The summer heat was oppressive, casting a shimmering haze over the small, sleepy town. The group of children - Sam, Lucy, Ravi, and Emma - had spent their days exploring the nearby woods, searching for adventure where none seemed to exist. But that afternoon, everything changed.

It started as an ordinary day, with the four of them chasing the sound of birds deeper into the forest. Their laughter echoed between the towering oaks, carefree and wild. It was Lucy who first saw something strange, a glimmer of something pale beneath a thick pile of leaves near the oldest oak tree.

"Over here!" she called, waving the others over.

Curiosity quickly overtook caution, and the group gathered around the strange shape. Sam, always the boldest, crouched down and brushed away the leaves. What they saw made them freeze in place, their breath caught in their throats.

A hand.

The pale, cold hand of a body.

The children stared, the weight of the discovery sinking in like a cold, creeping fear. No one spoke, the reality too horrifying to process. What began as a simple summer day had turned into a chilling secret that none of them were prepared to face.

"What do we do now?" Ravi whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustle of leaves.

Sam swallowed hard, his voice shaky but resolute. "We can't tell anyone. Not yet."

As they looked at each other, fear and uncertainty filled the air, binding them in a pact of silence. They didn't know it then, but that decision would change their lives forever.

Some secrets, once uncovered, refuse to stay buried.