\u2014 I\u2019m pulling! \u2014 he yelled, but his friends were already backing away. Someone laughed nervously, another turned pale.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Let\u2019s get out of here! \u2014 one of them shouted and ran off first.<\/p>\n
A minute later, Ilya was alone by the river. His heart was pounding.<\/p>\n
He pulled again, harder this time. The rope moved slowly, as if something heavy was being dragged along the bottom. The water rippled, and from the depths something horrifying began to rise.<\/p>\n
Ilya froze but didn\u2019t let go. He kept pulling until he finally saw what had come to the surface. \ud83d\ude31\ud83d\ude31 Continued in the first comment \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n
It was a man\u2019s body. Water streamed over his face, his eyes were closed, his clothes clung to his skin. The rope was wrapped around his waist, and there were bruises on his neck.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ilya screamed. The rope slipped from his hands, he stumbled backward, and ran toward the village. Tears blurred his vision, his breath was ragged, but he didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n
When the adults returned with him to the river, the current had already carried the body closer to the shore. Later it was discovered that the man had been missing for a week.<\/p>\n
And the rope \u2014 that same rope \u2014 no one has ever dared to touch it since. It still lies there on the riverbank, a reminder that sometimes curiosity can reveal a terrifying truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2014 I\u2019m pulling! \u2014 he yelled, but his friends were already backing away. Someone laughed nervously, another turned pale. \u2014 Let\u2019s get out of here! \u2014 one of them shouted and ran off first. A minute later, Ilya was alone by the river. His heart was pounding. He pulled again, harder this time. The rope…<\/p>\n