures that watched from the shadows, and voices carried on the wind, calling to those who dared wander too close. These stories told by older men in the pub on chilly autumn nights were meant to scare children and keep them from exploring the forest; however, to Enyd Morels, these stories were alive with magic and filled her with wonder and curiosity instead of fear.

Enyd lived on Bog Lane, a narrow, winding road that led through the town and extended toward the dense woods of Darkmoore Lake—her family—Mr. & Mrs Morels and her older sister Saoirse knew the stories well but never gave them much thought; Saoirse was already 15 and, like all the other teenagers, had long since left fairytales behind, while their parents were practical adults, consumed with their busy lives as working adults, and paid no mind to stories and fairytales.

Enyd, however, couldn't help but feel drawn to the lake. At twelve, the love of magic and mystery was still alive in her, and as she rode her bicycle down Bog Lane to her house, she couldn't help but think of the dark folktales and wonder if they were true. The need to know filled her with an insatiable curiosity.

As Samhain, the Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, approached, the veil between the living and the spirit world was said to thin. Enyd wasn't sure if she believed in such things, but she couldn't deny her strange pull toward the woods. 

Her friends—Wendy, Chris and Mavis —had dared each other to venture into the forest before, but they never went far. "It's just a story," Wendy would say, though she never stepped beyond the first line of trees.